Should I leave the care of the eggs to my unbroody chicken?

[Silkiebegins]

I have a silkie bantam around 6 months and a half old. She is separated from our other chickens along with our rooster who is also a silkie bantam. She recently started laying eggs this week and we see the rooster go on top of the hen. I have never seen the silkie sit on top of the eggs but it's only been a week. I know silkies are known to be broody so should I see if she'll go broody? When we do see the rooster go on top of the hen it's only for a couple of seconds. Does that affect anything?

 

[SueT]

I have a silkie bantam around 6 months and a half old. She is separated from our other chickens along with our rooster who is also a silkie bantam. She recently started laying eggs this week and we see the rooster go on top of the hen. I have never seen the silkie sit on top of the eggs but it's only been a week. I know silkies are known to be broody so should I see if she'll go broody? When we do see the rooster go on top of the hen it's only for a couple of seconds. Does that affect anything?

Hi! Welcome to BYC! It sounds like your rooster is mating w the hen and yes it only takes a couple of seconds.
However, I would wait until she actually shows signs of being broody before leaving eggs for her. She is very very young. I would be cracking open the eggs and checking for that fertile ‘bullseye’ spot on the yolks to make sure they are fertile. When you are consistently getting fertile eggs, and when your young silkie refuses to get off the nest for 2 or 3 days/nights, screeching at you if you try to move her, then it’s okay to start.
At that point, make sure all the eggs start on the same day.
They can be laid on different days, but all go under the hen on the same day.
Keep us posted, and let us know how it goes!

 

[Silkiebegins]

Hi! Welcome to BYC! It sounds like your rooster is mating w the hen and yes it only takes a couple of seconds.
However, I would wait until she actually shows signs of being broody before leaving eggs for her. She is very very young. I would be cracking open the eggs and checking for that fertile ‘bullseye’ spot on the yolks to make sure they are fertile. When you are consistently getting fertile eggs, and when your young silkie refuses to get off the nest for 2 or 3 days/nights, screeching at you if you try to move her, then it’s okay to start.
At that point, make sure all the eggs start on the same day.
They can be laid on different days, but all go under the hen on the same day.
Keep us posted, and let us know how it goes!

Should I crack open an egg and send you a picture?

 

[SilverBirds]

Should I crack open an egg and send you a picture?

Sure, you can post pictures if you need help.

 

[SueT]

 

[Silkiebegins]

Sure, you can post pictures if you need help.

Ok, sorry for not responding so quickly.

 

[MandyMusshafen]

Ok, sorry for not responding so quickly.

Looks fertile to me but I'm also fairly new at hatching chicks so I'd wait for some of the more experienced folks to chime in!
I will add that it helps to mark the eggs you give her so you know which are which. She shouldn't add any once she's broody bc she will stop laying and she's not with any other hens but I find it helps me make notes about which eggs are which! If she were with other hens it would help you tell which eggs she's supposed to be sitting on and which ones she has stolen from another hen! I have a silkie who loves to add as many eggs to her clutch as she can. The problem with that is that they won't all be ready to hatch at the same time and she will most likely abandon eggs that are part way through the incubation process when she leaves the nest with her chicks that hatched when they were supposed to. I will also tell you that if she kicks one of the eggs you gave her out of the nest, put it back! I have 2 adorable chicks right now that had both been kicked out of the nest and were cold to the touch as eggs! I put them back under her and they both hatched with no trouble! Good luck!

 

[Silkiebegins]

Looks fertile to me but I'm also fairly new at hatching chicks so I'd wait for some of the more experienced folks to chime in!
I will add that it helps to mark the eggs you give her so you know which are which. She shouldn't add any once she's broody bc she will stop laying and she's not with any other hens but I find it helps me make notes about which eggs are which! If she were with other hens it would help you tell which eggs she's supposed to be sitting on and which ones she has stolen from another hen! I have a silkie who loves to add as many eggs to her clutch as she can. The problem with that is that they won't all be ready to hatch at the same time and she will most likely abandon eggs that are part way through the incubation process when she leaves the nest with her chicks that hatched when they were supposed to. I will also tell you that if she kicks one of the eggs you gave her out of the nest, put it back! I have 2 adorable chicks right now that had both been kicked out of the nest and were cold to the touch as eggs! I put them back under her and they both hatched with no trouble! Good luck!

Thank you very much for the advice!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I know silkies are known to be broody so should I see if she'll go broody?

Welcome to BYC!

Why are they separated from the flock.. sounds like hell for her.. 1-1 is almost never a good rooster to hen ratio.. She'll be over mated before long. A few seconds is all it takes, so won't effect fertility.

She'll go broody when she's ready (I've has a few from hatchery lines that never did).. how many eggs are in the nest is irrelevant. Leave a fake one and collect real ones daily.. you can keep a week to 10 days worth on the counter.. so you have them ready to tuck under her when she does.

You should never expect an unbroody hen to tend or care for eggs. She's just as likely to eat them should they accidentally break.

Only my most obsessed of hens went broody after just a few eggs.. most will lay for a couple months at least, in my experience. This is hormonal and not under their control.

My well balanced Silkies would lay about 4 eggs per week and go broody 1 or 2 times per year. My unbalanced and quickly eliminated from the flock Silkie went broody every 3rd egg she laid.. EVEN when allowed to sit and raise chicks to full term.. by third egg.. again and again.

Congrats on your new layer!

 

[Silkiebegins]

Welcome to BYC!

Why are they separated from the flock.. sounds like hell for her.. 1-1 is almost never a good rooster to hen ratio.. She'll be over mated before long. A few seconds is all it takes, so won't effect fertility.

She'll go broody when she's ready (I've has a few from hatchery lines that never did).. how many eggs are in the nest is irrelevant. Leave a fake one and collect real ones daily.. you can keep a week to 10 days worth on the counter.. so you have them ready to tuck under her when she does.

You should never expect an unbroody hen to tend or care for eggs. She's just as likely to eat them should they accidentally break.

Only my most obsessed of hens went broody after just a few eggs.. most will lay for a couple months at least, in my experience. This is hormonal and not under their control.

My well balanced Silkies would lay about 4 eggs per week and go broody 1 or 2 times per year. My unbalanced and quickly eliminated from the flock Silkie went broody every 3rd egg she laid.. EVEN when allowed to sit and raise chicks to full term.. by third egg.. again and again.

Congrats on your new layer!

My silkies are separated from my other chickens because my other chickens will get them killed and yes she is kept with our other silkie rooster. Is it bad for her is she gets over mated? I don't purposely make them breed and she is the only silkie hen.