Now that we've had our first frosts of the season, one of our silkies has begun sitting on several eggs. Hmmm. My daughter wants to let her go and see what happens, so I have several questions for you. She's been setting for 1 1/2 wks, so probably halfway. She is in the "house" part of the coop, where the other ones go up to sleep. We do have a black brahma bantam rooster in with them, so they may very well be fertilized. So. . .if some do hatch, what then? Will the other chickens mess with them? We have 3 silkie girls, one little black plymouth rock bantam, and a pair of black brahma bantams. Any thoughts? Thanks! :)
Sometimes they will and sometimes they wont. I had one that hatched one this summer and I had to seperate two hens that were agressive towards the baby. You never can tell.
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts
Posted - Oct 01 2009 : 9:58:30 PM
it will also depend on how big an area they are in, chickens will get bored and pick on the babies. if you have another pen to put them in for the beginning till they feather out some then mama can take care of them better. a rooster will kill them for fun if he wants. they can get pretty mean when you least expect it. i have raised hundreds of poultry from chicks. i find mom can do a good job if she is alone with them. now i could be wrong like the other gal said. sometimes it can be ok but you are risking the babies. i have some now running around.mom disappeared and i thought she was dead and here she comes with 7 babies. late in the year but if your hens are on their winter lights anything is possible.hope this helps. if you have a poultry question if i can i would be glad to help.sherrye
Chick question.
Posted - Oct 01 2009 : 11:00:04 AM
