Silkie thread!

[sniper338]

I was told to ask yall about how reliably broody silkie hens are?... will a silkie hen hatch out any egg when she gets the want to?

 

[BantyChooks]

My best silkies this year are both males..





I breed to the SOP. My best male is a white just purchased from Karen Larson of CatDance Farm who came from champion parents. He is not just a pretty boy, he is a living sweet heart.

His name is Prince charming.


A Blue Cream cockerel I bred from my project pens. He is one of my best silkies I bred myself.

His name is Poi. Just six months old.

Both are show quality which means fpr me, they could be shown right now because of quality and condition. I'm not prepared to show this year but will in the Spring. I currently have fifty silkies over the age of sixteen weeks.

wow, how adorably fluffy! I only have 1 silkie and he is most definitly NOT the SOP if yours are SOP. He's cute though!

 

[Cherie1n2]

I only got silkies to be broodies.. The black one is just over 1 1/2 and the two babies I got with her were a part of the 5th clutch shed hatched.. The splash I got from the same breeder, she's about 9 months old and no eggs yet(not expecting any till spring).. The white male is about 5 months old from a show breeder. He has the silver gene. Honestly I think I got pretty lucky, the more silkies I see the better looking mine are to me.. The two babies are 11 weeks old and kinda look both female (the father was a blue birchen).. Still not sure. I was planning to hatch orientals under them but I might try pure silkies too.

 

[Bernadine503]

wow, how adorably fluffy! I only have 1 silkie and he is most definitly NOT the SOP if yours are SOP. He's cute though!

Your white silkies are absolutely gorgeous!! Someday I hope to breed them like this.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

That's a lot of Silkies peanut, I currently have 11 of them, but 5 will be leaving soon to their new home. What colors do you have, any show girls? Personally I'm not into the naked neck birds. My favorites are non-bearded, but I have both.

I understand not liking naked neck, but how can you not like those ADORABLE beards??

I don't mind the beards, but I like seeing their little faces & that's hard to do with the fluff on top & bottom

 

[ChickenLady2014]

My best silkies this year are both males.. I breed to the SOP. My best male is a white just purchased from Karen Larson of CatDance Farm who came from champion parents. He is not just a pretty boy, he is a living sweet heart. His name is Prince charming. A Blue Cream cockerel I bred from my project pens. He is one of my best silkies I bred myself. His name is Poi. Just six months old. Both are show quality which means fpr me, they could be shown right now because of quality and condition. I'm not prepared to show this year but will in the Spring. I currently have fifty silkies over the age of sixteen weeks.

Beautiful birds, love the blue cream cockerel

 

[Bernadine503]

Beautiful birds, love the blue cream cockerel

Chicken Lady.. What is your advise for starting to breed SQ Silkies? Where do you start... Where do you purchase your birds?

 

[ChickenLady2014]

Beautiful birds, love the blue cream cockerel

Chicken Lady.. What is your advise for starting to breed SQ Silkies? Where do you start... Where do you purchase your birds?

I purchased 2 from a local breeder & the other 4 came from eggs of my BIL flock. They are just pet quality. I know nothing about breeding SQ silkies. I'm just a beginner here lol, sorry can't help you with that one.

 

[Bernadine503]

I purchased 2 from a local breeder & the other 4 came from eggs of my BIL flock. They are just pet quality. I know nothing about breeding SQ silkies. I'm just a beginner here lol, sorry can't help you with that one.

Chicken Lady....ooops, I meant to tag somebody else. But I'm sure your Silkies are beautiful nonetheless

 

[jas humbert]

Just a comment: it is going to take time to achieve really good birds regardless but don't buy the first thing you see, Study the standards, study photos of show quality birds. If you want show-quality, hatcheries are generally not going to work. Go look at a few local birds if there are any. If you can't find anything you like, drive further or buy shipped eggs (as close to you as possible- your odds of hatching decent amount are better with buying eggs 200 miles from you rather than 900 miles) or contact breeders who are willing to ship chicks or grown birds. (sometimes people who ship eggs might not advertise it, but they may have an adult or half-grown chicken or two that they would be willing to ship if you asked). Look for poultry shows near you and go to look and learn. If you are on a limited budget, starting with a few good birds- even 2- is better than a larger amount of mediocre ones. Then you are going to have to be very selective about what you keep from what your chickens hatch out. Someone once told me that if you are doing things right maybe one bird in ten will be nice enough to keep and really move your breeding program forward. You are going to have to be a hardnose and get rid the mediocre ones. Sell them, trade them, give them away, or put them in a separate broody or egg layer pen if you have room and don't breed from them. That is only going to work for so long though. Most of us will have to get rid of chickens that don't measure up sometime.

Keep good records. Be patient. Enjoy the journey.