Two broodie silkies

[Dids53]

I have two broody silkies sitting on eggs. Both sitting next to each other in separate nest boxes one seems to be stealing the others eggs to sit on is this normal behaviour?

 

[Starburst]

At least with my chickens, yes, that is completely normal. I think of it as the chickens wanting to hatch the most eggs, and Silkies are especially good mothers, so they just have a good mothering instinct and want to 'adopt' some more eggs.

 

[Dids53]

At least with my chickens, yes, that is completely normal. I think of it as the chickens wanting to hatch the most eggs, and Silkies are especially good mothers, so they just have a good mothering instinct and want to 'adopt' some more eggs.

 

[Dids53]

Thank you so much, that puts my mind at ease.

 

[Starburst]

Glad I could help! ☺

 

[centrarchid]

They are hard wired to roll eggs under them. If you keep placing eggs within reach while she is sitting on clutch, she will pull them back and place them under her. It has been a while since I demonstrated it, but you can get a hen to take at least 3 dozen eggs, far more than she can effectively cover. I stopped at 3 dozen in addition to what she could take because it would have been ridiculous to go further. The introduced eggs had to be retrieved so as not to out her hatching eggs at risk.

If the hens come off nest at different times, then one still on nest will start taking eggs from other nest. That can be bad if incubation was not started at about same time for both clutches.

 

[Dids53]

They are hard wired to roll eggs under them. If you keep placing eggs within reach while she is sitting on clutch, she will pull them back and place them under her. It has been a while since I demonstrated it, but you can get a hen to take at least 3 dozen eggs, far more than she can effectively cover. I stopped at 3 dozen in addition to what she could take because it would have been ridiculous to go further. The introduced eggs had to be retrieved so as not to out her hatching eggs at risk.

If the hens come off nest at different times, then one still on nest will start taking eggs from other nest. That can be bad if incubation was not started at about same time for both clutches.

 

[Dids53]

Yes it seems to be what is happening i have replaced some normal unfertilised eggs to the other hen fluffy who had her eggs stolen, one egg is tweeting under oakley who is the one stealing the eggs, the new problem is the other unbroody Hen and rooster seems to want to get at the hatching chick. So i have moved the unbroody hen and the rooster to a small pen to give the two broodies some peace and remove the danger to the hatching chicks, hope ive done the right thing

 

[centrarchid]

Moving other hen good. Rooster generally not a threat.

 

[aart]

It has been a while since I demonstrated it, but you can get a hen to take at least 3 dozen eggs, far more than she can effectively cover. I stopped at 3 dozen in addition to what she could take because it would have been ridiculous to go further.

Makes me think Lays potato chips "no one can eat just one".
Sorry, sense of humor a bit off this morning(or always?).