Is she broody?

[sumi]

That's a good idea

 

[Nicole01]

I kept 3 unfertilized eggs in the nest for a hen to go broody. It took 3 days, then my Cochin sat in there for the night. She got up and left the next day. I kept those eggs in there and it was 5-7 days before she decided to sit. This time she was in there for 2 days before I put fertile eggs under her. I have a hen that lays egg shell inside the egg whites, so I feed them back to the hens.

Now I have to physically lift her off the nest 2-3 times a day to drink and poop(she will poop 1-2 times tops). The poops are human sized and stinky! Bleh! The poor thing wasn't coming out and was looking dehydrated. She drinks 2-3 times a day. I close the door to the coop/nest, so she doesn't run back in. Her legs are weak from sitting. I let her take a dust bath and now she will only poop outside and not even in the run.

I spoil her. I give her HB egg a day, sunflower seeds and oats with starter feed. The more protein the better. So far she's been sitting for 2 weeks. Some of the eggs were 10 days or so developed, so I hope this isn't a problem.

If your silkie is standing over the eggs, she know ls not to over cook her eggs. They will keep on growing. My neighbor that gave me the fertile eggs were cooking without a sitting hen and all doing well. If your silkie is leaving and hanging with the flock, she is not ready.

My Cochin leaves the nest, but stays to herself. She takes a dust bath daily, cleans her feathers and scratches around until I open the door. If she wants in beforehand, she lets me know with a gentle cluck.

Good luck! This is my FIRST hatch and so far so good. If it fails, I'll try again with eBay eggs. I have my eye on a batch. My neighbor rehomed her rooster, do no more fertile eggs.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

I don't think she is ready to hatch the eggs.
Whenever we hatch chicks we always use an incubator, and I have wanted to have my silkie hatch them for a long time now, so I thought I'd give it a try.
We just got a cockerel (we aren't supposed to have males where we live and are only aloud three hens, but as you can see in my signature we have way more then three hens.) so we do have the ability to have fertile eggs.
Right now the eggs are in the "bator". I tried to candle them last night but, I don't have an Led flash light, so I didn't really see anything. I'll try to get a stronger flash light sometime today.
I have a lot of breeds that people say make really good broodys so maybe I can give the chicks that (hopefully) hatch to them.
Oh, the eggs are due the beginning of July.

 

[sumi]

What you can do is "bait" the nest. Leave some eggs in it, but mark them, so you know which ones you've put in. Seeing a nest full of eggs often puts broody ideas in hens' heads... It works with mine and my MIL's bantams cannot resist a single egg!

 

[SilkiesForEver]

She layed another egg this morning. Correct me if I'm wrong but, I have heard that when a broody lays an egg that it marks the end of the broody cycle.

I don't know if thats true, but I'm positive she's not broody any more. Anyway we have them in the incubator so I'm hoping and praying that we still get little cheep cheeps.

I'll candle them today and let you know if we have any fertile eggs.

 

[SilkiesForEver]

I candled the eggs and the second oldest egg is fertile!!!!

There are blood vessels and a black dot. I heard the black dot is the eye, correct?
We have eggs she layed today, yesterday, the 19, the 17, the 14 and the 13 in the incubator. The egg layed on the 14 is fertile!

I'll keep you all posted.

 

[Nicole01]

Good luck! This is very exciting!

Broody's stop laying eggs once they sit on eggs.

My broody makes this soft sweet clucking noise over and over, especially when she is off her nest. They hold their poop longer and they lay flat with their wings out in the nest.

If mine stops sitting on the last couple, I made my own incubator to hatch the rest, all viable eggs so far. Let's hope it works! The temp was 98 and 70% humidity.

Here is one of my green egg candles eggs only showing the air cell getting bigger. I have one that has a bigger air cell that I'm not touching. I think it will hatch soonest.

It's so hard to see with thick shelled colored eggs.lol

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Agh!!! She is making me so confused!!! Yesterday she sat on her nest all day and today she is still sitting!! I opened the coop door to give her the option of coming out and, she did but, only for a minute. She pooped a HUGE poop and hopped up into the coop again.
She is sitting on three golf balls and two non fertile eggs, and the eggs in the incubator are due in 8/10 days so if she stays broody then I'll stick the ones closest to hatching under her. Does that sound good?
Thank you for the great advise!

 

[SilkiesForEver]

Well she is still sitting......
I just hope she stays there till the eggs hatch.

 

[sumi]

Agh!!! She is making me so confused!!! Yesterday she sat on her nest all day and today she is still sitting!! I opened the coop door to give her the option of coming out and, she did but, only for a minute. She pooped a HUGE poop and hopped up into the coop again.
She is sitting on three golf balls and two non fertile eggs, and the eggs in the incubator are due in 8/10 days so if she stays broody then I'll stick the ones closest to hatching under her. Does that sound good?
Thank you for the great advise!

Good idea. If she's still at it and I think she will be, wait 'till evening and remove the eggs and the golf balls and slip the chicks under her.