Utah!

[sillycmoy]

Omg, your not serious. I thought mine was stupid. I'm so sorry, how horrible. I want to give my other Silkie some eggs, and I'm not really sure if she will even sit on them, she's been in the box for weeks now, but never in eggs, but it could be that no one ever really lays in that box. But I want to try.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Serious! I don't know what happened. I had four mommas all together on these five eggs, do you think they were fighting over chicks and killed them? I have no idea what went wrong. There was one last night, still wet and just hatched, and the white silkie was sitting on her pretty well and puffing up at me for looking under there. I thought they would be ok through the night, then this morning, I cannot find any trace of chicks and they were going crazy chasing each other around with this bloody shell. Do they eat the shells like that normally? They had pink all over their beards and beaks. The two roosters were hiding together behind a board, still won't come out. One acts scared out of its wits. Who knows what went on out there?

I am super mad at the whole bunch right now. Just to see, I took my blue Sg chick and my partridge chick that I hatched myself, out to their pen, and tried putting them under the one mom that sits the most intently, they just all jumped up and pecked and chased the babies, I had to get them out of there pronto.

Right now, they have no eggs, and are back to sitting, and they will not be getting more eggs from me...if I try it again I might move just one into her own space by herself and see if that works better. Grrrrrr! Maybe at least they will stop being broody without eggs...and maybe start laying again someday soon....

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Speaking of dumb silkie moms, I went out to check on my broodies...two have blood all over their face and appear to have eaten the babies and eggs. One bloody eggshell, they were fighting over it, 4 eggs and chicks, gone. I know I saw one chick last night, and two more pipped. I am super wary of trying this again.....

Any chance of a small predator getting in and they were fighting over the eggshell to "protect" it? That just sounds like way too many eggs and chicks for two silkies to finish off. I am so sorry...what an awful thing to find.

Just read the part about the roo's hiding. I would be very surprised it was the hens. The blood is them being protective, the one being poofed at you last night may show she was nervous of something. snake, weasel, rat? A weasel can fit through 1" holes. Again, so sorry.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Any chance of a small predator getting in and they were fighting over the eggshell to "protect" it?  That just sounds like way too many eggs and chicks for two silkies to finish off.  I am so sorry...what an awful thing to find. 

No its a little pen with no gaps, and hardware cloth! There are four broody mamas, and 2 roosters, they all get along great, the roosters hide a lot...the mamas are bossy to them. All four broodies were sharing these five eggs and trying to take turns with them, and so not sure what happened. Two had the blood on their face, but the other two were also trying to eat the eggs, so not sure if all four were doing it or just the two.... so weird.

 

[gamebirdsonly]

Serious! I don't know what happened. I had four mommas all together on these five eggs, do you think they were fighting over chicks and killed them? I have no idea what went wrong. There was one last night, still wet and just hatched, and the white silkie was sitting on her pretty well and puffing up at me for looking under there. I thought they would be ok through the night, then this morning, I cannot find any trace of chicks and they were going crazy chasing each other around with this bloody shell. Do they eat the shells like that normally? They had pink all over their beards and beaks. The two roosters were hiding together behind a board, still won't come out. One acts scared out of its wits. Who knows what went on out there?

I am super mad at the whole bunch right now. Just to see, I took my blue Sg chick and my partridge chick that I hatched myself, out to their pen, and tried putting them under the one mom that sits the most intently, they just all jumped up and pecked and chased the babies, I had to get them out of there pronto.

Right now, they have no eggs, and are back to sitting, and they will not be getting more eggs from me...if I try it again I might move just one into her own space by herself and see if that works better. Grrrrrr! Maybe at least they will stop being broody without eggs...and maybe start laying again someday soon....

I had similar thing happen to me last year had 4 Bantam welsummer hens all sitting on same nest and when a chick would hatch one of them would peck it death.

 

[sundancenbare]

Speaking of dumb silkie moms, I went out to check on my broodies...two have blood all over their face and appear to have eaten the babies and eggs. One bloody eggshell, they were fighting over it, 4 eggs and chicks, gone. I know I saw one chick last night, and two more pipped. I am super wary of trying this again.....

I have had that happen once. No a silkie but a DUncle very sad. I never let her sit again.

 

[sundancenbare]

Serious! I don't know what happened. I had four mommas all together on these five eggs, do you think they were fighting over chicks and killed them? I have no idea what went wrong. There was one last night, still wet and just hatched, and the white silkie was sitting on her pretty well and puffing up at me for looking under there. I thought they would be ok through the night, then this morning, I cannot find any trace of chicks and they were going crazy chasing each other around with this bloody shell. Do they eat the shells like that normally? They had pink all over their beards and beaks. The two roosters were hiding together behind a board, still won't come out. One acts scared out of its wits. Who knows what went on out there?

I am super mad at the whole bunch right now. Just to see, I took my blue Sg chick and my partridge chick that I hatched myself, out to their pen, and tried putting them under the one mom that sits the most intently, they just all jumped up and pecked and chased the babies, I had to get them out of there pronto.

Right now, they have no eggs, and are back to sitting, and they will not be getting more eggs from me...if I try it again I might move just one into her own space by herself and see if that works better. Grrrrrr! Maybe at least they will stop being broody without eggs...and maybe start laying again someday soon....

I have heard that its not good to have too many hens sitting together. When they hatch they don't recognize babies as their own. In the future I would let them sit by them selves only and you should not have that problem I am so sorry

 

[LizCar]

I have heard that its not good to have too many hens sitting together. When they hatch they don't recognize babies as their own. In the future I would let them sit by them selves only and you should not have that problem I am so sorry

Yup, hens can be cannibalistic. Especially if they don't feel like the chicks are theirs, and once one of them draws blood, they will all go nuts. Too bad. Birds can be so dumb.

 

[LizCar]

Sweet! I will be at the Timbermine taking photo's at my sister inlaw's wedding, and I just wanted to get about 6 or so Maran eggs from her for my poor Broody Silkie. Lets see if we can work it out. That would be awesome!

I have to deliver some Seramas to a lady in Ogden around 10 am. Then we are off to the airshow at Hill and the Dino Park in Ogden. Can you meet shortly before or after 10 am?

 

[sillycmoy]

I have to deliver some Seramas to a lady in Ogden around 10 am. Then we are off to the airshow at Hill and the Dino Park in Ogden. Can you meet shortly before or after 10 am?

Nope I have a Girl Scout parade in the morning, and I wont be to there till around 3-3:30. It's really okay, I can get some hatched chicks from her