trying to make my silkie hatch eggs for me, she WONT sit on the eggs!!!!!!!!!!

[Thebossbaby]

please help!, my silkie hen is 2 years old and stopped laying a few weeks ago,probably because of the heat... either way, I put 12 fertilized eggs in a separate coop along with 1 other hen so the silkie has company, but its been 2 days and they won't sit on the eggs! how long will it take for her to finally sit on them? will she sit on them even tho she isn't laying at the moment? do I need to keep her inside the coop and start feeding the and watering them inside the coop and cut the coop exits of? please help!!!!!

 

[AlleysChicks]

She'll sit if she wants to. It's a hormone thing. Sounds like she doesn't want to hatch lol you might just have to put those eggs in an incubator.

 

[Anabariful]

You can bring a hen to a nest of eggs but you can't make her hatch em'.

In all seriousness though, hens go broody on their own and once they are broody, you place the eggs underneath them. There are things that you can do to encourage it but that's about it.

 

[Thebossbaby]

so if she isn't laying she can just randomly decide to go broody? I really wanna try this out and I have a silkie, which is a perfect breed so... ok, if she is willing to go broody will it be random or is it a gradual decision? [like days...]

 

[Fallenone05]

so if she isn't laying she can just randomly decide to go broody? I really wanna try this out and I have a silkie, which is a perfect breed so... ok, if she is willing to go broody will it be random or is it a gradual decision? [like days...]

It's more like she'll decide when she's good and ready to! It's random, and most often happens in the spring time. Eventually she'll start sitting on the nest day and night - when that happens, that's when you put the eggs under her. It's very random for chickens, and it's not something you can make them do.

She could have stopped laying due to the heat, or her laying season is over and she'll pick back up again later. Just because she's not producing eggs, doesn't mean she's broody.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

Silkies are known for going broody. I have a friend that has two silkie hens, and they both went broody, and she let both of them hatch eggs, and when the chicks grew up, they both went broody again! She let one of them hatch eggs again. Since she is a silkie, she will probably brood, but they tend to do it in the springtime. But, she might go ahead and do it now. Some ways you can try to encourage her to brood, is, Make sure her nest is in a dark secluded place, where she feels hidden. I would use golf balls or fake eggs, until she starts brooding. Once she starts sitting on the nest day and night, then you can put the firtilizd eggs under her. I would do it at night, so as not to disturb her to much. She may not decide to brood, but hopefully she will!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Hi, welcome to BYC!
I've got broody Silkies to spare! Yep they've raised 1 and 2 clutches this year plus in the breaker for the 2nd or third time right now. My Marans hen is right there with them. 3 broody's in the breaker at the same time and earlier this year had 3 in with others actually brooding and others lined up waiting for the breaker.

You say she is 2 years old. She might actually be getting ready to molt and be the reason she isn't laying.

How long have you had her? If she hasn't gone broody in 2 years I wouldn't expect her to on command now if EVER.

The ONLY thing that makes a silkie a perfect brood hen is BROODINESS, not breed. In fact, IMHO... they are not nearly as efficient as a full size broody who can raise double the clutch.

Aside from that a hen will go broody where SHE wants to and where SHE thinks is safe. Not where you lock her up as an unwilling hostage to your party. Usually they will go back to their original nest. When I try to move even a broody hen on eggs, she will often abandon them and go back to the original nest. Locking her in meant I had a hen locked in with abandoned eggs. Only time locking the hen in works for me after moving her is when I did it at night and she wakes up with chicks under her. Then she will sit on and keep them warm. But as SOON as I open up the pen and the chicks are (hopefully) mobile enough she still goes back to her original nest!

Every single chicken and situation are different... but in my experience, you'd be just as likely to get chicks by wishing on a star as locking a non broody hen in with eggs.

Best wishes!

You can keep collecting fertile eggs and rotate them out so they are always fresh until you get a broody hen. Or hey.. hit up the Ca coast and get one of mine.

 

[Thebossbaby]

It's more like she'll decide when she's good and ready to! It's random, and most often happens in the spring time. Eventually she'll start sitting on the nest day and night - when that happens, that's when you put the eggs under her. It's very random for chickens, and it's not something you can make them do.

She could have stopped laying due to the heat, or her laying season is over and she'll pick back up again later. Just because she's not producing eggs, doesn't mean she's broody.

I'm not saying I think she is broody cause she isn't laying, I'm asking if it's physically possible for her to go broody even tho she isn't laying, I don't think she can if she's not laying cause hens normally go broody after they lay and realize they have enough eggs to hatch

 

[bobbi-j]

It's getting to be late in the season for her to go broody. Their hormones are triggered by the hours of sunlight. As the days get longer, they tend more toward bloodiness. But now with the shortening days, they are less likely to brood.

I highly doubt she'll go broody. You're better off investing in an incubator if you want to hatch eggs on your schedule.

 

[Thebossbaby]

I just want her to hatch them, I don't really WANT chicks but I could definitely use them to replace some of my older hens. So it's not worth buying an incubator for, I just love watching nature happen, kinda like seeing a mama doe and a fawn in the woods, I love how the mother protects and provides for her young, I just like it.