is she broody enough? + cold eggs... PLEASE HELP WITH MOVING!

[technodoll]

My young silkie pullet went broody Sunday afternoon and I've decided to let her sit on some eggs (after taking all the eggs away yesterday, she sat on an empty nest all day).

I went to the coop this morning and found her mingling with the flock, I let them all out and she went straight for a dust bath.

There were 5 big eggs split among 3 nesting boxes and all felt cold (it was about 40F or 5C in the coop this morning), so she hadn't been sitting on any of them, at least for a while.

I gathered all the eggs in one place, picked her up from her dust bath and sat her on the eggs - she immediately started to roll them around and gather them under her rump and AFAIK has been sitting on them since (I went back to check 30 mins later and removed the one dirty egg, left her with 4 big clean ones - she's too small to cover more anyways!).

What do you think... Is she broody enough to sit on the eggs until they hatch?

Are the eggs still fertile even if they were cold for a few hours?

 

[gsim]

I thought that over 30 minutes was stretching it as far as the life of the embryo in the egg. Don't know where I got that tho. Have never wanted to hatch any and have no Roo anyway.

 

[technodoll]

Can anyone please confirm?

I don't want her sitting on "dead" eggs the next few days...

 

[Kittymomma]

Hi Technodoll,

I'm not an expert on this, but my understanding is as long as they haven't been really cold for longer then what you describe and she hasn't been on them and then gotten off they should be fine as long as she stays with it now that she's started. Wow, that was a run on sentence for sure. I'd candle in a week or so to make sure, but I think they'll be fine. Good luck! I want a broody too! It would be a logistical nightmare for me right now, but what fun.

 

[technodoll]

OK... crossing fingers... she has 5 eggs now and it will be interesting to see if she will stay on them like a good mama.

I am going to move her to a sectioned-off corner of the coop this afternoon, went to get her a box for comfort and privacy - I guess that'll make it or break it??

 

[Kittymomma]

Quote:
Yeah, that will do it allright. I'd wait until after dark if you can. The one broody I had needed to be moved and I couldn't do it after dark. I waited until dusk but she never did go back to the nest full time. She was a Barred rock though and silkies are usually much more persistant so hopefully you'll have better luck.

 

[technodoll]

OK my silkie HATES to be apart from the flock, put some chicken wire between her and the other birds and she goes mental - what the heck am I going to do?

I *have* to seperate her tonight, otherwise I will have no idea which eggs are hers for hatching and which eggs are OK to collect and eat, since the hens are all going in the silkie's nest to lay!! She's sitting on SIX eggs right now, of course she's too small and a few are rolling out from under her... I guess nature will do what she will do, on that front.

So I can move her at dark, that's not a problem.

What will happen is that by daylight she will abandon the eggs and just search desperately to join her mates on the other side of the wire.

Suggestions???

I really would love a few chicks and don't want to mess up this chance

 

[technodoll]

OK it's almost dark now and I have to move her...

Am 95% sure to find her off the eggs tomorrow, trying to peck her way out of the "jail".

Can those 6 eggs she's been sitting on since this morning still be eaten, or would they have "stuff" in them that's too gross?

Hate throwing eggs away...

sigh.

 

[technodoll]

She's been moved, it's like handling a warm rag doll LOL!

Sweetest girl EVER.

However she won't stay on the eggs once daylight hits and she realizes she's been moved.

Can we still eat the eggs after 24 hours of them being kept warm?

 

[Kittymomma]

Sorry I missed your other posts. I'm not sure what your set up is, but if you can cover her new nest site up that might help. I have a large dog crate that I'm going to use "next time"

I get a broody. It's big enough for food/water and a place to get off the nest and do her business as long as I clean it up every day. I'm hoping that by keeping her where she can see and hear the flock, but they can't get in to mess with the nest I'll have better luck next time. Maybe something like that would work for your girl too in the future. Make sure to post in the morning. I'm really hoping yours will stay put for you, silkies are said to be great broodies so there's a chance.

As far as the eggs go, I don't know. It's not like they would be little chickies in there but...... I'd feed them to my dog, but we have lots of extra right now so it's not much of a sacrafice.