What should I do?

shona · **Posted:** Tue Oct 27, 2009 8:04 pm

I have a very smelly silkie bantam sitting on her first batch of eggs. She was sitting on 11 eggs at one stage but, much to my suprise and disgust, 3 were cracked open and devoured by maggots. I transfered her to a new clean nest at this stage and checked her over as best I could and she seemed ok and still wanted to sit so I left her be. Then on the weekend we seperated her from the others because she kept getting kicked off her nest by a bigger bossyer chook. Her babies are due to hatch any day now and we even heard one peeping tonight. The problem is, we also found an egg shell like one had hatched but no sign of any baby. She has been in a guinea pig cage with 1cm square mesh so there is no chance it could have escaped and there is no sign of any rotten egg mixed in with the hay/nesting material or anywhere else.
Could she have eaten her own baby?
Would she have eaten a rotten egg if it had broken?
Should I take all her eggs off her and try to complete the incubation process in our dodgy homemade (styro foam box and desk lamp) incubator?
Should I wash her to stop her being smelly and attracting the flies?
If I did wash her, would she go back to her babies and eggs?
Are the flies going to kill the babies when they hatch anyway?
Does her smellyness mean she is covered in germs that will kill the babies?
Should I blame the silkie for all the cracked eggs and give her the chop for being a bad mum?

shona · **Posted:** Wed Oct 28, 2009 8:04 am

This morning we have a 1 beautiful little baby.
Mum has very smelly diarrhoea.
We found she was sitting on another lump of maggots which we have taken out.
I have also covered her cage in fly mesh as best I can but a few blowies have still gotten in somehow.

Sebducks · **Joined:** Wed Mar 11, 2009 3:41 pm **Posts:** 812

Hi Shona

I would be worried where the maggots are coming from. Are they in the eggs that have broken? I haven't ever had that myself even in the hottest weather. Sometimes you find that a bub hatches and the mother for whatever reason, sits too closely on the bub and it gets squashed, the bub can stick to the feathers under the mum. Have you looked for this? I don't know about washing her at least until all the eggs have hatched.

Hope she is ok.

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

Answered over 2 post coz tis a bit big

I have a very smelly Silkie bantam sitting on her first batch of eggs. She was sitting on 11 eggs at one stage but, much to my suprise and disgust, 3 were cracked open and devoured by maggots. This happens – flies lay their eggs on ‘dead and or rotten'
I transferred her to a new clean nest at this stage and checked her over as best I could and she seemed ok and still wanted to sit so I left her be. ok
Then on the weekend we separated her from the others because she kept getting kicked off her nest by a bigger bossier chook. Happens regularly hence you need to separate them from day one Her babies are due to hatch any day now and we even heard one peeping tonight. The problem is, we also found an egg shell like one had hatched but no sign of any baby. Was either rotten or the baby hatched and got caught up in the feathers or got squashed by mum accidentally
She has been in a guinea pig cage with 1cm square mesh so there is no chance it could have escaped and there is no sign of any rotten egg mixed in with the hay/nesting material or anywhere else. Look for a dead chick
Could she have eaten her own baby? No they don’t do that
Would she have eaten a rotten egg if it had broken? No but the liquid would have seeped down in to the bedding causing the stench and attracting flies
Should I take all her eggs off her and try to complete the incubation process in our dodgy homemade (styro foam box and desk lamp) incubator? I’d leave her seeing she is this closeShould I wash her to stop her being smelly and attracting the flies? NOT until all the chicks have hatched and are a few days old AND you would have to make sure you were quick and she was dried totally = better to just carefully cut the rotten feathers away for the moment

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

If I did wash her, would she go back to her babies and eggs? If you were quick enough but there is always a strong chance she wontAre the flies going to kill the babies when they hatch anyway? they only lay eggs on dead flesh and maggots only eat dead or infected flesh [normally]Does her smelliness mean she is covered in germs that will kill the babies? I wont lie = possibly – you could clip the rotten feathers and use a face washer to clean her tummy drying properly and quickly
Should I blame the Silkie for all the cracked eggs and give her the chop for being a bad mum? HELL NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!! that isn’t her fault – they would have been infertile hence rotten = not her fault – a bad mum is one that refuses to acknowledge the chicks once the are hatched

The lump of maggots may have been the missing chick

And congratulations on the chick – anymore yet?
Mum will need to start eating again – chick starter with the chicks of course – if the diarrhoea persists for more than a few days after she starts eating come back in the post and list every thing abt her poop and how she is in general [spy on her and take notes]
If there are no more signs of eggs hatching by tomorrow night – you may want to consider taking them away and just let her raise the one chick – or Friday morning perhaps

shona · **Posted:** Thu Oct 29, 2009 7:17 am

Thank you very much sebducks and soozorps.
Baby number 1 is doing well.
Nothing else has hatched yet but mum is still sitting.
Yesterday I held a small handfull of grain and chick starter in front of her and she scoffed it up in a minute.
Normally Silkie-Sue is quite a shy chook, she must have been hungry.
Haven't noticed any babies stuck to her...that is the weirdest thing I've heard in a while, but it kinda makes sense, silkies being so fluffy and all.
There didn't seem to be as many flies hanging around yesterday.
I'll be cooking a meal in the crockpot today so I'll guarentee that every fly in a 2 mile radius of our house will be trying to get in for that.

oozcorpse · **Joined:** Sun Nov 04, 2007 8:15 am **Posts:** 2715

shona wrote:

Thank you very much sebducks and soozorps. no worries!!
Baby number 1 is doing well. glad to hear this
Nothing else has hatched yet but mum is still sitting. like I said above = executive decision
Yesterday I held a small handfull of grain and chick starter in front of her and she scoffed it up in a minute.
Normally Silkie-Sue is quite a shy chook, she must have been hungry.she would be after sitting for so long
Haven't noticed any babies stuck to her...that is the weirdest thing I've heard in a while, but it kinda makes sense, silkies being so fluffy and all.happens more than most think - you usually find out by seeing one being dragged around stuck in the fluff
There didn't seem to be as many flies hanging around yesterday.good
I'll be cooking a meal in the crockpot today so I'll guarentee that every fly in a 2 mile radius of our house will be trying to get in for that.

yeah LOL get the fly spray ready!!

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