Silkie is Broody

[TurtlePowerTrav]

good idea. should i mark the eggs that she is laying on? i have an easter that likes to lay in the same nest. my hen is sitting on an easter and a silkie egg. would like to have some eggs to eat since i only have two hens laying right now.

When I had my broody in the main coop, I had her eggs marked with sharpie so I could easily see if any new eggs where added. She is in my tractor so no one else can get in and the chicks when they hatch will be safe from the big kids.

 

[diinman]

SINCE she just starting sitting, it might be good to wait till the roo has fertilized the eggs and she still has 20 days to go. i can move her later when it is closer to time. good idea

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

If she does not have eggs under her then she will likely sit for more than the 21-23 days. She will eventually give up if nothing hatches. I think the 3-4th egg after mating will be fertile and can fertilize the eggs for up to 3 weeks.

 

[sumi]

Yes, the hens will lay fertile eggs for 2 weeks after a successful mating. Here's a nice guide to show how to check the eggs for fertility:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/16008/how-to-tell-a-fertile-vs-infertile-egg-pictures

And do mark the eggs! My MIL didn't and one day she collected an egg with a half-developed chick in it.. we learned our lesson there and I didn't eat eggs for a long time after that.

 

[Thunderboltt]

We had a silky given to us because she and 3 other chickens had been abandent by there owners. Now about 6 months later she is starting to lay eggs as is the other 3 chickens we receive at the same time. We have always taken the eggs and ate them but yesterday i took her egg as useal and she never got off the nest she was still there last night and again this morning in the very same nest NO egg under here. Today she has not layed an egg at all and still is setting in the very same nest so i took her out and carreied her to the feed bucket she ate a little then went to the water and back on the very same nest and she is still there with no egg. So i decided sence we got 2 roosters about 2 weeks ago and i have 11 leg horn hens and 5 mixed breads hens i would just set todays eggs under her to see what happens she looked so sad setting there. For the last few days when i took her egg she would peck at me not hard just peck and squeil but I paid no mind to it just took the egg and left. So when i set the eggs under her today she seem to be happier now no pecking just lift her leg up and let me put the eggs under her. By tonight she should have about 16 eggs under her to hatch. This is a new expereance for me i only have hatched eggs in a incubatoer so it will be hard for me not to want to snach an egg and candle to see how it is doing.

 

[Chickenclucker]

16 eggs? thats alot for one chicken or is it just me? you might have a better hatch rate if you try half that..Although im no expert..does anyone know the max number of eggs a big hen can sit on and fit all of them underneath her?

 

[Thunderboltt]

She has 15 under her now it would seem that may be to many but she had them covered this morning not one was sticking out She isn't very big eather. She spreds herself out kinda flat like and sets. I will give it a few days then candle them to see if they are even growing, if they are i will leave them there and let her do her thing. i worry about her not eating or drinking though she seems not to leave the nest at all. I think she will be a great mother if they hatch she seems very dedicated.

 

[Thunderboltt]

As i said in my last post my silky went broody no problem i just set some eggs under her well one of my mixed breeded chicken decided to join her in the same nest and share the eggs. For the first time in 5 days i saw the silky get off the nest and go pick at some grass for a few min and get some water but shortly she ran back to the nest and plunked right in next to my black mixed breeded chicken named shadow neather seems to be willing to get off for more than a few min now. Will this work?