Silkie has stolen my golf balls - broody question

[Faracas]

All of the golf balls I had in the nesting boxes to encourage the "almost ready" ladies to lay have been relocated under my Silkie. I got a month of eggs out of her and POOF she's broody. I keep checking under her, but all I find are more golf balls....

Uh oh...

Maybe she has started laying golf ball eggs? I don't remember how many I had in there

Will she continue to stay broody with the golf balls until i can get some fertile eggs under her?

**Title clarified by Staff. Please do not remove moderator edits**

 

[ranchhand]

Probably!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

She should stay broody, just don't wait too long before you put eggs under her, she could give up on them during development.

 

[dieselgrl48]

Hehe well let her have them.Watch for her to actualy have an egg and maybe slip one ball out from under daily until she just has an egg or egg's.It probably wouldn't hurt to leave one or 2 with her so she can have a "full nest" feel.Hope she lay's an egg or 2 soon with the ball's.But if she is already sitting a few day's most likely she wont lay any.My Serama went broody a lot on nothing a few time's before she actualy had 2 of her own egg's and then she hatched a baby turkey and a cochin frizzle along with one of her own.If you have other hen's laying try replacing the ball's with egg's too.My new Silkie is sitting 2 of her egg's but she has about 6 suprise egg's too lol.Week 2 and she still going.

 

[Faracas]

Cool. She started being cranky and on the nest a lot last week, but has been sitting non-stop for two days. Each time I go in there she's stolen another one of the golf balls - she's got six of them now. I don't have a roo because I am in the city, so I am going to a local lady who has fertile eggs for sale. She should be swapped out tomorrow afternoon. I'll leave one of the golf balls in there.. just hope it doesn't hatch anything!

At least she seems to be a well mannered broody, as such go. She has no problem with my digging under her to find out what she's got. She just complains with her best Marge Simpson impression.

 

[Mrs. K]

I don't think you have to leave the golf ball. They really can't tell. I use roundish rocks. I slipped a bunch under my bo' s. And they were happy.

But you should mark the eggs that you put under her, cause sometimes another hen will add to the cause. And in your case they would not be fertilized, but you might not be able to tell which egg is which.

mk

 

[In His Service]

If you mark them, don't use crayon like my DD did. The warmth of the hen's body rubbed the marks off

 

[gaillardia]

I would never have thought to mark the eggs. Such great suggestions on this forum.

 

[Faracas]

Update: Fertile eggs were not fertile, so I'll have to go elsewhere (got a dozen - cracked six with no fertile). Silkie's still on her nest However, something strange is happening.

The other chickens (6) are spending a lot of time in the coop, standing around the nest box in a half circle checking her out. A lot. Should they be this curious? Its almost like some sort of occult ritual - I'm having visions of them chanting the egg-song backwards three times and hatching golf balls.