[rileyfin]

I have 4 silkie hens and 1 cock, 2 hens have hatched 3 chicks each which are now 2 weeks old. I also have three 5 week old chicks hatched in an incubator and now in a hutch outside. They have all been taking turns in a light weight wire run in the garden with the other three adults, when would it be safe to put them all together?

Also another of my hens went broody yesterday, I have moved her to a broody hutch and with an egg and she is sitting tight. I have 4 eggs in incubator ready to hatch tomorrow, should I risk it and put them under the broody tonight or is it too early?

Thanks in anticipation of help.

New neurotic hen owner ! ! :blink:

[HAPPYCHICKENHOME]

Hi my friend has silkies, the one thing you can guarantee is that they are always broody so it will be hard to ensure that relatives are not interbreeding!! once you have this batch in the outside world - unless you have the space to seperate each batch?  They have tried every way recommended for the chicks to be brought together and the most successful has been that last effort which was no seperation, leave it to mother to do some protection - unfortunately all previous have lived a few months then been attacked by the cock bird and died and not because the new batches have been cock birds as they have always been a mix of both.

Unfortunately I have not had the experience of moving from incubator to hen.

Goodluck with your introductions

[joyfull]

I have never had a problem with a cockerel attacking chicks (nor another hen for that matter). I usually use a broody and when she is ready to venture out with her chicks then I let her. Sometimes I get no choice as their mums have been hiding away and just appear with a row of chicks behind her. This year Grannie Annie kindly hatched some sabelpoots in her incubator for me and rather than them spending weeks in a brooder I introduced them to another broody hen who already had 4 sabelpoot chicks that were a week old. The mum accepted these and now is found waddling around with 13 chicks in tow. However I do know my hens and how good they are at being broodies.

[rileyfin]

Thank you for both sets of advice.

The chicks are unrelated, I bought some eggs for hatching (and got very carried away). Collin (the cockbird) comes over to the cage run and is not agressive at all, think I will let them out in the garden together in stages, when I am around to keep an eye on things before I go all the way!

Had the original girls 18 mths and know them quite well, if mazie is still sitting soundly tonight think i will risk incubator eggs.

thanks again for the advice.

[joyfull]

or you could wait until they hatch then carefully slide one under her with one hand whilst removing an egg with the other - keep repeating this until they are under her. I did this last year when one hen abandoned her brood after they hatched thinking her job was done. Luckily my broody took to them straight away 

[rileyfin]

I was thinking of doing this, I had thought it would be a safer way to do it.

Will see what is happening with the eggs when I get home, and if she is still unmovable. Dont have kids but think this is worse! HaHa.

Would much rather they had a mum, the other six i put under the two hens which had been sitting for 4 days, the eggs had been 18 days in incubator.
It worked a treat.
Thanks again