Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[ChrisEllis]

hi,

 

When hatching chicken eggs under a hen - does that hen have to be broody - say none of my hens (silkies) become broody - if i stickk 6 eggs in their nesting box is it likely one of them will actually want to sit on them?

 

Als will a chicken sit(hatch) on a duck egg or do broodies only sit on their own species?

 

If any of that makes any sense!

[Lewis]

I'm sorry to be rude but

 

Yes, the hen will need to be broody for her to sit on the eggs and hatch them.

It's the wrong time of year to hatch under a broody anyway and you'll need to get her separate housing/broody coop as the other hens will harm the chicks and have nowhere to lay their eggs.

Are the silkies not only a few weeks old?

 

A chicken can sit on duck eggs yes, but ducklings need different care to chicks.

[Jools]

You can encourage a hen to go broody by leaving a couple of eggs where you want her to sit, but it's not guaranteed. It's not likely to happen til spring though so there's little point in trying now. I definitely wouldn't risk leaving eggs I wanted to hatch in the nestbox in the hope that someone would go broody, that's just a waste of good eggs.

 

It's important that your broody sits in separate accommodation for a number of reasons. You don't want her disturbed by the others moving in with her and generously laying their eggs for her to sit on, and you don't want the broody clogging up a perfect good nestbox either.

 

Most broodies do not like being moved and will often protest by curtailing their broodiness. It's much easier to get them to sit where you want them to hatch and raise their chicks. This means separate, secure accomodation, aka a broody ark. So, what I always do is come the end of April / early May, put a broody ark in the garden with my bantams and leave a couple of marked eggs in the nestbox. Most of my bantams start laying in there immediately so I remove their eggs every day, leaving only the marked ones. Within a week or two, one of the little darlings has taken the hint and starts sitting, so I leave her for a couple of days to make sure, then switch the eggs over after dark. Oh yes, and I shut the others out of the broody ark so they can't disturb her.

 

Whoops. Waffled. Sorry.

[ChrisEllis]

I'm sorry to be rude but

 

Yes, the hen will need to be broody for her to sit on the eggs and hatch them.

It's the wrong time of year to hatch under a broody anyway and you'll need to get her separate housing/broody coop as the other hens will harm the chicks and have nowhere to lay their eggs.

Are the silkies not only a few weeks old?

 

A chicken can sit on duck eggs yes, but ducklings need different care to chicks.

 

lol i definitely didnt mean now - thats madness considering how cold it is outside - silkies havent even started laying yet!!!

 

i ment more for in the future for example february late march even

[Egluntyne]

Even February/ March might be a bit ambitious as they will still be on the young side.

 

I suggest you get copies of Starting with Chickens and Incubation: A guide to Hatching and Rearing. Both by Katie Thear and both available **here**