The Broodies are Gearing Up!

[Happy Chooks]

Good luck with your broody. I'm so jealous.

Now watch......I have babies in my brooder. I'll be incubating again next week. Wanna bet that I get a broody while doing all that?

 

[raimnel]

ok.......... my silkie went broody in Jan. and I didn't want chicks then sooo.........Question #1 now when could she go back to being broody? I think??? she may be laying again but I'm not sure her eggs kind of look like my brahma eggs. And my other sillkie layed like 2 eggs so far in the last month???
Question #2 what are some of my other hens doing? They lay an egg then put it JUST under their chests, and sit. but when I peek under and remove the egg they get up I leave the nest. I've had several hens do this to me??

 

[speckledhen]

Hillbilly Hen, I'm not sure I'd let them out in the snow. I do let mine out if the temps are over 50 degrees and it's dry on the ground. Seems most broodies keep them close to the food and water for awhile, then venture out further and further. If it's snowy, she probably won't take them out, but not sure I'd risk it.

As far as a Silkie going broody again, seems many of them go broody every four or five months, some more often than that. I'm not a Silkie fan so can't speak to that question from actual experience.


And:

Question #2 what are some of my other hens doing? They lay an egg then put it JUST under their chests, and sit. but when I peek under and remove the egg they get up I leave the nest. I've had several hens do this to me??

Seems just normal behavior to me. Most of mine don't brood at all and they lay then sit a few minutes then leave.​

 

[raimnel]

I hope my silkie decides it's time to be broody in lets say the end of March!

And I'm glad that the EE siting for awhile doesn't mean that their ging broody cause that would be alot of broodies

.

ok dumb question alert! How will I know when to start collecting the eggs for a broody? The next broody I have I want her to sit, But I also want to put silkie eggs under her and we only get like 2 a week

? I'll start praying now for my other silkie to start laying so I'll have a few more eggs.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

Quote:
Thanks Speckledhen, since I am too worried about them getting outside the coop and it being so cold and just plain old wintery I am going to leave them crated inside the coop for a while.