Silkie thread! - Page 1753

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hawkeye95 

HELP-- I just got in my shipped eggs from a breeder.  They were absolutely PERFECT and she did an excellent job of bubble wrapping each egg.  HOwever, when I was unrolling one, it slid out the bottom of the bubble wrap and landed on another egg.  The egg that dropped got a crack!!!!  The other egg is fine.  So what I can put over that crack and hope for the best???  I've been reading and have seen people tell others to use Nail polish and wax.... is that right??  Or wrong??  I want to fix it in a hurry!

 

ETA--- just read someone said they used a Glue stick???  Not sure what

The ones I have read they use melted was

hey, we have the same incubator!  Now that I have mine adjusted correctly, it's working great!  I love how easy the Brinsea is.  :)

 So nice to see a responsible young person!  Is there by chance a young family or retired couple or (?) who you could partner with that could take over when you leave? Also you can have a lot of fun with just one pair of silkies and have plenty of time to find the right home for them before you leave.

I've gone back about 75 pages to read and check out photos of everyone's beautiful birds.  I'm trying to glean as much information as I can now since I'm expecting 9 silkie eggs to hatch in two weeks.  I've had a LF flock for just about a year and had decided to hatch Seramas, but while I was at the Pacific Northwest Poultry Show in Stevenson last weekend, I ended up with a dozen Silkie eggs.  (Couldn't let all that room in the incubator go to waste with just 12 little Serama eggs you know. )

So I had seen a breeders birds in the show and asked if she had any eggs available to sell.  Fortunately for me she did, and even more fortunate - she happened to have 12 assorted color eggs.  I just don't think I could have chosen a favorite color at that exact minute!  So far I have paint, blue/splash, porcelain, lavendar and black eggs developing.  Just candled this morning and they're looking good!

I'm hoping to get another mini-coop built before my babies go outside.  I'm not sure I'll be mixing the silkies with my LF flock except to free range in our suburban back yard.  Are there any special considerations I need to keep in mind for their coop and run?  Is it true they don't like a tall ramp into the coop because of visibility issues?

Thank you - I have really enjoyed the photos you have shared!
 

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonoran Silkies 

 

 

I used to never see it or droopy wings.  I see it now a LOT.  Problem is, what sometimes looks like a droopy or split wing is simply a lack of maturity or feathers still growing in.

 That is really sad that it has spread so much. Yes, I'm evaluating several 4 - 6 week old chicks and feel like I have no idea what I'm looking at! Some times it's soooo obvious and other times there's just a slight split. Is it just up to each judge or is it always black and white?

I have paint silkie chicks from Twin Maple Ranch hatching right now. :) 

(Sorry, not a very good picture)

That is a wonderful idea!  That way I can maybe get one breeding pair and then just find them a good home when I leave.  Thank you, much!

Quote:

Originally Posted by peepblessed 

I went out to photograph some of my chicks yesterday but one of my girls, Salt, just had to pose for me. I'm so excited about this beautiful girl!

This makes me soooo hopeful!  Crossing my fingers on my upcoming hatch!  It will be fun to try to incorporate the best I can get from the lines available and see what I can do with them!  I LOVE this bird!  

Quote:

Originally Posted by peepblessed 

 

 I think you do the best you can to breed out the DQ's but from generations back, they just show up!

 

Yeah, that's a bummer.  :(

Quote:

Originally Posted by peepblessed 

Wow! A new sign just appeared under my avatar! BYC spirit. How'd I get that? Anyone know what it means?

Congrats Peep!!  Someone must really appreciate what you've done!  :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sonoran Silkies 

I used to never see it or droopy wings.  I see it now a LOT.  Problem is, what sometimes looks like a droopy or split wing is simply a lack of maturity or feathers still growing in.

Why do you suppose you see it more now?  Is it possible they are maturing slower and once grown out, it fills in??  How old are your birds before you can really evaluate their wings?

Quote:

Originally Posted by peepblessed 

 

 

 That is really sad that it has spread so much. Yes, I'm evaluating several 4 - 6 week old chicks and feel like I have no idea what I'm looking at! Some times it's soooo obvious and other times there's just a slight split. Is it just up to each judge or is it always black and white?

So the problem could be in the fact that other breeding programs aren't being nearly so careful about NOT breeding birds with split wing...(so when you order in eggs and choose from them, that have it in their background even though it's not expressed on that particular bird)  or could this just be something that pops up on it's own randomly.  Is there such a thing as random?  I don't have any birds with split wing right now, so I have no idea how they'd be judged on it.  I do know that the judge DID look for it though, and spread the wings when he was looking at each bird.  

EVERYTHING is up to each judge.  I've seen things DQed that shouldn't be, and things that were not DQed that should.  Generally when exhibitors are upset with a judge at a show, it isn't just about one breed, it is about a number of breeds or classes.

You can protest, but it has t be done pretty rapidly, and you have to put up money (returned if found in your favour).  It is rare to see it happen.

I think judges are getting pickier about wings.  Before the APA National in Shawnee in December 2010 (self-blue qualifying meet) I had never seen wings marked down on cards before--but dang if it wasn't marked on a HUGE number of cards there.  And looking at the wings, there were a fair number with problems.  Probably not as many as were marked, though.

At the Silkie National in 2005(?) in L.A., every single buff was DQed for having black in wings and/or tail.  Mind you these were all mostly clear birds.  None had more than a little bit of black.

I'm sitting at school thinking about my silkie babe back home.  I just want to be back with my chicken!  This is more a life question than a chicken question, lol, but what do you all think I should do:  I really want to breed chickens, but I'm almost 17 and will be moving away from home in the fall of 2013.  I feel like it would be maybe somewhat fruitless to start working with the flock I will obviously be leaving in my parents' backyard and I know that my dad isn't the kind of guy who cares about breeding or breed standards.  To him, big chickens are good because they mean big eggs.  Besides that, a chicken is a chicken is a chicken.  And that's that.  However, I probably won't have another chance to work with chickens for years, until after I'm settled down.  Being a teenager still, that will probably be a long time from now.  What do you think?  Breed in my new flock at my parents' and not think about leaving? Or wait?