A few months ago I got 8 Silkies from my friend. About a week ago one of the hens went broody. She has been aggresive when I've come near her to see how many eggs she's sitting on but yesterday I got a look and there were 17 (not all hers). I'm assuming the eggs are being added at different days so I'm worried when they start hatching she will "abandon" the remaining eggs. Weirdly, earlier today I noticed she had "kicked out" about 8 eggs. I thought maybe the eggs were bad and that's why. I didn't touch them but after about an hour I went and checked again and they were back under her. So now I'm wondering what I should do. Should I let her be and let nature take its course or candle the eggs tonight and mark then remove any that aren't developing. Does anyone have suggestions?
I would agree that you should candle and remove any without any development. You did say she's been sitting about a week, I don't know if that is too early to put hopes on.I know if she is a regular size bantam silkie she couldn't possibly cover 17 eggs - some will always be out in the cold. She will turn them many times and it's luck of the draw - if the same ones get cold, or if every eggs takes a turn. I think it will better your chances of a successful hatch if you eliminate some. Do your birds all lay the same type/color egg? If not maybe you can just eliminate ones you know aren't from the silkie. If you want to try all the eggs, an incubator can take over the excess ones. Sending good hatching vibes your way
Next time you could mark the broody's eggs so you will know when another hen has sneaked some into the nest.
Hello there and welcome to BYC! I agree with Drumstick Diva here. I would candle these eggs and keep what has developed the farthest. When hatch day comes, she will only set one or two days past the firsts chick hatching as she will want to tend to these babies. So yes, she will abandoned the rest. You could put the rest in an incubator to finish them off when she finally does get up and leave the rest of the eggs. Good luck with the hatch!! Keep us posted on how this all goes down. Oh, and don't let any other hens lay in her clutch of eggs. You many need to section her off so she is by herself. Keep food and water nearby for her as well.
