Silkies tag-teaming the 2 batches of eggs.

[electrycmonk]

Okay so to start with my Better-half and the kiddos wanted to let the silkies hatch some chicks.... Okay I got them to wait till the end of school. funny thing is the Hens are tag-teaming the 2 clutchs of eggs. Tina, the sizzle is kinda like the designated sitter and will help out from time to time by sitting on one or the other clutch of eggs. The white one and 'Flappy" the black one will easily swap clutches of eggs once or more per day when they go for food etc. Yes they are Broody but, not belligerent to me. When I pick them up to check the eggs they will squat down right next to the clutch of eggs or very near my hands and not peck at all. If I'm too slow "Flappy" has gotten up and waddled onto the eggs while I would check each egg.......

so here is the edited eggs status.{as of Tuesday night 23:27 after reinspection}:
1 egg seems to be a recent addition, likely within the last 2-4 days? {When compared to the pics in the thread below as reference}
4-6 eggs are about day 8-10 -ish?
The rest (5-7 eggs) appears to be approx day 13 plus from the comparison the the pictures from this thread link:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...ng-pics-progression-though-incubation.261876/

so here are the 7 pics for now.
"Tina" is just outta the pics range as she moved when I started to clear away the poo laying between them and her....

this is one of the 4-6 that appear to be 8-10 day stage eggs? they pulsated or seemed to jiggle/move during the candleing

this one has no writing on it so its the recent one as it seems to be within the last 2-3 days by comparison to the pics from the link above.

This one is one of other 8-10 day eggs.... at least that's my ignorant guess.

the rest of these pictures are not all the rest of the eggs but, they are solid representatives to the stages of growth as they all seemed to have the same filling and air sack zone and they all were very active.










thanks for your thoughts and suggestions on age.

I plan to keep them all together and move them to the crate in the coop for a more stable and safe environmnt for the next few weeks before I shift them back out to the current mini-coop & run all inside the main coops run.

 

[CrazyCrttr75]

Good luck on your hatch!

 

[electrycmonk]

Good luck on your hatch!

Thanks. I am hoping for some critical wise eyed observation of my pics to other to see *IF* I'm estimating correctly. That's why I said "suggestions" in intial post.

@silkiechicken
@AllenK RGV
@BantyChooks
@aart

I'm tagging y'all to ask if you have any wisdom to advice or who specifically to tag for their thoughts too? Thanks in advance Y'all. I was tired and distracted.... should of asked in initial post.

 

[AllenK RGV]

My thoughts are the tag teaming is a great idea until lockdown day(18-19). That way you can see how well your inexperienced brooders are doing. I allow it with my fowl but have had a painful number of deaths after hatchout as the hens will fight over the chicks to the point of killing them if not segregated.

I now choose the best brooder and or most dominant brooding hen for hatchout and keep them in a large dog crate for isolation as well for the first week to form their family unit. The co-brooders go to broody jail or return to main flock ASAP on lockdown day.

 

[Kdlevesque]

I have two hens raising 7 chicks and co-parenting can happen but I don’t think it happens often. I have heard of unhappy endings. I actually separated them but they ended up together piled up in the floor so after that...Now, they are just one family unit which is adorable. You can see them in my profile pic.

 

[electrycmonk]

My thoughts are the tag teaming is a great idea until lockdown day(18-19). That way you can see how well your inexperienced brooders are doing. I allow it with my fowl but have had a painful number of deaths after hatchout as the hens will fight over the chicks to the point of killing them if not segregated.

I now choose the best brooder and or most dominant brooding hen for hatchout and keep them in a large dog crate for isolation as well for the first week to form their family unit. The co-brooders go to broody jail or return to main flock ASAP on lockdown day.

Well, the silkies are 3 hens in a mini coop/run in the middle of the big run for all the rest of our chickens. I have prep'd a big dog crate for "hatchout" and by posting the pictures I was/am hoping for experienced eyes to suggest when I should move 1/2 of them to the crate. And leave the other half in the mini coop/run. My frustration is that means I now have to remove "Tina" the frizzle hen. The male silkie I put back in his batchelor pad a few weeks ago because he was getting too rough again.

Oddity part 2) one of the eggs is the oops Americana egg that I sat in there from the girl who later it in the run. Not sure how to handle it if it starts to bully the silkie hatchlings.

Oddity part 3) the one recent silkie egg that shows signs of fertility and looked to be about 2-3 days when I posted the picture last night.... How do I deal with that eggs staggered deployment?

 

[Kiki]

This is going to be fun.

 

[RUNuts]

I'll play.
1. let nature take it's course. The hens will leave the nest when they decide to with any hatched chicks.
2. Mark all eggs and remove any new ones to prevent stretching this out.
3. Do you like balut?
4. Wait until you see draw down starting. Segregate the drawing down eggs from the not yet eggs. Use 2 dog crates. Not sure if they should be close or across the yard from each other to prevent confusion. Out of sight feels right.
5. Pull all eggs. Put in incubator and wait. introduce hatched chicks as they dry.

Best wishes.

PS - butcher cockerels at first crow. Check them for pin feathers first. Else skin them and make gumbo.

 

[NanaKat]

In the five photos, the last three eggs in your 5 photos are closer to hatch than the first two.
Give one hen the 8 to 10 day eggs.
Give one hen the more solid filled eggs like the last three examples. They look to be ready for lockdown.
Give one hen the eggs that are active like the 1st and 2nd. These look to be 15 to 18 days in development.

 

[AllenK RGV]

I'll play.
1. let nature take it's course. The hens will leave the nest when they decide to with any hatched chicks.
2. Mark all eggs and remove any new ones to prevent stretching this out.
3. Do you like balut?
4. Wait until you see draw down starting. Segregate the drawing down eggs from the not yet eggs. Use 2 dog crates. Not sure if they should be close or across the yard from each other to prevent confusion. Out of sight feels right.
5. Pull all eggs. Put in incubator and wait. introduce hatched chicks as they dry.

Best wishes.

PS - butcher cockerels at first crow. Check them for pin feathers first. Else skin them and make gumbo.

Butcher the silkie cockerels at first crow for what? Cup'o'soup? A time sink? I'd rather buy canned chicken from walmart for the time that takes. Silkie roosters are so tame together.

Just make sure if you get frizzles they don't mate with other frizzles or else you can get frazzles(these die) it is about a 25% expression based on my rememberberry.