Elliemae - You mean you're still looking for a silkie to use as a broody? Something to keep in mind: not all silkie hens go broody, but that do tend to be more broody than a lot of breeds. If you're going to buy a grown hen for brooding it would make more sense, imo, to simply put out a want ad for a hen who tends to brood well, of any breed. Of all the hens we've had the silkies have never been the best brooders, my BA and LBs have been much better and they can cover more chicks. Once you have her you'll just want to watch for signs of broodiness. They'll stick right around the nest, pluck feathers to add to the nest box, chatter and growl quietly, etc. Once she's showing signs of wanting to brood you can provide her with a nest, eggs, water and food nearby and just let her do her thing. HTH!
Raz - Not that I would ever self-medicate --
-- but if I did it'd be with 800 mg of Ibuprofen, 1 strong muscle relaxer and two glasses of wine just before bed. And it's not like I have experience with this or anything, but if I did I bet I'd tell you that I've never once had an injury that took more than three consecutive nights of said self-medication to heal, good as new.
ETA: And by "just before bed" I mean give yourself a good 9 hours to sleep thereafter. Not that I would know, but I imagine you could easily oversleep on any such type of self-medication and completely miss your morining, eh hem, responsibilities.
