Is it safe to let a hen nest with the rest of the flock?

[RhodeIslandRedMomma]

I have a small flock; 2 Rhode Island Red hens, one Silkie hen and one Silkie rooster and they all live together. The Silkies have been mating for a while and now I have 2 Silkie eggs in the nest box. My question is do I need to separate the Silkies in order for them to try raising chicks (if they were indeed successful) or is it safe to leave everyone together? The Silkie hen is not staying on her eggs right now; she still roosts with the others (yes, my Silkies roost) and leaves the eggs largely uncovered throughout the day.

First time having a "breeding pair" of chickens, so forgive me if I sound totally clueless.

 

[sourland]

Setting hens generally do best if they have a private nesting area where others can not bother them. Other hens laying in the nest can result in staggered hatches and cracked eggs. She will not go broody until she has established a clutch of eggs - number is variable. Good luck.

 

[RhodeIslandRedMomma]

Setting hens generally do best if they have a private nesting area where others can not bother them. Other hens laying in the nest can result in staggered hatches and cracked eggs. She will not go broody until she has established a clutch of eggs - number is variable. Good luck.

Thanks for the input!

 

[Peppercorngal]

My experience has been to leave the broody hen and her eggs where ever she decides to sit on them. Moving them to a "secluded" spot has never worked, the hen won't have it. So what I do is leave the broody hen on whatever nest she chooses and when the chicks hatch, then you can move her if you want. My broody always nests and hatches on the second tier and I move her to the bottom when the chicks are 2 days old. You should be taking the eggs if she is not broody and sitting on them. You can give them back to her later. Good Luck with your silkies!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Bad things can happen if you let a hen incubate, hatch and raise chicks with the flock. Bad things can happen if you try to separate her, the eggs, and the chicks. Broody hens hatch and raise a lot of chicks both ways so good things can happen too. Though I have my personal preferences I do not consider either way right or wrong, just different ways to manage it.

There might be something unique about your coop, run, or nest that might argue one way or the other or suggest ways to isolate them. If you want to tell us sizes and maybe show photos of your coop, run, and nests we might be able to make suggestions, assuming you actually want her to hatch if she ever goes broody.

Not every hen goes broody, certainly not when you want them to. Not knowing when one might creates some problems in getting hatching eggs. It's also possible your RIR eggs could be fertile. If your Silkie goes broody she would love to hatch those eggs and raise those chicks. If they are laying you can search for the bull's eye to check for fertility. If you aren't familiar with the bull's eye this thread could help.

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures