How often does your silkie go broody?

[Faith Hope]

I am curious about how many times a year will a silkie go broody, or how many clutches will she raise in a year? I know each one is different, but any one know the record?

My silkie was a year old in April. She is now sitting on her 3rd clutch of eggs! She is an excellent momma, but I am wondering how long she will keep up this pace. She raises her chicks to about 6 weeks, then starts laying for 2 to 4 weeks, and then I can't believe it -- she is back at it again! When it was so hot, I kept pulling her off the nest and telling her to wait until it was cooler! I guess 80s is cool enough for her.

 

[shuizar209]

Houdini is just over a year and in the past 6 months she has raised 4 clutches. Sheonly hatched one set. The rest were adoptees that I had gottten shipped to me from a breeder in Ohio. She was broody in 105 weather. She didnt seem to mind it. Just had to make sure I kicked her off the nest a few times a day until her chicks were delivered.

 

[JulieNKC]

Mine are 9 months old. One has been broody 2x, I let her raise one clutch and broke her the second time so she could have a break. The other has tried to go broody 3 times so far, but no rooster so no chicks for her.

 

[spiritdance]

You mean ... some Silkies AREN'T broody?! Seriously, though, I've got one that stops being broody only long enough to raise the hatchlings then lay another clutch! And it looks like I've got two more, blue and splash sisters, that are going to be just like that. Right now they are both trying to brood during this ridiculous heat wave, so I'm running over to the coop 5 and 6 times a day to shoo them off the nest and make them drink some water. I have a fan on them, but still, I just don't see how they can sit there all day every day in this heat!

 

[Faith Hope]

It is good to know she is "normal"

I am glad I can depend on her to supply me with all my chick needs!

I kept taking her off during the awful hot spell too. It seemed way to hot to just sit there. I finally let her have a few eggs once the heat slacked off.

shuizar209: Did yours go broody before you gave her the adoptees? Or did you just give them to her to take care of?

I gave mine 4-10 day old silkies the day after she hatched her clutch this spring, and I was really surprised to find she accepted them, and they loved her!

 

[jerseygirl1]

Daily

 

[gritsar]

I have two silkie hens, both 14 months old. Jethro is on her fourth round of broodiness. She gave up the first nest on day 15, hatched 3 the second time around, became a surrogate to three store bought chicks the third time. She'll be getting eggs in a few days. Ellie Mae has never gone broody, not once.

 

[NovaAman]

When do they start laying? I mean how old? I have a hen thats acting kinda... well the word I'd use isn't allowed. But thats how she's been today, and she's going on 5 months old...

 

[Mom 2em All]

I have a frizzle and two silkies. It would be easier to tell you how much they havent been broody. Right now, the two silkies are broody- I just got them end of June. The frizzle has been non-stop broody since early Spring. She has set on four different clutches that werent fertile, and also after one set I gave her babies from TSC to raise up.
She is on her fifth clutch of eggs. I plan on picking up some day-olds tomorrow and sticking only a couple under each hen and be done with this for the year. By the time the babies are independent, we should have snow on the forecast.
However, I did have a silkie before that went broody in the winter- and she chose to sit on eggs behind a board that leaned on the house. The snow used to pile up on top of her- I had to go out daily, several times a day, and "shake off the bird"...lol.

Silkie=constant incubator.

 

[Faith Hope]

Quote:
The snow on the broody -- that is hilarious. I think someone should have made a video of you going out to "shake off the bird"