INDIANA BYC'ers HERE!

[Pollitos6]

Are other hens around? My guess is the egg came from another hen who laid it near your broody. Soft shelled eggs can easily break..... then the hens go "Ohhh Look! A treat!" and gobble it up. No big deal if it happens once in a while. I'd add some dishes of extra calcium for them. Mine don't care for oyster shell but will easily eat crushed chicken eggshells. (I just keep a container near the sink to collect & feed it back to the hens.)

The clucking & cooing to the eggs lets you know the eggs are getting ready to hatch or hatching. Cuteness is on the way!

My chick looks more black today & that makes more sense. (Lav orp had to be the daddy) It's not the typical inky black I'm used to seeing, so I can't be too sure of the color. The other egg was dead. Because I noticed a smell, I tried candling and decided to call it a quitter. It was the one with the rolling air cell. The shell was too thick to see that it probably died a week ago. Normally I would have let it stay a little longer but a rotten egg smell can mean it may explode.
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I also added "Solo" my lonely only serama chick. She's probably close to full size for a serama, but MaiMai is treating her like a chick. MaiMai is not pecking the serama (a great sign), but the serama is afraid and tries to hop out. They've been together 8 hrs, so I'm going to let them spend the night together & hopefully the serama will bond.

"Solo" adopted me as her mama when her real mama left her and pecked at her. Because the broody hen abandoned her chicks just as I introduced them back into the flock, the other hens killed her sister & she witnessed it. Ever since then, she won't tolerate other chickens. Hoping this works to give her a good experience

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aww she is a beauty. I didn't know chickens can be in shock,nice to know.

 

[Faraday40]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge . So since you have silkies you might know the answer to my question. I would like to get silkies but I heard they are very delicate and cannot get wet . My chickens have their large coop where I keep them at night but during the day they have an open large wooded area run. Do you keep your silkies under a roof at all time?
Thanks

Silkies can have a vaulted skull. I joke about MaiMai being brain damaged but perhaps there's some truth to it.

As far as cold, I think they prefer to stay warm & dry. Mine are not ones to go out in the rain. They can take some cold and are not as fragile as some bantams - like seramas. I put them with our seramas because they are docile and to protect them from hawks. With limited vision and inability to fly, they are easy prey.

Our 1st year we hatched and kept 2 silkies. They free ranged with the flock and didn't have problems fitting in. One even went co-broody with a giant orpington. Such an odd pair but they raised a dozen large orp chicks together. One was nurturing & the other protective. One lead the way, the other gathered up the stragglers. After being broody, the silkie returned to her overly loving self. (She would peck at our ankles until we picked her up. As soon as we put her down...peck, Peck. It was like she was letting us know the tragedy that her feet were on the ground and she was not being cuddled.) She was such an endearing bird whose life was cut way too short. About a week after she finished being broody, she was eaten by a hawk. It was a nasty scene. The silkie was only about 8-9 months old. Since then, my daughter refuses to let HER bantams free range. I call the seramas & 2 silkies our "useless chickens." They have a heated winter coop (for the sake of the seramas) and in nice weather use a chicken tractor for protected grass time. Except for winter, they do sleep in the big coop. They're more like a mini flock, with their own pecking order, inside of the big flock.

I never liked the appearance of silkies. Weird 5 toed feet with feathered feet & shanks that can hide mites. They look like fluff with a beak - no face. I also don't like how they can easily fall prey to predators. Too much heart-ache! So,I never understood why so many people loved silkies..... until we got some. It's hard to describe how they simply go limp and mold to your body when you hold them. They are so gentle and loving. They prefer human contact over anything else - including treats. The broodiness can be a blessing or curse, but overall, I can understand why people love them.

 

[man_of_fishers]

Day 23 and no action from the eggs.

Any advice?

 

[Pollitos6]

Silkies can have a vaulted skull. I joke about MaiMai being brain damaged but perhaps there's some truth to it.

As far as cold, I think they prefer to stay warm & dry. Mine are not ones to go out in the rain. They can take some cold and are not as fragile as some bantams - like seramas. I put them with our seramas because they are docile and to protect them from hawks. With limited vision and inability to fly, they are easy prey.

Our 1st year we hatched and kept 2 silkies. They free ranged with the flock and didn't have problems fitting in. One even went co-broody with a giant orpington. Such an odd pair but they raised a dozen large orp chicks together. One was nurturing & the other protective. One lead the way, the other gathered up the stragglers. After being broody, the silkie returned to her overly loving self. (She would peck at our ankles until we picked her up. As soon as we put her down...peck, Peck. It was like she was letting us know the tragedy that her feet were on the ground and she was not being cuddled.) She was such an endearing bird whose life was cut way too short. About a week after she finished being broody, she was eaten by a hawk. It was a nasty scene. The silkie was only about 8-9 months old. Since then, my daughter refuses to let HER bantams free range. I call the seramas & 2 silkies our "useless chickens." They have a heated winter coop (for the sake of the seramas) and in nice weather use a chicken tractor for protected grass time. Except for winter, they do sleep in the big coop. They're more like a mini flock, with their own pecking order, inside of the big flock.

