I was wondering if having some silkie hens just as good as having an incubator? I'm in mississippi if that is useful.
Something else that just popped in my head. Do silkies remain broody after they reach the age they stop laying?
Cochin hens work very well too. Mine go broody just as much as the silkies, and they can cover way more eggs. So if you are looking for the most bang for the buck so to speak that would be a better option that the silkies IMO if you are just using them to incubate eggs. For example I had a cochin hen sit on 18 muscovy eggs, 16 of which hatched, plus she was a wonderful mother to them.
The problem with relying on any hen is that they go broody on their own schedule, not necessarily on yours.
A big advantage of a broody is that after they're hatched she can teach them chicken stuff, and keep them just the right temperature. I have pics of week old chicks in the snow in February. The hen knew exactly how long they could be out, then collected them to warm them up.
