[Chookiechook]

I know it will  come naturally at the most inconvenient time.... but I am getting 6 silkie eggs a day that I have no room in the bators for.... ..... so would like the hens to have the fun of having their own chicks to care for.

I have been advised by someone knowledgeable to just leave the eggs in place and when they feel they have laid enough then they will sit them.

Anyone have anything to add.... or any secret tips to share

Also have a  pair of lavander pekins which I get an egg every  other day from.... I thought the same with her

[joyfull]

When my son chicken sits he has sometimes forgotton to bring the eggs in (instead he gathers them up ready but then leaves them in a nesting box) and each time he has done this we have come back to broody hens 

[Chookiechook]

Thanks Joy

Well I answered my own question today

Left two days worth of eggs in situ.... today I have a broody

Not sure how long she will sit for.... first time mum and all that but nothing ventured

I have surrounded her chosen place with a wire pen as I didnt want to disturb her, but she chose to sit in the kennel where everyone else sleeps!!!

Fingers crossed

[hillfooter]

If in future you don't want to leave actual eggs in the nestbox then pot eggs, or at a pinch golfballs, are a good substitute and will encourage them to sit.

HF

[Chookiechook]

I did ponder on that one, but if I keep taking the eggs home then I keep setting them off in the incubator

This way I am addressing my addiction to incubation... ..... kind of  :blink:

Also the eggs were free and I have not got either of the other choices so would need to go buy!!!!   :blink:

[joyfull]

If in future you need to encourage them and want to use your own eggs then write in pencil the date, then everyday you can replace the egg with a fresh one so this way you wouldn't risk an egg going stale or exploding. However if you have an egg eater then you could be encouraging this trait so use pot eggs for encouragement 
Chookie chook how about starting a new thread on the chicken chat page now about this so we can all keep updated with her progress  . Hopefully she will stay sitting for you 
I leave my broodies in their chosen place for a few days, then I get their broody coup ready. I then pick up mum to be and with her under my arm I remove the eggs to their new coup a couple at a time with her watching all this happening. I then place her on the eggs and shut her up in the coup in the dark until the following day just to make sure she settles back on them. Next morning I then allow her out into her own run if she wants to come out. So far this method has worked for me and this years broodies are 2 that I hatched out last year also following this method 

[TeaPots]

I have the opposite ... 6 broody silkies, so no silkie eggs. 

[joyfull]

got some araucana eggs if you want teapots  these have proved to be 100% fertile.
Today 5 have hatched - 4 lavender and 1 black giving me a total of 4 lavs, 5 blacks and 1 white with this years hatches. Just waiting now for 2 welsumers and 4 sablepoots. Wish I had got some black reds or blue reds hatched but there is always next year 

[Chookiechook]

Thanks Joyfull, I will keep all that in my memory banks

I have a rat problem in the next stable to where they broody is so have spent today removing the large chest freezer where they seemed to be nesting (feathers lining the nests)    and chucked it out..... cleared all of the flooring of poos and left as little as possible in there for the rats to hide in.... put more bait down and will wait for the little, or judging by the size of the poos... large * to die 

I realise that  the rats would kill the chicks if I were so lucky as to get any..... so far she is sitting tight and judging by the size of her poo, has been for 24 hours 

I will make another thread, thanks for saying that.... i didnt know that it would make good reading   Day one.... sitting..... day two .... sitting etc 

But I could jazz it up if any of the others start to sit too