Just venting about mean broodies

[KOdin]

Just venting. Decided to let my girls hatch eggs this year. I let my mut chickens do it last year and they were fine and raised with the flock. This year I let my silkies do it and boy do I have a baby chick massacre on my hands. So far I’ve had 2 baby chicks just go missing, 2 killed in front of me and 2 killed before I could get there this morning. I swear it’s broody gone wild up in that coop. Anyways, I heard chirping and chirping so I thought ok next ones out I’ll grab and bring inside. Went inside, came back out at the end of the day and heard more chirping. I looked under the coop and a poor baby was under there. Must’ve fallen out as I opened the door earlier. Head was bloody from the broody pecking at it. I swear my silkies are quiet cannibals at this point. Needless to say, everyone’s eggs got revoked today. I brought them inside sitting under a heat lamp in an extra brooder just in case anyone has a last minute Hail Mary hatch.

My one survivor is doing much better today, eating and drinking fine. I call his brooder the ICU. Maybe he will have to be a special chicken and just hang out with me and the dog instead of the flock since introducing one chicken will be hard for him in the future. Hopefully a miracle hatch will happen under my ghetto rigged incubation set up LOL. It would be too late to try and get him friends at this point as they would be weeks apart starting all over again.

Thanks for letting me vent, I never would’ve thought my sweet silkies would be such AWFUL mothers. #dissappinted

 

[The Happster]

That's horrible.
I have never been able to re-home any chickens, roosters, hens anything.
But a bird that hurt/killed a chick would not be staying long in my house. Let alone a broody!
Hope your Silkie chick does ok.
Do me a favour and slap those incompetent broodies of yours.

 

[KOdin]

That's horrible.
I have never been able to re-home any chickens, roosters, hens anything.
But a bird that hurt/killed a chick would not be staying long in my house. Let alone a broody!
Hope your Silkie chick does ok.
Do me a favour and slap those incompetent broodies of yours.

One of the chicks hatched out of my severely ghetto setup! It’s shocking at this point, i put all the eggs in a bucket and was just going to scrap the whole hatching season but decided to give some eggs a chance just in case. No more broodies this year getting any baby chicks!

It’s hard to see but he’s chirping away back there. There’s a ceramic bulb emitting heat above the water dish and cult circle of eggs. Hopefully both chicks make it so they can live together

 

[The Happster]

That is a lot of eggs. Are they all developed?
Good thing you managed to get that first chick out. Let me know if any more hatch.

 

[KOdin]

That is a lot of eggs. Are they all developed?
Good thing you managed to get that first chick out. Let me know if any more hatch.

I was really sick the last few weeks so I couldn’t stop the hens from laying all these eggs. These are about half of what I picked up from a few different nests. From my noobie candling skills they have little air pockets on one side so better safe than sorry. They’re all about 99-100 degrees in their little circle. If any don’t hatch in a couple days I’ll toss em but figured I’d give them a chance before I chucked them out. I really wish I could’ve gotten the other chicks out before the broody killed them. Will let you know, have a feeling this guy might be the only one. I’m just glad my one other chick now has a friend.

 

[The Happster]

It's great he has a sibling.
Those are some determined hens, with all those eggs.

 

[KOdin]

That is a lot of eggs. Are they all developed?
Good thing you managed to get that first chick out. Let me know if any more hatch.

An update, a ton hatched. We’ve got 17 chicks total, some were 1-2 weeks spread out so I’ve got a few groups of different ages. Had 3 casualties but overall impressive for a ridiculous set up.

Check out his nice fur boots.

 

[KOdin]

Oops here are his fur boots

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Oh my that’s so many babies! Congrats! So cute

 

[The Happster]

Yay!
Nice photos! They do look like they're judging