Silkies and Red hens

[Lillone]

I am so glad to have found this forum. My husband and I just recently got 13 red hens and 2 silkies pair. Male and female. I'm pretty sure we also have a Roo in the mixed of the reds. They have been doing very well asjusting to their new home. When we first got them home the reds really picked on my Silkies, to the point I was really concerned for their saftey. So we figured we would build them the own little pen inside our main pen. Since Saturday my silkie (her name is Wilma ) has gave me 7 eggs so far. I have left them in there as we want to hatch some. Will she eventually sit on them? Shes 8 months old, is she too young yet? They say that silkies are a great cuddler and like to be pet, not my silkies, everytime we go into the pen they go bananas. Is this normal? We are new to this and would love any insight you can give me. Also her last egg has blood on it. Looked like streaks. Should i be worried

 

[Kiki]

Welcome! We are glad you joined our flock!
Jump right in and make yourself at home.
You can't force a chicken to go broody.
It is HORMONAL and it will happen if and when SHE wants to.
I wouldn't worry about the blood unless it becomes a daily thing.
This video will help you learn how to navigate this site:

Coop Ideas:
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BYC has an APP!

 

[Lillone]

Thanks we a pretty excited lol its like having more kids Ok so how long should I keep the eggs in the nest for?

 

[drumstick diva]

Pick them up daily, so chickens don't get into the habit of eating them. When(if) your silkie goes broody you will know. She will sit on her eggs and not let you take them. Usually a broody will puff up and growl or screech at any approach. If you have a rooster with your birds, the eggs are likely to be fertile and will hatch. If you don't have a rooster, the silkie would just be wasting her time & effort. infertile eggs will never hatch.

 

[Lillone]

Pick them up daily, so chickens don't get into the habit of eating them. When(if) your silkie goes broody you will know. She will sit on her eggs and not let you take them. Usually a broody will puff up and growl or screech at any approach. If you have a rooster with your birds, the eggs are likely to be fertile and will hatch. If you don't have a rooster, the silkie would just be wasting her time & effort. infertile eggs will never hatch.

Great thank you. I guess i got the wrong information i was under the impression that she needed to buikd a clutch before she sits. And yes we habe a roo in with her. Maybe I'll just take them and incubate until she decides she wants to sit!

 

[007Sean]

Howdy
Welcome to Backyard Chickens.

 

[Lillone]

So i put them in the bator this AM. Here's to hoping i will hatch some !! My silkie gave me a nice fresh one this morning. She must of just laid it cause it was still warm.

 

[Pork Pie]

Hello and welcome to BYC. As your gal matures, you're likely to find her going broody quite often. Good luck with your hatch.

On this link you'll find lots of information on almost every aspect of keeping chickens - from coop building ideas, to incubating eggs - https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/


There’s a link on the page above to the Learning Centre - it’s a great resource. If you have a specific topic in mind, just type it in the search box - there's a wealth of information on past and present threads.


Each week, various topics are discussed, which can also be a great resource - https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/topic-of-the-week-thread-archive


You can use this link to contact members in your area - Find Your State Thread

Best wishes

Pork Pie

 

[o0Zilla0o]

 

[Lillone]

Well I'm happy to say thay we on day 4 on look at these! I'm so excited. Can you give me some pointers on how to keep them growing. Hatch date is June 8. I'll will keep an update