Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[littlecritters]

thanx! can i gave them some sav a chic vitamin supplement or somethin else

This is what I have done for a silke with neurological damage:

Daily:
Vit E capsule 400 mg up to 3 times daily
PolyViSol baby vitamins without iron (1/2 dropper) one time daily - you can use the CVS or Rite Aid generic brand
Sprinkle Poulty Conditioner (Manna Pro) on feed one time daily

Weekly:
Sprinkle Probiotics (Tractor Supply) on the feed once a week
Add 1 capful of Red Cell to a gallon of water one time weekly

To administer the vitamins:
Gently wrap bird in a towel (or a sleeve cut from a sweatshirt or an ace bandage). Not too tight, because chickens don't have diaphragms like we do...and can suffocate.
Place bird on its back, lay bird on your lap with head by your knees.
I usually rub a little VetRx on the comb and nostrils with my finger. This helps the bird relax, and it smells good.
Gently open the beak, place vitamin dropper in, squeeze...and you are done.
Next take your Vit E capsule. With your teeth, bite a tiny bit off one end. Place in beak, squeeze and dispose of empty capsule.

Alternate method:
If your bird loves warm oatmeal or mashed hard boiled eggs...you can add the above vitamins to the treat and feed it to the sick bird. Just try to be sure that all is eaten.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Who all will be at the Virginia Poultry Breeders Association show this Saturday? Anyone bringing anything interesting to sell? Anyone need anything? LOL

Good luck at your show!!! I am going to the Kansas Classic Fall Poultry Show this weekend at the state fairgrounds. I was considering going to Shawnee (in Oklahoma-- Bren, Birds of Paradise-will be there!-- but I think I have too much going on with everything else)

Question: at how many months old do you all start showing a chick 4 ? 5? 6? MONTHS usually?

It depends on how they've filled out and what they are looking like. If they have tons of pinfeathers and incomplete wings, and don't have that more mature type to them, they just won't do well. Most of my young ones are around 5 months if they are looking filled in/mature. I have taken a 4 month old before-- and the judge guessed her to be around 6 months+ because she was so well filled in. We used her for Showmanship and you disclose how old your bird is and he was really surprised. So I'd say there is no rule on how old, it's just going to depend on what they look like. I have a blue boy right now that I would not show, even though he is amazing-- his crest is huge, but it is full of pinfeathers-- he has tons of "tubes" still all over his body where the feathers have come in and it hasn't fallen off yet. It also looks bad if you take them too soon after those start falling off-- it kind of looks like dandruff! LOL Anyway, that's JMO.

This is what I have done for a silke with neurological damage:
Daily:
Vit E capsule 400 mg up to 3 times daily
PolyViSol baby vitamins without iron (1/2 dropper) one time daily - you can use the CVS or Rite Aid generic brand
Sprinkle Poulty Conditioner (Manna Pro) on feed one time daily
Weekly:
Sprinkle Probiotics (Tractor Supply) on the feed once a week
Add 1 capful of Red Cell to a gallon of water one time weekly
To administer the vitamins:
Gently wrap bird in a towel (or a sleeve cut from a sweatshirt or an ace bandage). Not too tight, because chickens don't have diaphragms like we do...and can suffocate.
Place bird on its back, lay bird on your lap with head by your knees.
I usually rub a little VetRx on the comb and nostrils with my finger. This helps the bird relax, and it smells good.
Gently open the beak, place vitamin dropper in, squeeze...and you are done.
Next take your Vit E capsule. With your teeth, bite a tiny bit off one end. Place in beak, squeeze and dispose of empty capsule.
Alternate method:
If your bird loves warm oatmeal or mashed hard boiled eggs...you can add the above vitamins to the treat and feed it to the sick bird. Just try to be sure that all is eaten.

Sigh. Reading this and knowing what you did every day. So sorry. But you have sure learned a lot! I didn't know about the sleeve until you mentioned that a while back.

