My chicken's broody, so I just gave in... (**Both Ducklings Are Out**)

[KellyHM]

LOL, never mind. I was thinking you had chickens under the chicken...silly me!

 

[vfem]

Yeah we have duck eggs under the silkie. (These things are HUGE!)

So here's my first problem now.

4 Jumbo Ducks eggs may be too much for her... she keeps kicking one out from under her. I keep catching my 16 week old pullet sitting on it!!!

She jumps right off though when I'm feeding and stuff... she is a hungry little bugger, and much too young to be setting eggs... not even close to laying age yet.

ANYWAYS, I keep stuffing it back under... but I'm thinking next time she kicks it out, I should just take it. I think 4 is too many for her. What should I do???

 

[Southernbelle]

I have my first broody Silkie, too!

Except I actually have 3 broodies going right now, one after the other. I have 7 more Silkie hens I suspect are ticking time bombs.

This is my first experience with chickens, too. I knew they had a tendency to be broody, but I didn't think that meant they were little hatching machines!!!!!!

I gave them each a few eggs out of my mixed pen - it's full of standards and bantams, hens and roos, all colors and breeds. So I have no idea what's going to pop out of those eggs (if anything)!

 

[vfem]

So should I not take the egg and just keep pushing it back under? I'm afraid to find it all cold and alone in the morning, or worse she switches the eggs she kicks out and they may all end up cold!? Really worried already

 

[wegotchickens]

Quote:
Candle it and see if anything is in there. She may be kicking it out because it's stinky and rotting.

Maybe candle each and see if anything is in there, and remove the most questionable one.

 

[shelleyd2008]

Quote:
Candle it and see if anything is in there. She may be kicking it out because it's stinky and rotting.

Maybe candle each and see if anything is in there, and remove the most questionable one.

That's what I was thinking as well. How long has she been on these eggs?

<edit> Is she in the same pen as your other silkies? I have an OEG hen that is brooding right now, and I found a total of 5 eggs that were kicked out from under her. Her problem was that another hen likes to 'share' nests with anyone, and evidently she was trying to share with the OEG, and the eggs got kicked out. I found a couple of eggs from my bantam dutch in the nest, so I know it was her. I had to move all my broodies to seperate pens, because the non-broodies would try to share with them.

 

[MissPrissy]

Just a word of warning - some chickens seem to know when a hatchling isn't a chicken and will kill the babies. Keep your eyes on the eggs and when they begin to hatch watch the hen carefully. She may do just fine but on the other hand she may not.

Good luck on your hatch.

 

[Southernbelle]

Quote:
Candle it and see if anything is in there. She may be kicking it out because it's stinky and rotting.

Maybe candle each and see if anything is in there, and remove the most questionable one.

Candling sounds good. You don't want to take the chance on tossing a healthy egg when chances are 100% wouldn't normally be viable anyway.

 

[vfem]

These eggs were laid on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. I just put them under the hen on Tuesday afternoon. I'm not sure if there would be anything to be seen by candling so soon. I will try tomorrow though to see if its worth it.

If that egg is kicked out again, I will just remove it in the morning.

 

[austinhart123]

candle it first, the other hen might just be taking it.....and missprissy is right, but silkies are pretty docile so just be safe rather then sorry