Frizzle thread

[Frindizzle]

It been in the 60s all week, mine are enjoying it just fine

That's good.

 

[Hebandgene]

Hope this is the right place to ask this question. We have a flock of frizzles/sizzles that includes two which appear to be frazzles/curlys. Got them from a reputable hobby breeder who I am sure didn't intend to produce frazzles. They are 5 months old and haven't molted yet so are still fully feathered with mostly silkie- or downy-looking feathers. We live in coastal NC so winters are usually mild, but it got down to 18 degrees last night. Of course I am worried about them. They have an appropriate coop and an additional shelter but don't seem to use them during the day. Do I need to take any special precautions? How will I know if they are too cold? Thanks!

Here's a picture of one from a couple months ago, but she looks the same. The other has more feathering on her head.

 

[Lobzi]

What I do is hold them and feel their feet. If their feet are very cold I make "pillows" filled with flax seed and microwave them and toss them on the ground where I know they like to sit. Sometimes I hold them and actually make them sit on the warming pillow so they see how nice it feels. Dont make it too hot though as they wont like that. It should be warm enough for you to comfortably hold. Before bedtime you can reheat the pad and it will help them during the night.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I don't do anything special for my frizzles, just provide them with a dry, draft free coop and little extra bedding. I've only had one frazzle/curly, and I didn't do anything for her either. I did notice she would push her way into the middle of the cuddle puddle that my Silkies and Sizzles would make on the floor. That seemed to keep her warm and happy when it was cold.

Chickens are tough little critters. Take naked neck Turkens and Showgirls as an example, they're a VERY cold hardy breed even without feathers on their necks!

 

[Lobzi]

Here are some of the members of my motley crew. Many are frizzles.

 

[Hebandgene]

Thanks, Lobzi and howfunkyisyourchicken! I giggled at "cuddle puddle." Mine do that too - so cute. Thanks for the info and tips. They managed okay today, and tonight is back down to 15. Ugh. How much longer til spring??

P.S. Lobzi - adorable bunch of chickens!

 

[Lobzi]

Thank you. I should have called them the muttley crew as there is not a pure bred among them but boy are they interesting. Every hatch is such a surprise.

Regarding the flax seed pillows, I use cotton as it works best in the microwave. Avoid plastic type cloths. The meal worms I purchase come in cotton bag so I use them to make the pillows.

 

[nchls school]

Frizzy-eight month old frizzle serama. I have been reading about frizzle; a very confusing topic. What I'd like to do is find the best way to get frizzle chicks from my hen. Any advice?

And can a chicken look normal featured and have the frizzle gene? Some reading sources say yes and some say no.

One of the chicks in the picture is a young rooster now (6 weeks old). His feathering appears normal at first glance, but looking closer reveals his feathering to be looser/fluffier than others chicks his age from other hens.

I'm thinking of pairing him back to the mother in the hopes of getting chicks that look frizzle.

Another source claims that any bird with the frizzle gene will look frizzle and any that look normal do not have the frizzle gene as frizzle is dominant. Or incomplete dominant.

 

[PouleNoire]

Her coloring is very unique and it looks good on a frizzle!

Sorry, I can't help with any of your questions though, good luck finding the answers!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

For the most part, if a bird doesn't look frizzled, they aren't. However, there is/has been talk of a modifier gene. Where the chicken will appear to be smooth or mostly smooth and throw frizzle chicks. I think I may be seeing something like that for the first time this year. I've been breeding Sizzles for a while, and one of my last hatches produced something odd. A smooth blue chick with what appears to be one slightly frizzled feather on one of its wings. I've been keeping an eye on that chick, waiting for that feather to right itself and it hasn't. I plan on pairing it up separately with another smooth Sizzle or a Silkie to see if it produces frizzled chicks when its old enough to breed. I took a picture of it when it was about a week old. I'll see if I can find that picture and I'll share it here.

The best way to get chicks from your hen would be to breed her to a smooth roo. You'll get about 50/50 that way, but you'll avoid chicks that have two copies of the frizzle gene (frazzles/curlies).