I never liked the appearance of silkies. Weird 5 toed feet with feathered feet & shanks that can hide mites. They look like fluff with a beak - no face. I also don't like how they can easily fall prey to predators. Too much heart-ache! So,I never understood why so many people loved silkies..... until we got some. It's hard to describe how they simply go limp and mold to your body when you hold them. They are so gentle and loving. They prefer human contact over anything else - including treats. The broodiness can be a blessing or curse, but overall, I can understand why people love them.

I really enjoy reading your post

 

[Pollitos6]

Day 23 and no action from the eggs.

Any advice?

Any news yet?

I read on the internet that extreme weather could delay the process of hatching eggs. I am not sure where you are located but here in Indianapolis the real feel is 28 and we are expecting a lot of snow tomorrow. I really hope those babies hatch soon.

 

[Faraday40]

I really enjoy reading your post

Thanks. I try to be honest about all the pros & cons.

 

[man_of_fishers]

Any news yet?

I read on the internet that extreme weather could delay the process of hatching eggs. I am not sure where you are located but here in Indianapolis the real feel is 28 and we are expecting a lot of snow tomorrow. I really hope those babies hatch soon.

Okay, update time!

Went out just now, after really long day of work, one of the eggs had a pip! I put it up to my ear and could hear scratching.

On the negative side, the silkie had kicked out one of the other eggs that I thought I saw the beginning of a pip this morning. She had under her an egg laid from today, so I'm not sure if she was trading them out mistakenly or if there was something really wrong with the other. It was cold, so I doubt there's any hope for it, but I did put it back underneath her just in case. Will check it again in the morning, and hopefully will have more action from the chick that's hatching! The third egg had no action, so I am not hopeful for it.

So there you have it, from a half dozen that I started out with, looks like I may end up with one. But I'll still consider that a win for my first time! Now that I have a roo, I should be better prepared for next time.

 

[Pollitos6]

Okay, update time!

Went out just now, after really long day of work, one of the eggs had a pip! I put it up to my ear and could hear scratching.

On the negative side, the silkie had kicked out one of the other eggs that I thought I saw the beginning of a pip this morning. She had under her an egg laid from today, so I'm not sure if she was trading them out mistakenly or if there was something really wrong with the other. It was cold, so I doubt there's any hope for it, but I did put it back underneath her just in case. Will check it again in the morning, and hopefully will have more action from the chick that's hatching! The third egg had no action, so I am not hopeful for it.

So there you have it, from a half dozen that I started out with, looks like I may end up with one. But I'll still consider that a win for my first time! Now that I have a roo, I should be better prepared for next time.

You might find a chick in the morning . Do you think it would have been different ( more success) by hatching the eggs in the incubator ? I would like to hatch chicks this year and not sure if utilize incubator or let Mother Nature do her thing by letting a hen hatching the eggs

 

[man_of_fishers]

You might find a chick in the morning ☺. Do you think it would have been different ( more success) by hatching the eggs in the incubator ? I would like to hatch chicks this year and not sure if utilize incubator or let Mother Nature do her thing by letting a hen hatching the eggs

That’s a good question, and I don’t know! I love the idea of hens doing it, but I only started this because I thought it’d be a fun way to break my broody hen instead of isolating her.

now that I have a roo, I’ll likely just let my broodys hatch, moving forward.
PS, this one check had better not be a roo!

 

[Chaneys Ranch]

Hi everyone, i have a friend in need of a silkie pullet or hen up your way, she lost hers and the other hen is grieving, do you know of reliable breeders near Ft Wayne

I sure don't, am sorry.

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Day 19 and she’s doing great! Looking forward to Sunday!

Question, how long does the hatching process take? How closely do I need to monitor?

21 days is normally hatch, but if its cold it could be as much as 25.

Oh no oh no. Don’t read further if you would like to skip a bad chick story.

I go out every morning to gather the eggs that the other girls have laid which is in an adjoining nesting box. This morning, I went to makemy usual breakfast sandwich and when I cracked one of the eggs, an underdeveloped chick came out onto the pan. I know mother hens kick out eggs, and this one definitely appeared to be nowhere close to 21 days, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to eat eggs for a few days. That’s going to take a few to shake off. I marked all the fertilized eggs—so this one just must have it’s marking rubbed off, or maybe my Silkie roo has finally matured and started mating and I haven’t seen it. Regardless, my Silkie hen kicked it out, I’m just not sure how it ended up in the other nesting box.

Sad, yes has happened here too.

View attachment 2022409

What the heck is happening?
I just went out because on the chicken camera, I saw an egg opened up and thought, “Yay! Our first chick.” Then I went outside and this. An extremely soft-shelled egg, split open, with yolk and all in it. I picked it up and nothing was special about the insides. I threw it out in the garbage. Just to be sure, I picked up the Silkie and her eggs were all normal. No chick was under her.

what gives?

My best guess is that my Silkie produced an egg despite being broody and it’s soft just because she’s calcium deficient from nesting. Thoughts?

Its definitely a calcium issue. looks too big for a silkie egg.

You might find a chick in the morning ☺. Do you think it would have been different ( more success) by hatching the eggs in the incubator ? I would like to hatch chicks this year and not sure if utilize incubator or let Mother Nature do her thing by letting a hen hatching the eggs

It really depends on the bird. Some hens are way better than an incubator for sure. Goose and duck eggs absolutely do better incubated. I've not had good luck with hen raised chicks. Been at this about 8 years now and have had 1 hen that was a successful mom. But i don't keep bantam breeds anymore either! OEG I kept several years ago did brood and hatch just fine.