Mixed Eggs

[ballpoint]

I have a broody silkie that I put some fertilized eggs under. About a week later, she adopted two other fertilized eggs and started to work on them. Two days ago, the first egg hatched. Now I have a chick and two eggs that should be hatching in four days or so. She is conflicted between caring for the chick and sitting on the eggs. Which would be better, remove the chick and raise it for a bit or try to use an incubator to hatch out the other two (something I've never done)? If I remove the chick, will the hen stay broody long enough for the other eggs to hatch or will this break her broodiness? Any comments would help greatly or try out the poll. Thanks for the help.

 

[Nike]

The hen will wait a little bit to see if more eggs hatch but I would definatley choose to put the eggs in an incubator if she gets off the nest.

I had some eggs hatching still when the mom had chicks that were a couple days old and I put food and water in the nest box because i wanted her to still sit which seemed to work because then she could care for the chicks and still sit on the rest of the eggs. But after awhile she has to give up on the eggs.

But they get very upset if you take away their chicks so don't do that!

 

[tec27]

I'd remove the chick. Much easier to care for a chick than incubate eggs. And my silkies do not care if i remove their chicks. Once i do they just sit on more eggs.