using a broody silkie foster mother?

[sydney13]

ok so heres my plan for getting chickens. First ill buy buy a silkie from a asian live poultry market because rescuing a silkie seems better then buying one from a breeder. Then once she is settled in to her new coop i will let her sit on some not fertile eggs to make her broody. Then i get 5 chicks from a hatchery and have her raise them.
are their any things that could go wrong that i should know about, like if she doesn't except the new chicks?
What will happen when the chicks get older, will she start to be aggressive to them to show shes not their mother any more or will they all will together with no problem? If the chicks have a mother to keep them warm will the still need a heat lamp (im getting them in april)? And is their a good chance that one of them will die or do you think they all will survive? What are the chances that i will find a dead chicks in the mail when they arrive?

 

[SilkieTime]

Sounds good.

I don't see a problem. But any thing can happen, you know

 

[redrocketrooster]

Reading the whole post I honestly think your getting too far ahead of yourself. The issues involving ordered chicks is in the further future so read the hatchery & breeders board for reviews in the mean time. There is a lot of information on BYC and most of the questions you may have are already answered. Just use the search function.

The first topic is buying a Silkie hen, which brings up three main concerns: Gender, Health and Behavior. In places like you mentioned it's up to you to recognize hens from roos. Yes, some vendors and stores sex them but most likely it's not even close to being right. Silkies are also difficult to sex even in maturity so the question is, will you end up with a useless roo or a hen? Then there is the pressing matter of health. Is chook from place going to be healthy?Are they covered in cuts and peckings? Do they have parasite or contagious diseases, if so can it be treated and will it spread to other species? Are you at risk? When bringing ANY animal home there should be a quarantine period (or observation) where the animal is watched very carefully for symptoms, illness or anything else alarming. Four weeks in this situation is minimum in my opinion because the history of the chicken is unknown. During this time I suggest giving the chicken a thorough cleaning (bath, feather clipping and etc).Feeding probiotics like yogurt, pedialyte and some water soluble vitamins sold in feed store for chickens can really help the hen relax and boost her immune system during this stressful peroid. It's very easy to say: Watch and treat if need. In reality if she does end up sick it could be an up hill climb. If your lucky and your chook is indeed a hen and a healthy one at that, there is still the issue of behavior and tameness. You could end with a animal petrified to your touch or even just laying eyes on you. MEDUSA! Or you might have a vicious attack chicken with discretions. There is no way to force a hen to go broody. Leaving the eggs in sometimes does the trick but it's no guarantee so play it by your hen. Overall I'd say this in a large project that your starting. It sounds much easier than it really is.

To answer everything else, If your putting the chicks under her very carefully she will think they hatched generally. If the hen is not found of humans, you might have quite the issue if she notices. I doubt she'll pick them to death but she might just let them die or push them around a lot. However if the hen takes them in she teach them to drink and eat while keeping them warm. DOA chicks or shipped chicks normally don't come in just 5. They need to keep each other warm and you might end up with three DOA with just five anyway. MyPetChicken.com has orders that small but still...not so safe. I can't say for sure what the chances are of being alive and healthy as it all depends on the hatchery, your PO and care given. Plus luck! Best thing you can do is read reviews on hatcheries and search this forum for related topics.