http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=268x2566Oh my.
This bonfire was lit almost a month ago, but still's going.
Dorothy, the snobbish primitive:
uppityperson (1000+ posts) Thu May-28-09 04:06 PM
Original message
Silky hens are setting on BIG chicken eggs!
I have a flock of mixed large chickens and a smaller flock of silkies. My friendly sweet big rooster Arnie has been mounting his flock, as Mr.Fluffy has been on his.
2 silkies have gone broody and I gave them 6 big eggs to set on. I marked them with Xs so I can tell them apart (half baked egg, ewwww) and they are letting the big hens into the nest to lay, then scrurrying back in then it is empty again.
I'm excited, have wanted to see if it is possible to continue my backyard flock on my own. Will post back with pictures later.
And then later Dorothy posts photographs of a bunch of chickens.
uppityperson (1000+ posts) Sat May-30-09 12:44 AM
Response to Reply #2
3. Arnie is a Faverolle. I've a mixed flock, got some silkies because they go broody and are good moms. My old one died a couple yrs ago and I had to raise these ones under a lightbulb until they were old enough to go outside. When she got broody (wanting to sit on eggs, incubate and hatch them), I'd take the eggs, give her golf balls, then 2 weeks later get some hatched chicks from the local feed store (regular sized birds that lay larger eggs than the little silkies), and stuff them under her at night. She'd wake in the morning OH SO PROUD that her golf balls had hatched!
I marked 6 eggs from the big chickens (whom Arnie takes care of) and gave them to the 2 brooding silkies to hatch. So far they are sharing them back and forth, keeping them all warm. If/when they hatch, the chicks will have 2 moms to watch over them and keep them warm.
Arnie is a faverolle. I tried getting several of them yrs back with the idea of continuing the flock, but they were punky birds. They are supposed to have feathered feet, which only a couple did, and extra toes (again only a couple did). However, they start showing which sex they are within a week, and Arnie was the first to be definitely male so we picked him up, cuddled him, etc, since he was a peeper. He is a very nice rooster. I still scoop him up sometimes, hold him on his back, "baby rooster" position, to let him know I'm top of the pecking order.
Dover (1000+ posts) Sat May-30-09 01:06 AM
Response to Reply #3
4. That's so sweet. Sounds like you're a good 'momma hen' too.
What I don't quite understand is why the silkies aren't hatching their own eggs?
Arnie is absolutely beautiful, but I was asking about you American Dominique (the black and white spotted one) shown in your group photo. Where did you get her? I was under the impression they were kind of hard to find via most local chick suppliers.
Dorothy answers the above questions, and then later gives an update:
uppityperson (1000+ posts) Sat Jun-13-09 05:24 PM
Response to Original message
7. 3 hens are taking turns on 4 eggs now. Waiting impatiently for my eggs to hatch
I set up the chick box last night for the moms and newly hatched babies to live in for a week or so until they get a little bit of size. Put one of the moms on some spare eggs in there and she was NOT happy. So they are all crowding into the big coop still.
1 egg disappeared, another was dropped by accident during a henpecking episode. I used markers to color the head of each of the 3 moms so I can tell them apart. Greenie is the worst pecking of them.
Waiting, impatiently, to see if any hatch
uppityperson (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-16-09 03:58 AM
Response to Original message
8. Wahhhhhh. MrUP left the coop open last night, today there are only 2 eggs
He set rat traps right outside the coop door tonight. crap crap crap crap crap. Not even broken shells, just 2 eggs missing.
uppityperson (1000+ posts) Tue Jun-23-09 02:40 PM
Response to Original message
9. update, for the chicken followers
There ended up being only 1 egg left and it has been 4 weeks so I removed the egg and am starting over.
I put the 3 gals in their own coop so the big hens won't be shoving them out to lay and no one can get in to steal or eat the eggs. They are all very happy, muttering to each other. But now I have to wait for 3 more weeks.
Don't count your eggs before they hatch.
