The Broody Chickens

[twinbeaks]

post about all your chickens broody behaviors! Post questions, advice, suggestions, stories, pictures, ANYTHING!!!

Be sure to SHARE!!!!

 

[Stiggy]

I have Silkies ( the non bearded full size type) as usually said about them they are wonderful mothers, and go broody way more than I would like. I have 16 Silkies, one of whom is the rooster, and 5 which are to young to lay. the other 10 were all laying nicely at 6 eggs a day until 5 decided to go broody..... ( its winter here so not baby appropriate) . unlike other broodies they are not aggressive towards me when I take their eggs or move them off the nest for breakfast.

one thing I have noticed about them is that they will in broard daylight steal others eggs ( on in their house I should say) . there are 3 sitting on the floor who dislike the nest boxes, and each seems to have a few eggs. when someone else comes in to lay and then leaves, Darla will get up off her eggs in an attempt to make her brood bigger and will go over and retrieve the freshly laid egg . While this is happening Pearl the matriarch will go over and steal Darla's eggs and uses her beak and feet to push them/ it over back to her brood, so every time a new egg is laid Pearl will steal eggs from Darla which is amusing to watch. Though I don't know if anyone else has seen this happen?

 

[twinbeaks]

I have Silkies ( the non bearded full size type) as usually said about them they are wonderful mothers, and go broody way more than I would like. I have 16 Silkies, one of whom is the rooster, and 5 which are to young to lay. the other 10 were all laying nicely at 6 eggs a day until 5 decided to go broody..... ( its winter here so not baby appropriate) . unlike other broodies they are not aggressive towards me when I take their eggs or move them off the nest for breakfast.

one thing I have noticed about them is that they will in broard daylight steal others eggs ( on in their house I should say) . there are 3 sitting on the floor who dislike the nest boxes, and each seems to have a few eggs. when someone else comes in to lay and then leaves, Darla will get up off her eggs in an attempt to make her brood bigger and will go over and retrieve the freshly laid egg . While this is happening Pearl the matriarch will go over and steal Darla's eggs and uses her beak and feet to push them/ it over back to her brood, so every time a new egg is laid Pearl will steal eggs from Darla which is amusing to watch. Though I don't know if anyone else has seen this happen?

What is with it and stealing eggs?!?

 

[Stiggy]

I don't know, but I assume its part of the motherly instinct to sit upon as many eggs as possible, and raise said eggs

 

[twinbeaks]

I don't know, but I assume its part of the motherly instinct to sit upon as many eggs as possible, and raise said eggs

Weird, my chickens are only 7 & 8 months old. My 8 month old, Maddie, is very broody but she doesn't steal eggs. Since she's young, it's not her instinct to sit on eggs and be a mother.

 

[Stiggy]

Sometimes they go broody young, my silkies tend to go broody a lot. I have one Called Cherry who is so determined to have more and more chicks that when broody she will steal eggs, sit on others chicks and when she had a dozen herself ( some were adopted from the incubator ) that they were only 3 weeks old when she started to lay again and at 5 weeks old she went broody again. we removed the chicks when they were 8 weeks old as it was the middle of summer and they didn't need her, and gav her some more adoptie babies. once again she mothered them and then went broody again. but the third time we broke the broodiness since she needed a rest. She certainly wanted to be a mother pretty badly haha

 

[twinbeaks]

Sometimes they go broody young, my silkies tend to go broody a lot. I have one Called Cherry who is so determined to have more and more chicks that when broody she will steal eggs, sit on others chicks and when she had a dozen herself ( some were adopted from the incubator ) that they were only 3 weeks old when she started to lay again and at 5 weeks old she went broody again. we removed the chicks when they were 8 weeks old as it was the middle of summer and they didn't need her, and gav her some more adoptie babies. once again she mothered them and then went broody again. but the third time we broke the broodiness since she needed a rest. She certainly wanted to be a mother pretty badly haha

Wow, that's very young.

 

[twinbeaks]

Wow, that's very young.

Also, be sure to spread this thread. I want to get as many people onto this post. Thxs!!!