What am I/What is she doing wrong?

[Eggsoteric]

I placed 2 eggs under my broody Silkie back in December; candled them, all seemed well but the chicks, somewhere along the way, died. Placed another 3 eggs under her with a hatch date of this past Monday; same thing, candled @ day 10 and everything looked okay but nothing has pipped or hatched. Candled the eggs last night and 2 look very dark and one was definitely a dud (nothing but liquid inside). Thoughts on what we're doing wrong? Thanks.

 

[egghead@1265]

Oh, that is a bummer! I hope your luck changes, as that is so disappointing!

I have read on here and elsewhere, that Silkies can be good broody chickens/ and be great to sit on the eggs to make them hatch!

We are currently allowing our little broody silkie sit on 2 our eggs ourselves, and are hoping for a positive result!?! We have never done this with a silkie bantam chicken, but did allow a full size/standard sized white leghorn that had went broody last fall sit on 4 eggs. She had all 4 eggs hatch, and we just let her deal with the eggs! We felt very lucky how that turned out!

This time, if our little broody silkie actually hatches them, I feel we will have to move inside to a warmer area. As we are in the midwest, it is yet cold and we feel too cold for the chicks/if they would hatch. When our previous hen hatched the 4 chicks, we feel the reason we lost the 3 of the 4 after a bit of time, was the air got very cool and the chicks liked to go outdoors as much as the adults! So, not sure if it was the cold that got the 3, but we are all suspicious of that being the case.

I too was a bit worried about the silkie sitting on the 2 she is, if it were to get really cold once again(before they hatch)...But, think we would be too concerned to move her & the eggs before they hatch!?

Are your eggs and chicken outside? Are the eggs from your chickens or did you purchase them?

You said: " -Placed another 3 eggs under her with a hatch date of this past Monday; same thing, candled @ day 10 and everything looked okay but nothing has pipped or hatched. Candled the eggs last night and 2 look very dark and one was definitely a dud (nothing but liquid inside). Thoughts on what we're doing wrong? "

So, the 3 eggs you refer to are from your chickens and/or are they purchased from a hatching house and/or private seller? (Curious only, as we don't have experience with either option, but just our own chickens and one rooster.) -

Pat

 

[Eggsoteric]

The eggs are from my own chickens/rooster - 2 standard sized eggs and one bantam egg. She, and my other silkie hen, were brought into our dairy building back in November (I'm currently in the process of pulling their coop together, which, by the looks of it, won't be until sometime this Spring) and, although we've had a few pretty cold nights, they're well out of any drafts and the crate that I have attached to the run that they use as a "coop" is mostly covered (with the exception of an opening to act as a door). Thanks - it's just a little frustrating.

 

[egghead@1265]

Frustrating and disappointing! I am no expert, and am hoping our Silkie can hatch the two she is sitting on. I am a bit doubtful, as our rooster is not a bantam but a regular leghorn, so not sure what we will get!?! Perhaps it wont work at all! She has been sitting for about a week, so about two to go.

Hoping you have success soon!