Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[realsis]

I can get some better pictures later but what do you think?

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
Thank you for this tip! Adding baby powder to my kit. (Now if only I could defeat the dang mites .... <sigh>

)

 

[delisha]

Quote:
mites you pick up at the show? or in your coop?

At shows bring dusting powder and dust them before you bring them home.

Mites are horrible to get rid of. Depending on where you live, what you are using for bedding, where your coop is located.

Neem oil works great for getting rid of them on surfaces like roosts.and nest boxes...yes it is an oil and yes it will get oil on there feet feathers. Some bedding (even fresh) house mites. I have picked up fresh bedding that was loaded with mites. So check your bags of shavings and treat, and bake your sand before using it.

I have had to completely clean out the coop and white wash it to get rid of them. That was my fault. I use tree wood for roosts. One time I forgot to treat it before putting it in the coop and a month later I had a mess. I ash bathed, I dusted, I tried every thing. I finally had to strip the coop and start over. It took a whole weekend and back breaking work to move every thing out. Paint and treat every thing and everyone and move it all back.

I now keep a container of ash for them to dust themselves inside the coop at all times. I put citrus peels, dill and basil in nest boxes to deter them from setting up house in my boxes.

BTW Dragonlady knows what she is talking about..that woman has more knowledge to share than most and is giving and generous in that knowledge.

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
mites you pick up at the show? or in your coop?

At shows bring dusting powder and dust them before you bring them home.

Mites are horrible to get rid of. Depending on where you live, what you are using for bedding, where your coop is located.

Neem oil works great for getting rid of them on surfaces like roosts.and nest boxes...yes it is an oil and yes it will get oil on there feet feathers. Some bedding (even fresh) house mites. I have picked up fresh bedding that was loaded with mites. So check your bags of shavings and treat, and bake your sand before using it.

I have had to completely clean out the coop and white wash it to get rid of them. That was my fault. I use tree wood for roosts. One time I forgot to treat it before putting it in the coop and a month later I had a mess. I ash bathed, I dusted, I tried every thing. I finally had to strip the coop and start over. It took a whole weekend and back breaking work to move every thing out. Paint and treat every thing and everyone and move it all back.

I now keep a container of ash for them to dust themselves inside the coop at all times. I put citrus peels, dill and basil in nest boxes to deter them from setting up house in my boxes.

BTW Dragonlady knows what she is talking about..that woman has more knowledge to share than most and is giving and generous in that knowledge.

I have NO real idea where my mites came from except that I only noticed I had a problem some weeks after coming home from a show where I know I was caged next to one that had a comment on the card about mites. I also free-range a load of my birds so it could easily come from that as well. I believe it is Northern Fowl mites I am dealing with but I'm not an expert. Suffice to say, they're tricky to deal with. I use DE in my pens and have recently added tobacco. I treated all of them with Eprinex - twice. Weighed the birds to be sure of dosage. No effect. I brought Frontline home from Newnan and was getting discouraged because it didn't seem to be working either, however, after 6 drops and 4 days, I am NOT seeing mite activity on my mite-iest birds this afternoon. So I'm dancing jigs and am VERY hopeful. I just picked up a "sulpherated lime" dip (safe for rabbits, so we are hoping, safe for Silkies) this morning to dip them in if the Frontline fails me so fingers crossed, the dip stays sealed on the shelf. (Remains to be seen if my birds will ever be able to reproduce after all the drugs I've subjected them to but I'm hopeful they'll at least have feathers and will no longer be itchy.)

 

[thedragonlady]

Hi all. Just wondering how my pullet would show. Sorry the pics aren't the best but what do you think of her? Be easy on me,lol.
.here she is.

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I love the type of this pullet. She stands with her front end down, as she should. Her wings look good too. In one photo she looks like a Blue, and in the second a Self Blue. Which is she?

 

[thedragonlady]

I have NO real idea where my mites came from except that I only noticed I had a problem some weeks after coming home from a show where I know I was caged next to one that had a comment on the card about mites. I also free-range a load of my birds so it could easily come from that as well. I believe it is Northern Fowl mites I am dealing with but I'm not an expert. Suffice to say, they're tricky to deal with. I use DE in my pens and have recently added tobacco. I treated all of them with Eprinex - twice. Weighed the birds to be sure of dosage. No effect. I brought Frontline home from Newnan and was getting discouraged because it didn't seem to be working either, however, after 6 drops and 4 days, I am NOT seeing mite activity on my mite-iest birds this afternoon. So I'm dancing jigs and am VERY hopeful. I just picked up a "sulpherated lime" dip (safe for rabbits, so we are hoping, safe for Silkies) this morning to dip them in if the Frontline fails me so fingers crossed, the dip stays sealed on the shelf. (Remains to be seen if my birds will ever be able to reproduce after all the drugs I've subjected them to but I'm hopeful they'll at least have feathers and will no longer be itchy.)

Permethrin spray, or dust, available at garden centers, will get rid of Northern Fowl mites in a hurry. Spray under each wing, one shot to the crest, and one to the vent. ALWAYS dust your birds with permethrin dust before cooping out. What with blowing the baby podwer out before judging, and dusting birds before leaving a show, the guys used to joke that I was "The Shake and Bake Lady". NO bugs though !!

 

[heirloomorps]

I have NO real idea where my mites came from except that I only noticed I had a problem some weeks after coming home from a show where I know I was caged next to one that had a comment on the card about mites. I also free-range a load of my birds so it could easily come from that as well. I believe it is Northern Fowl mites I am dealing with but I'm not an expert. Suffice to say, they're tricky to deal with. I use DE in my pens and have recently added tobacco. I treated all of them with Eprinex - twice. Weighed the birds to be sure of dosage. No effect. I brought Frontline home from Newnan and was getting discouraged because it didn't seem to be working either, however, after 6 drops and 4 days, I am NOT seeing mite activity on my mite-iest birds this afternoon. So I'm dancing jigs and am VERY hopeful. I just picked up a "sulpherated lime" dip (safe for rabbits, so we are hoping, safe for Silkies) this morning to dip them in if the Frontline fails me so fingers crossed, the dip stays sealed on the shelf. (Remains to be seen if my birds will ever be able to reproduce after all the drugs I've subjected them to but I'm hopeful they'll at least have feathers and will no longer be itchy.)

We picked up mites at a show too. We only noticed it because two weeks later we were bathing our Silkie for a show and she had mites. We didn't take her to the show BECAUSE of that. I wish other people would be more considerate!

 

[Adoravachick]

Thank you!!! I really like them. I was afraid they were blue partridge. Question, how does the breeding work for blue partridge? Does anyone know?

Hopefully, Dragonlady or Sonoran will touch on this for us.

 

[Adoravachick]

We picked up mites at a show too. We only noticed it because two weeks later we were bathing our Silkie for a show and she had mites. We didn't take her to the show BECAUSE of that. I wish other people would be more considerate!

I agree...no sick animals or ones with Mites. Mites are VERY annoying to deal with, depending on severity of the infestation, they can be down right tough to get rid of.

 

[JacquiJ]

Ok so now in starting to get paranoid about mites. Is there a good way to prevent getting them? Like using frontline and that dust (don't remember the name)? I only have three girls that literally live miles from the nearest chicken and the only time they see another chicken is at shows.