Need Trio of Silkies ASAP!

[storema]

I am looking for a trio of Silkies to hatch 14 waterfowl eggs coming in mid-May. I am having trouble finding anyone with atleast a pair in the Southeast. I am getting desperate!

 

[paddock36]

Why not just build or buy an incubator?

 

[storema]

Hey! I might have to! The duck eggs were very expensive, and the success rate with an incubator is about 45% to 60%. However, the duck breeder said that she uses Silkie chickens and Muscovies to hatch her eggs. That method is close to a 90% hatching success!

 

[paddock36]

That would be great if you could find one and it go broody on time. I have a trio of Silkies and only one hen has gone broody once. I made my own incubator because I wanted to hatch some eggs and the incubators at the store were too expensive. I know my incubator is not 100% successful but I have done pretty good with it and I can hatch when I want to.

 

[little_grey_bantam]

Here's the deal on broodies...
They MAY NOT want to sit on eggs for you.
Sure you can purchase silkies... and get your eggs and they decide "Nope, don't wanna sit on them."
Usually how it works.

Another deal is, you could have this happen....
Place $150 eggs under a broody hen who happened to be broody...
And then week 1 1/2, she poos ALL OVER them and leaves them...
Ruins them all...

And then a week after they're due to hatch (mind you, you've had to throw them all aways, because you put them in the bator and they begin exploding)
you get TEN broody hens who go broody

Mind ALL love hatching mutt eggs... any expensive eggs and they avoid them like the plague!

 

[SilkieTime]

If you lived closer I could hock you up. I have two hens that stay broody and are good mothers.

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

little_gray_bantam---sounds like you've had bad experiences with Silkie broody hens. I, on the other hand, have had wonderful experiences

As a matter of fact, I have local guinea breeders who by my non-breeding quality silkies JUST to incubate the eggs and raise the guinea chicks.

Storema--if I had read your post sooner, I could have helped you out.

Sold 2 broody hens yesterday to a guinea breeder. You're not too far away, so if anything happens between now and mid May, I'll PM you.

Best of luck

 

[little_grey_bantam]

Quote:
Oh no, it's just overall with broody hens; that's just some of the risks you take lol
I've had a many broody hens over the years which was why I didn't say Silkies.
Just the one that popped off the eggs were a Silkie. LOL
You can ask anyone in the hatching eggs section

sometimes, they don't want to do what we want them too (hahaha)

I'm ready to invest in a fluffy chicken butt myself LOL if I could!
I'd sit on them myself!

 

[storema]

Thank you all for posting replies!

 

[KellyHM]

I have a trio of white Silkies I'm looking to sell, but I doubt you want to drive all the way to central FL for them.