I have three silkie pullets,they are 6 months old,when they hatch out there first babies are they good mama`s do they know exactly what to do or does that come with experience?They have not started laying eggs yet.
Question about first time mama`s
Mine (my first experience, and hers) only sat long enough to let one egg hatch. The others she deserted, and I didn't figure it out until it was too late for them. After hatching she was good, the only issue was that her baby was naked necked, and her feathers would stick to the neck skin with almost disastrous results. Not her fault, tho.
She's still pretty well bonded with the baby.
She never has been protective, but maybe never needed to be, since s/he's still here:)
Our Silkies are excellent broodies, excellent mothers and very protective.
My Nankins and Silkies were wonderful....I had a Welsummer who was also very good. But I have had some other that didn't have a clue...loved their eggs, but didn't seem to know what the baby was or, like catmad's, walked off with the first chick and left the eggs.
I would think a Silkie would be good...but I would watch her the first two or three days.
We have had to take not yet hatched eggs away from one Silkie and give them to another one that had eggs due to hatch soon. A baby or two or three hatch and are getting big enough to leave the nest but the momma wouldn't budge, she was determined to stay on her eggs, and this has happned more than once.
I think for the most part Silkies are good broodies, and excellent mothers, but there are probably some that arn't to good at it. Sort of like humans, some are good parents and some are not.
Do you think they learn? I think I'll have plenty of Broodies, but don't know if I should let the Silkie hatch again, or not? My thought is that "I" have to watch better this time, but that she may do fine.....
She may do better now that she is older and then again she may not. It just depends on the hen. I'd watch her though. If she does poorly again then she will probably always do poorly. I think I'd give her a chance but only one more.