silky hen sitting for 26 days

Mazza · **Joined:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:13 pm **Posts:** 5

Hi I had a silky hen sitting for 26 days and I decided to check the eggs as I had not seen any chicks and they were all just a grey colour liquid inside no chicks just that liquid muck so why would the hen sit on 11 eggs and none of them have chicks and does that also mean my rooster is a dud?

OakA · **Posted:** Thu Jul 21, 2011 5:32 pm

Your male may be a dud, he may be to young yet to work, he may not be able to successfully mate and need trimming.
Elsewhere here reference has been made to trimming the vent to facilitate successful mating, maybe his vital parts are getting tangled in the fluff.
Of almost all breeds the Silky is the one most likely to need the vent area to be trimmed.
The male is trimmed below the vent, the female above the vent and to each side of the tail .
You will not be able to show them until after the next moult when the feathers will be replaced.
After trimming wait a week for fertility to be established, before setting any eggs.

Mazza · **Joined:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:13 pm **Posts:** 5

I think he may be too old as he is about 6 years old can they still be fertile at that age? How do I trim the vent?

Thank you

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

Good advice from Oaklands as always. You may also like to consider the age of your hens too and that your hens may be the deciding factor in fertility also. Have you broken apart any eggs to check for fertility at all, before setting of course? My silky rooster who passed a couple of weeks ago was 12 and still very fertile having 90% success rate. Stubborn hens will certainly sit on eggs that are rotten to complete the cycle, how many hens do you have to the one rooster and have you witnessed him mating them all or does he concentrate on one or two of them?

Mazza · **Joined:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:13 pm **Posts:** 5

Wow 12 is really good thanks sebducks

rainbowhens · **Joined:** Sun Jul 24, 2011 12:54 am **Posts:** 3

Can I suggest you trim the bum area as I have to do that with my silkies and it makes a big difference to fertility. You need to trim both the hens and the rooster so you make sure they make proper contact if you know what I mean

Mazza · **Joined:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:13 pm **Posts:** 5

Ok but can someone show a picture or instructions on how to do it please

andy_and_chooks · **Joined:** Sun Jul 24, 2011 2:42 pm **Posts:** 1

I would like to know this too and if possible with pictures

OakA · **Posted:** Sun Jul 24, 2011 9:21 pm

Sorry don't have any pics of the proceedure or the end results.
It is a simple proceedure to trim with a small/medium pair of scissors the loose fluff below the males vent and above the female vent, with the female the fluff on either side of the tail is also removed to facilitate access by the male at mating.The feathers/fluff are cut short to give a clear vision of the vent.
The same result can be achieved by plucking the feathers in the same area to leave the vent area clear of any obstruction to mating successfully.
There is no set proceedure other than to remove the excess feathers/fluff that entangle the male organ and prevent successful mating.

Mazza · **Joined:** Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:13 pm **Posts:** 5

Ok I think I can visualize it, thanks

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