surrogate silkie! has anyone used a surrogate before

[lady and her girls]

I met a lady on craiglist-I was needing a chick for one that was very anxious - suprise hatch later that night I now have 2. Long story short, Mona the beutiful silky arrived to be a mommy to my two babies tonight. I turned off the brooder light and the babies tucked right under. she sitting there with two under. she didn't try to peck them or anything. I have never heard of this but thought I would give it a try.
Has anyone tried a surrogate?

 

[farmin'chick]

Silkies are usually lovely mommies.

 

[Wildsky]

yes there are folk who buy chicks at feed stores even, and pop them under a broody, normally at night and the broody will accept them as her own.

 

[kristenm1975]

I've never tried using a Silkie with already hatched babies, but I have had a Silkie set on 5 duck eggs for me. She did a marvelous job and tended them all the way through a couple weeks old. At that point, I chose to move them to a brooder on their own as they were too big for her to get under her for warmth at night and we were having some pretty cold night temps. She tried, but she was just too tiny. She was pretty upset at me for removing them from her, but I had them in adjoining pens so at least she could hear them and know they were nearby. Not sure if that made it better or worse, but at least they were safe and warm.

If I were to do it again, I would probably make sure that I was able to put the whole family in a warmer place by themselves so that they didn't have to go through the separation. That was sad, but I hadn't had the space to put them all together in the brooder.

 

[mandelyn]

I had a Black Bantam broody get swiped by a hawk, she had decided to stand her ground with her chicks instead of running for cover, so the hawk took her. I had another broody on the nest still waiting on golf balls to hatch, so after I caught the chicks (2 weeks old) I put them under her. Everyone was quite happy about it and I didn't have to cage "wild" chicks who were used to a hen.

I bought a non-broody Bantam hen and 3 chicks, on the way home she decided those were her chicks, so I let her finish them. I was tossing around the idea of seeing if any of my hens wanted my lone baby... but decided to wait on the other eggs to hatch on Monday and just hold this one and spend time with it. Too cold to put it outside with a hen, don't want to bring a hen in and cage her since no one is currently broody. But since I've had a hen adopt without being broody... I was considering it.

 

[Matt A NC]

My best standard sized surrogate is a production Buff Orpington.
Momma
She raised 12 this year. I put 6 already hatched and dry babies under her. When she saw them, she stood up and waited for me to put them under. Once I was finished she started clucking and pecked me. Didn't want me touching her babies. An Throughout the day I gave her 8 more pipped eggs to finish hatching. Each time she would stand and wait for me to get them under and then peck me to go away.

It was too many eggs and 1 got squished under the eggs. At 2 weeks old 1 got an impaction and ended up going, but she raised the other 12 to 8 weeks old.

I had 3 bantam hens with babies this year. Only 1 actually set on eggs and hatched them herself.

Matt

 

[Fourgirlsoneboy]

I used a cochin with mutt babies that were a day old and she was great!!

 

[lady and her girls]

The silkie is named Mona and she is a loaner and beutiful as well. The chicks tuck under when they get cold. she doesn't make very much noise but when she does somethings wrong. Tonight I moved the cage around and later heard her squak and almost like a warning bark. I was like what the??? Here I had pinned a chick up against the wall. She let me know something was wrong. The chick is fine
I never conciderd owning silkies before but this one is so quiet. Are all silkies this quiet? and she is a great mom.

 

[that_crazy_lady]

I did it with a goose, and hens. as long as the chicks are only a few day old, it works.