Older silkie hens

[bigz1983]

About 7 weeks ago I bought two silkie hens. The seller told me they were around a year old. I think he just told me that to get a sale. After I got them home I took a look at their feet and they look much older than a year.

It's been 7 weeks and neither one has laid a egg. I know that the silkie is not the greatest egg producer and I'm ok with that but the reason I bought them was so they could sit/incubate hatch the eggs from my other large breed chickens.

If their old and past their prime(not laying anymore) what are the chances they will go broody in the spring? Can a hen go broody if she doesn't lay eggs anymore?

I have a 3rd silkie hen that I bought from a breeder and she is a little over a year old she lays a egg every other day. She laid a egg the next day I got her home.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

What I wouldn't give to get some of my Silkie hens to LAY OFF the brooding!

In large fowl breeds I can tell a little about their age by the size of their shanks. But not sure I could in Silkies. Though as mine age I may be able to tell and get more familiar.

I don't know if a hen can still become broody when they aren't laying at all. But it's a good question. I will say my broody Silkies go through mini molts afterwards... and so even though they should technically be molting about now with all my other hens, they are NOT. Makes me wonder if it's a side bonus benefit of actually letting them brood. So yes they are still laying and have 3/4 in the broody breaker as we speak.

 

[chickens really]

Why did the feets appearance make them look old?....

 

[Wickedchicken6]

The Silkie hens you got may have just come off of a brooding stint, in which case the stress of going to a new place and recuperating may be the reason they are not laying. Did the owner mention anything about them just being broody?

I have Silkie cross hens that were hatched in 2015 still going strong as far as laying eggs and being broody. They are crazy broody so I never get many eggs. I just got 2-3 stopped and one is still on a couple of eggs that I'm waiting for her to get done.

Unlike @EggSighted4Life, I haven't noticed my Silkies mini-molting. They just finished their major molt. All of my Silkies are crosses, so perhaps that makes a difference. But from what I've experienced...I don't think you have anything to worry about regarding them setting.

But the point @chickens really brings up is valid. If these new hens' feet look really bad...they may have something like scaly leg mites. Scaly leg mites will raise the scales and the legs will not have a good general appearance. Those mites may infest your other hens' legs too.

Do you have a pic of their legs? Silkies can be prone to getting leg mites and it's sometimes easy to miss with those feet feathers.

 

[bigz1983]

The Silkie hens you got may have just come off of a brooding stint, in which case the stress of going to a new place and recuperating may be the reason they are not laying. Did the owner mention anything about them just being broody?

I have Silkie cross hens that were hatched in 2015 still going strong as far as laying eggs and being broody. They are crazy broody so I never get many eggs. I just got 2-3 stopped and one is still on a couple of eggs that I'm waiting for her to get done.

Unlike @EggSighted4Life, I haven't noticed my Silkies mini-molting. They just finished their major molt. All of my Silkies are crosses, so perhaps that makes a difference. But from what I've experienced...I don't think you have anything to worry about regarding them setting.

But the point @chickens really brings up is valid. If these new hens' feet look really bad...they may have something like scaly leg mites. Scaly leg mites will raise the scales and the legs will not have a good general appearance. Those mites may infest your other hens' legs too.

Do you have a pic of their legs? Silkies can be prone to getting leg mites and it's sometimes easy to miss with those feet feathers.

I have been treating them for scaly leg mites. Their legs just don't look as youthful as my 3rd silkie I mentioned that's why I think they are older.

I just wanna know if Silkies retire from going broody after they get old.

 

[sourland]

I have never had a silky that stopped going broody. Most likely your birds are not laying because of the change in environment and shortened day length.

 

[bigz1983]

I have never had a silky that stopped going broody. Most likely your birds are not laying because of the change in environment and shortened day length.

Ok good to know.

Well I guess those 2 older Silkies take changing environments much harder than my 3rd silkie "little moma". She has done great. I'm kinda wondering if the older ones are just going to hold off until spring. Oh well...

 

[sourland]

It would not surprise me if they did not lay until day length is in excess of 12 hours - yep, spring.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

An egg every other day from a strain of chicken like a silky does not equal 182 & 1/2 eggs but discounting all the times that these hens sit and brood chicks, and making allowances for the molt and reduced production during Fall and Winter not to mention reduced production as the hen ages, and suddenly you may be well under 100 eggs per year.

It would not surprise me if they did not lay until day length is in excess of 12 hours - yep, spring.

That would be March 20th 2018 or later.

 

[bigz1983]

Ok hopefully they start laying again in the spring and go broody