 

[peepblessed]

This is what I have done for a silke with neurological damage:
Daily:
Vit E capsule 400 mg up to 3 times daily
PolyViSol baby vitamins without iron (1/2 dropper) one time daily - you can use the CVS or Rite Aid generic brand
Sprinkle Poulty Conditioner (Manna Pro) on feed one time daily
Weekly:
Sprinkle Probiotics (Tractor Supply) on the feed once a week
Add 1 capful of Red Cell to a gallon of water one time weekly
To administer the vitamins:
Gently wrap bird in a towel (or a sleeve cut from a sweatshirt or an ace bandage). Not too tight, because chickens don't have diaphragms like we do...and can suffocate.
Place bird on its back, lay bird on your lap with head by your knees.
I usually rub a little VetRx on the comb and nostrils with my finger. This helps the bird relax, and it smells good.
Gently open the beak, place vitamin dropper in, squeeze...and you are done.
Next take your Vit E capsule. With your teeth, bite a tiny bit off one end. Place in beak, squeeze and dispose of empty capsule.
Alternate method:
If your bird loves warm oatmeal or mashed hard boiled eggs...you can add the above vitamins to the treat and feed it to the sick bird. Just try to be sure that all is eaten.

I copied this to my notebook. Thanks!

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

This is what I have done for a silke with neurological damage:
Daily:
Vit E capsule 400 mg up to 3 times daily
PolyViSol baby vitamins without iron (1/2 dropper) one time daily - you can use the CVS or Rite Aid generic brand
Sprinkle Poulty Conditioner (Manna Pro) on feed one time daily
Weekly:
Sprinkle Probiotics (Tractor Supply) on the feed once a week
Add 1 capful of Red Cell to a gallon of water one time weekly
To administer the vitamins:
Gently wrap bird in a towel (or a sleeve cut from a sweatshirt or an ace bandage). Not too tight, because chickens don't have diaphragms like we do...and can suffocate.
Place bird on its back, lay bird on your lap with head by your knees.
I usually rub a little VetRx on the comb and nostrils with my finger. This helps the bird relax, and it smells good.
Gently open the beak, place vitamin dropper in, squeeze...and you are done.
Next take your Vit E capsule. With your teeth, bite a tiny bit off one end. Place in beak, squeeze and dispose of empty capsule.
Alternate method:
If your bird loves warm oatmeal or mashed hard boiled eggs...you can add the above vitamins to the treat and feed it to the sick bird. Just try to be sure that all is eaten.

Thank you for sharing!
I will definitely keep it on hand.

 

[silkieloverz123]

No more sick chickens! So sry for your little babies hope they get better!

 

[Me & Jack]

Good luck at your show!!! I am going to the Kansas Classic Fall Poultry Show this weekend at the state fairgrounds. I was considering going to Shawnee (in Oklahoma-- Bren, Birds of Paradise-will be there!-- but I think I have too much going on with everything else)

How'd your show go today? I took my white roo and a white pullet. She won RV, which completely surprised me. He placed 1st of only 2 older boys, so not much of a surprise there. LOL

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Question: at how many months old do you all start showing a chick 4 ? 5? 6? MONTHS usually?

The bird needs to be mature; I rarely see silkies that are sufficiently mature at under 8 months.

 

[sager:)silkies]

How'd your show go today? I took my white roo and a white pullet. She won RV, which completely surprised me. He placed 1st of only 2 older boys, so not much of a surprise there. LOL

congratz janine

 

[BarnGoddess01]

Quote:
I showed mine at 7 months. Although they did very well at the show, the judge commented that they will do better when they're older. And now, a month later, I can see myself the HUGE difference, especially in the male.

 

[Me & Jack]

I showed mine at 7 months. Although they did very well at the show, the judge commented that they will do better when they're older. And now, a month later, I can see myself the HUGE difference, especially in the male.

I agree that a little more time can make a huge difference, but if you have a 6-month old pullet in good condition and a 10-month pullet in not so great condition it's obvious which bird you should show. So, just remember that age isn't the factor so much as condition is. Generally the more time they have to get in condition the better, but sometimes a younger bird can surprise you, as I just discovered with mine this weekend at a show. She did very well and is barely 7 months old.