My Silkie needs hen school

[valeriebutterley]

One of the lovely surprises of late last year were my two Silkies, hatched from supposedly Pekin eggs from ebay. There were three actually, one was a huge black boy an absolutely friendly and sweet natured lad who had to go, sadly.
Thy have been laying for a few months now, and I'm sure one of them is broody.
But does she sit on eggs as if she is glued to them? - she does not!! She has got it into her head, that the way to do it is ignore the eggs and go for the perch and sit there all day and night, growling and warning all comers to beware, she leaves it only when she hears the corn box being rattled
for the others. She then mutters and tuts shakes her head and inspects, to be back to the perch seconds later.

Quite reasonably at first I thought she was ill not leaving the hut for days on end, then with her behaviour, it dawned on me what the problem was.
Does anyone know of a good hen school in my area?!!

 

[Marigold]

How many eggs are there, Val? Could it possibly be that she thinks she hasn't finished laying the clutch yet?
Very un-Silkie-like behaviour, I agree!

 

[valeriebutterley]

Good morning Marigold,

The real joke is that there is not a cluster of eggs! She just displays broody behaviour, and there is no mistaking that is there?

I feel these two girls are my jackpot. Stunning golden girls, I was expecting Pekins, very friendly I think they are LF not bantam and the boy, a Silkie hybrid was huge, I shed a few tears when I sent him to his maker, he was totally adorable and beautiful.

I love Silkies but vowed I would never have them again unless I had heated winter quarters, the two I had died of cold in a bitter winter a few years ago. you can see why I think these girls are my jackpot for being a good chicken lover.

She does not appear ill, which is what I feared or suffering from the cold, another worry. I've decided to call her Jackpot and her sister Lotto, appropriate don't you think?.

 

[dinosaw]

This put a smile on my face this morning Val, when the time comes perhaps her sister will show her how it is done. Until then I guess you will have to put her in the broody coop to snap her out of it.

 

[valeriebutterley]

The 4 of them, two Pekins and two Silkies have their own private establishment, so it is not a problem really, I just hope she does not go downhill and starve herself and get weak, it is rotten weather for Silkies unrelenting cold and gloom.

Everyone else seems well though, and the things you read about banning broodiness seems a bit over the top. She is warm with her sister and two mates all lined up at night.

For me this about makes up for the ebay seller who sent me goodness knows what eggs, and swore blind they were Barred Plymouth rock. I did manage to sell the resulting sweet chicks on Preloved. Even ebay emailed me and asked if she had either refunded or sent BPR eggs to me later after I wrote to her. So they do keep an eye on things.