Hi, I wrote to you all a little over a month ago, asking if my Silkie (Sadie) was brooding as all she was doing was sitting all snuggly in one of the nesting boxes, and had stopped laying. Well, she is "still" doing it, and every so often we find an egg from the other girls under her. She seems very dazed when we move her, however when picked up and put outside to eat "treats", she makes noises (as if we disturbed her), but pecks around and enjoys the yummy treats. After a few minutes of this, she goes right back to the box and snuggles down. She hasn't laid at all, but seems healthy. No weight loss, feather loss or anything we can "see". We tried separating her to a cage where she couldn't "brood" and "evicted" her from her spot over and over again, but nothing seems to be detering her from this odd behavior. Our question is...is this normal and ok? Will she come out of this behavior? Should I find her some fertile eggs to sit on? HELP!
LOL Ah, welcome to the wonderful world of Silkies. If she is this determined, then yes, I would get her some eggs to hatch and let her be a mom. She will probably brood several times a year for you so no need to buy that incubator. I have 3 Silkies that can't stand for an egg to look lonely. Sometimes they can't even stand for an empty nest to look lonely! But I keep them busy and they are happy to hear chicks peep under them. I have let them raise a few that were not critical to my breeding projects. They are happiest when brooding and raising babies. Don't always trust their judgment though. Mine have left chicks out in the pouring rain or cold wind and I had to scoop them up and close up the coop.
Put her in a wire bottom cage and get air under her, it's not a good thing to let a brood go on forever.....
Thank you so much for your quick responses. I will try to locate some fertile eggs and see what happens. Now my question is...should I do this before the spring? And...will the chicks be ok around the other ladies?
Quote:My teeny weeny little banty Cochin has been successfully raising 5 standard chicks since November, and it's a balmy 7* out right now. The chicks are nearly her size! She let them roam with her and she protected them from the other 20-some big girls (BR, EE, Buttercups, etc.) in my home flock. She also provided them a warm-up whenever they needed it. At this point they all roost together with her and these chicks are FAR better suited to the cold than the 40+ chicks I have that I hatched that are a bit older than hers. Nature knows how to manage the feathering and I think hers have better down due to whatever warm-up system a hen applies I'd give her some eggs and let her do her job, but oversee her until you are sure it's all going well. She will need something quick- it's rough on her even if you don't see it. Keep us updated!
