Silkie thread! - Page 2313

He is a handsome, dude! 

One of my 4-month old splash cockerels had a big comb like your porcelain (but was sold because of extreme red leakage on wings).  My other splash, Leo (@ 4 mos old) has a big comb still developing underneath the crest.  It is bigger than Bullets at least.  Than I have a beautiful splash cockerel with the single comb.  I read a link or post somewhere that "single combed" roosters have higher fertility also.  At least between my 3 cockerels one of them will eventually give me some babies.

Quote:

Originally Posted by elieugene6 

Just wondering. Are there large fowl silkies in the us? All of mine are bantam size and I recently acquired a pair of white that I would consider large fowl and the hen lays a large white egg. I was going to put my white silkie hen in with them but they are twice her size.

No, there are no LF silkies in the US.  If you have one, it's an accident or a breeder's cull.  I have just recently been judged very harshly on showing a cockerel that was too heavy!  They are not accepted here and I would avoid breeding them at all.  Since I found out about my boy-- which is very typey and good looking--- I'm not going to use him to breed anymore.  I'm crossing my fingers his offspring don't grow too large, either.  And I think a couple of his offspring are actually growing too big.  So I will be getting rid of them.  If your only concern is putting other smaller silkies in with a larger silkie-- I wouldn't think that would be a problem at all.  They all usually get along pretty well.  :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by ScaredOfShadows 

 

 

Wow really? your layers bully your silkies? My layers were raised with silkies so maybe that had to have something to do with it...but the silkies are almost all higher on the dominance chain than my big brahmas are. The polish like to pick on the silkies though, but for the most part are all easy going. I let my silkies range in this heat with my layers all over the yard, I have covered areas in the pens, but I don't have the money to build a completely covered area for them, and they do just fine. 

Indeed they do!  I have Barred Rocks and Wyandottes-- they are the WORST offenders!  But no, they do not get along at all.  The layers have bloodied my Polish and silkies.  I had a near massacre last year.  Blood all over the walls of my coop because I caught it almost too late.  I think you are just lucky!  That... or I have really mean layers!  LOL!  I have covered my pens with the privacy lattice-- works out great, but doesn't keep all the sun off of them.  My really dark blues have bleached out a bit.  I absolutely can not free range, so you are lucky there.  I have very bold coyotes and neighbor dogs that would love a chicken snack!  

Quote:

Originally Posted by sager:)silkies 

some of my silkies are in my laying flock and they do just fine some of my birds do pick on eachother but not often.

what kind of layers do you all have that get along with silkies??  I'm sick of the Wyandottes in particular, they are just down right mean to everyone except themselves and the rocks.  The rocks are a little better, but not by a whole lot.  I've contemplated getting rid of these and getting a layer that is more gentle with other breeds, especially with cresteds, because I don't want to separate out my Polish.  I have far more Polish than layers.  BUT-- I like the color of the brown eggs, so I still want brown egg layers... I read how everyone else has layers that get along with their birds and that is not happening here... at ALL.  Sigh.

Why would you want to breed single combs?  just wondering.  You are going to get a lot of single combs from now on if you do.

My silkies bully my LF barred rocks (xhibition strain, so they are the correct HUGE size).  My polish are least dominant, so mst likely to be bullied, but they are not exposed to the LF.

Why would you want to breed single combs?  just wondering.  You are going to get a lot of single combs from now on if you do.