[thebumbles]

Hi, This is a first for me on both counts -forums and chooks. Without being too boring -  my Silkie who is abt 29 wks old has been laying for 3wks,about an egg a day.Happy doing all chicken stuff - but since yesterday afternoon has changed. Been sitting in the nest box all yesterday afternoon,with no egg.She went out this am and fed then went backand sat, she let me pick her up this afternoon and an egg laid.I put her out in the run and she seemed happy ,and the others seemed pleased too. Thought it was sorted but she went  back in and sat again. Tonight she was on the floor looking sad. Is she broody or poorly.  Should I take her eggs away or leave one?  Worried about her - bless. 

[Vember]

Being A silkie there is a good chance she is broody, strange at this time of year although I had a Barnevelder thinking about it last week

Pop a hand palm up under her whilst she's sitting a broody hen generally snuggles down on to your hand thinking it's a clutch of eggs

If she is broody I would remove any eggs and keep moving her off/out of the nest box


Sarah

[too many girls]

i've got 2 silkie's that are broody one sure way to tell (for me anyway) is when you turf them off the nest, she stays sat where i put her grumbling and the minute she gets a chance returns to her nest to sit on nothing (cos i've took the eggs)

[thebumbles]

Thanks for that. How long does it last? The other 4hens - 2 pekins and 2 buff plymouth rocks are confused by her behaviour, the  top girl,a pekin sits with her for a bit,they are funny!

[Foxy]

Thanks for that. How long does it last? The other 4hens - 2 pekins and 2 buff plymouth rocks are confused by her behaviour, the  top girl,a pekin sits with her for a bit,they are funny!

Well silkies are the most persistent of broodys, so you may have a battle of wills on right now. Just keep turfing her out of the nest box, close them off if you can. The longer she is allowed to sit the more detirmined she will become

[Callie]

Our Bluebelle has just done 3 weeks broody, she'd only just started to lay when it started so we weren't sure at first if it was broody or illness.

We left her in the nestbox everyday until the others had laid and then chucked her out and shut the coop.  Some days she would just sit on the ramp peeping and grumbling, other days she would stomp round the garden shrieking and flying around, she was really grumpy with the others and pecked at them if they came close.  At bedtime when I opened the coop she would dash in so fast she'd skid across the floor lol

Then on Thursday, when i re-opened the coop she dashed up the ramp, looked in and then stood in the doorway as if she didn't know why she was there, then she came back down the ramp and started rosey to the others and that was it, next day she was back to a more normal behaviour.

[themagicaltoad1]

I have 3 bantams, 1 is a silkie cross another is a golden silkie. I waited months for them to start laying as I bought them as at 12 weeks. They all laid for about 3 weeks then one by one went broody. It's been about 6 weeks now since we've seen any eggs! I have tried everything to break the broodiness but the persistant bu**ers are still at it I have tried shutting them out all day....they just go and find a spot under the hedge to snuggle down. I've tried dunking their bottoms in cold water....they enjoyed it I've tried keeping them separate in colditz conditions for a few days....they still go straight into the coop and nest box when I put them back. Now the weather has turned cold and wet I haven't the heart to shut them out of the coop all day, but if it wasn't for the fact I lift them out and put them down in the garden/ run several times a day I really think they would starve themselves to death. They have some pellets then straight back into the nest boxes! They've become very antisocial and I'm at my wits end to know how to break the broodiness. Oh and apparently they don't lay after being broody for the same amount of time so the chances are I'm not going to see any eggs until the spring!

[thebumbles]

Thanks everyone for your comments.  I will try and turf her out as much as possible.  Another question   - she isn't eating much at all now, loves her grain in the afternoon and will eat it in bed if she is offered it!  The other 4 young 'uns haven't laid yet, and I guess won't now until the Spring. So what do I feed them - have been giving layers to them all - but non are laying.  I read the 'debate' the other day on this site  about feeding layers to non layers as it can lead to a detrimental health problem with the liver?  At the moment they have layers mash/pellets first thing, then I tie up a bunch of greens abt  lunch time, then they have a mixture or wheat,with a little maize and sunflower hearts late afternoon.  They are semi free range when I am in the garden ( I have the sparrowhawk and buzzards about) but have a big run otherwise to scratch about in.
Sorry for all the questions, and thanks for reading this. 

[joyfull]

I would keep them all on layers if they are the correct age for layers. Do not feed the broody silkie in the nest box but turf her out and if possible block the box off. Make sure the layers pellets are available all day and not just in the mornings.