Silkie thread!

[ChickNmamma]

I havr silkies but dont know much about their sleeping habits.... mine want to lay in a big fuzzy pile on the ground at night! Ive heard people say they wont roost because they have too many toes.... but ive also heard thats redic and they should roost just fine. Mine would just rather pile up and sleep making them easy target for predators. They are so spoiled and are terrified of going in the coop with the adult flock. So Ive had to keep them in a rabbit hutch to stay safe. They have a boared in there to roost on but I always find them piled on the bottom. I need silkie advice for my 3 spoiled babies!

Some Silkies prefer the "Silkie Pile", some prefer to roost. I guess it depends on how they were brought up, how well they can "fly" and what they can see. If they can see well and they have practiced flying they will roost if other chickens are roosting. If they can't see the roost above their heads or they don't fly well they will sleep in a pile.. Most Silkies prefer to "hop" than to fly - Silkied feathers are not great for flying. The toes have nothing to do with roosting or not roosting - they can grab a roost just fine with those toes.

 

[sheeshshe]

This poor chickie gets to ride the "magic ship"..... thankfully the poor thing doesn't seem to mind. he's 'used to it" lol.

 

[sheeshshe]

I have a question.

My hen is sitting on 3 eggs. she started sitting on one before she laid the second one. and then after a couple of days, I noticed she had the second one. then when I checked the next week, I saw there was a third. I did candle them and they were all growing. With the eggs spaced out like that, will she abandon the eggs once one is hatched?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I havr silkies but dont know much about their sleeping habits.... mine want to lay in a big fuzzy pile on the ground at night! Ive heard people say they wont roost because they have too many toes.... but ive also heard thats redic and they should roost just fine. Mine would just rather pile up and sleep making them easy target for predators. They are so spoiled and are terrified of going in the coop with the adult flock. So Ive had to keep them in a rabbit hutch to stay safe. They have a boared in there to roost on but I always find them piled on the bottom. I need silkie advice for my 3 spoiled babies!

How old are they? Many silkies pile up at night, and if you look at the structure of the pile, the boys tend to be on the outside, on patrol duty, as it were. The girl who is highest in the pecking order tends to be in the center of the pile, and as they are lower in the order, the farther out they are If there are chicks, they snuggle at the bottom of the pile under whichever chicken is convenient. Summer piles tend to be very flat (one deep) and spread out. Winter piles tend to be taller and much more compact. Silkies can roost, but many don't choose to. And some do, but they generally prefer lower roosts of maybe a foot or two. Piling up versus roosting makes no difference to predator protection so long as the placement of the pile is in a secure location.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I have a question.

My hen is sitting on 3 eggs. she started sitting on one before she laid the second one. and then after a couple of days, I noticed she had the second one. then when I checked the next week, I saw there was a third. I did candle them and they were all growing. With the eggs spaced out like that, will she abandon the eggs once one is hatched?

She very well might. Alternatively, she might completely ignore the needs of the earlier hatchlings.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have a question.

My hen is sitting on 3 eggs.  she started sitting on one before she laid the second one.  and then after a couple of days, I noticed she had the second one.  then when I checked the next week, I saw there was a third.  I did candle them and they were all growing.  With the eggs spaced out like that, will she abandon the eggs once one is hatched?

I have a Silkie that has just hatched 7 x blrw over a period of 3 days. I just kept her in confinement , put the water and chick starter close by, and let her do the rest. The first ones are a week old and they aren't going far yet, so the newest ones can spend more time under mum.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I have a question.

My hen is sitting on 3 eggs. she started sitting on one before she laid the second one. and then after a couple of days, I noticed she had the second one. then when I checked the next week, I saw there was a third. I did candle them and they were all growing. With the eggs spaced out like that, will she abandon the eggs once one is hatched?

On the day the first chick is supposed to hatch, provide food and water right next to your broody. That way she will continue hatching and be able to show the first were the food is. It is what I just did with mine as she laid 2 extra eggs that I did not place under her. Only one did not hatch, air cell was on side of the egg and not the top.

 

[sheeshshe]

excellent! thanks everyone! I have no idea when they're due to hatch.. I was only keeping track of the oens I had in the house that I started incubating before she went broody.I'm assuming the first will hatch in a few days from now. the last of the bunch that I had in the house is hatching tonight. it has pipped! yeah! so I'm thinking perhaps in 2 or 3 days the first under her will hatch. But, I should check every morning to see what is going on I would think.

 

[ChickNmamma]

I have a question.

My hen is sitting on 3 eggs. she started sitting on one before she laid the second one. and then after a couple of days, I noticed she had the second one. then when I checked the next week, I saw there was a third. I did candle them and they were all growing. With the eggs spaced out like that, will she abandon the eggs once one is hatched?

Some hens are super-broodies. They rotate the eggs in and out to keep them at the same growth rate so they will hatch all at the same time. I had eggs that were laid over a period of a week - the broody moved the earlier eggs to the cooler area to slow down their growth a bit to allow the later eggs to catch up. Thats how they do it in nature. All her eggs hatched within 3 days. Its only when the eggs are separated by more than a week that the broody has a hard time speeding the later ones up and you will want to help her out by putting the food and water right next to her so she can get the last stragglers out without having to protect and feed the oldest ones.

Good luck with the bunch!

 

[brendi]

Question for JenS9 What does CL mean?