Ooooo My Silkie has gone broody I think... How many?

[PineBurrowPeeps]

I have a white silkie hen named Tribble who I think has gone broody! (This is good, it's why I bought a Silkie to begin with!)
When we let them out of the coop this morning she didn't come out, and just now I went to check for eggs and bring my flock a treat and she was still in her nest.
I went up to her and she pecked my hand HARD and when I stroked her back instead of running away like usual she growled at me!
I lifted up her hiney and she's only sitting on one egg.
I only have one Rooster, a gorgeous Banty Dominique who is always with her and she's his "favorite".
How many eggs can I fit under a Silkie? I'm thinking about letting her hatch some but I don't know how many. I have her eggs from everyday saved up just sitting at room temp in a basket in my kitchen, probably 6 of them. I could go pop them under her...
I think a Silkie/Dominique would be bazzar looking!

 

[bradybrady09]

If she is normal size silkie i would say 12 bantam eggs or 6 standard eggs.

 

[Shared Acres]

I had one Silkie that seemed like she wasn't very good at covering more than 6. I would throw a couple under her, you could always throw all and see how it goes.

 

[ibpboo]

I would say about 6, to be safe. Sounds like she is broody, setting and growling and pecking!!

Good luck with the hatch!

 

[Fox]

Quote:
My Silkie sat on 8 eggs, 7 which turned out to be fertile so I tossed the 8th out. She hatched all of them, so I really wouldn't do more than that, but do make sure her nest is nice and rounded so that there is a bowl shape going on that the eggs rest down in. That seems to work the best for us. Good luck!!

 

[PineBurrowPeeps]

Thankies!

Will a Momma hen protect chicks from things? I'm just curious. Say another chicken came to check out her new chicks would she protect them?
I don't really have a way to seperate her right now so I am wondering if I will have to pull the chicks and put them in a brooder or if she'll watch out for them later.

 

[RooptyDoo]

I had a silkie sit on 10 before but my broody now can barely sit on 6. Yes if she is a good momma she should protect and take care of her babies. I have had some be good mothers and some be horrible mothers. I usually keep them (mom and babies) somewhere where they cant be bothered though.

 

[SweetMissDaisy]

Quote:
To be safe, protect her from other hens. It is heart wrenching to find your babies harmed, killed, or even completely missing from the nest/yard/coop. I never have had good luck leaving a hen and new chicks in the chicken yard. Free range mamma's tend to do better here than mamma's in the coop/yard with other hens.