Would one of my hens go broody?

[Caleb999]

If I introduced some two week old silkie chicks to my flock, do you think one of my hens would go broody, and mother them. I have two year old partridge chanteclairs, and 10 month old rode island reds.

 

[sourland]

Adding two week old silkies to the flock might very well be a death sentence for them. The presence of chicks does not make a hen go broody, and as strangers they would very likely be attacked by your established flock.

 

[song of joy]

Adding two week old silkies to the flock might very well be a death sentence for them. The presence of chicks does not make a hen go broody, and as strangers they would very likely be attacked by your established flock.

X2

 

[Frindizzle]

Adding two week old silkies to the flock might very well be a death sentence for them. The presence of chicks does not make a hen go broody, and as strangers they would very likely be attacked by your established flock.

Agreed. If you already have the chicks, you should have them grow up some more before you introduce them to the flock. If not, wait for a hen to be broody and put silkie eggs under her, that way she will mother them.

 

[appps]

If I introduced  some two week old silkie chicks to my flock, do you think one of my hens would go broody, and mother them. I have two year old partridge chanteclairs, and 10 month old rode island reds.

No, they will much more likely go mental and kill them. I think (correct me if wrong) that the RIR are particularly known for being aggressive?. Full grown silkies are probably going to struggle in that flock.

If you already have them you are going to have to keep raising them with heat until they don't need it of a day and then you need to put them in sight of the older ones so they can get used to them but seperate until they are fully grown (being silkies they need as much size as they can get to stand a chance) before allowing them together and then supervising them at all times till you know the others aren't going to draw blood when they peck at them because they will absolutely jump on and peck at them.

I would also trim any face feathers if they obstruct their view at all before putting them together so they stand half a chance. The feathers will grow back next molt.

If you haven't got them yet I like the hatch eggs advice above though I think I'd put more like 4-5 eggs because if you only do two and one is a rooster you have to re home the other will be very lonely by itself, so I'd do enough eggs to give a good chance of 2-3 hens.

 

[Caleb999]

That's what I thought. I've always wanted a few silkies, and a friend offered them to me. I didn't take them because I had a hunch they wouldn't make it. Thanks for confirming that