Silkie thread!

[Fancychooklady]

Yes, the eggs would be alright for consumption as with so many other treatments used for various maladies except as you say for antibiotics.  You can't avoid getting around treating with antibiotics for some maladies and I've had flaming feedback from ppl violently opposed to even use of certain antibiotic brands but I like my vet's cautious and thoughtful approach to treatments he prescribes.  So I continue sharing my experiences and leave others to form their own conclusions especially if they've thoughtfully done their own research.

I see so many posts throughout BYC where novices who never had poultry want to know how to go about selling eggs to help with flock costs.  Research, research, research, BEFORE attempting to do anything that requires transactions with the public.  Probably one of the main reasons CRD has been spread on to such a high percentage in U.S. backyard flocks - including customer claims that reputable business hatcheries have shipped unaware of disease or bacteria in their chicks.  The latent diseases classified under the CRD umbrella can be one of those silent culprits that doesn't scream in advance "Here I Am!" so I love breeders who openly share the susceptibility in certain breeds in their reviews rather than hiding such information.  The subject comes up in so many BYC posts. 

Husbandry laws are in place for a reason (of course seeing them enforced is a whole other subject!) but I digress.  The more I research the less I discover I know even though I was raised on a farm.  Animals are a huge responsibility - on the equation of having children in my mind.  I was fortunate to advise one potential chicken owner - assisting him in evaluating his requirements and alert him to the responsibility and expense of having such a "hobby."  Besides no knowledge of chickeneering he had absolutely NO space that would allow even a small flock to remain healthy.  I applauded him for doing the research BEFORE acting and he came to his own realization about the limits of his particular situation. Just because your city is zoned for livestock doesn't mean you plunge into chickeneering without research.

I love your input as you eloquently add and cover much information I might leave out in these posts.

BIOSECURITY is the key ! I like many people derive great pleasure from my birds but I never forget that they are livestock . I sell fertile eggs and grown birds for showing and breeding. I do not bring any birds in from outside and that is the only way to protect my flock. It's also worth remembering that mosquitoes, water birds and vermin transmit diseases such as CRD and mareks. Mycoplasma has been known to survive 6 weeks in sperm so being that the incubation period of the egg is only 21 days , it's no wonder there are so many poor little chicks in trouble from day 1.
Our experiences and input here on this and other threads will hopefully help others.

 

[esme13]

Any ideas on what coloration this girl is? I want to say a partridge blue but not sure. She has a tan chipmunk stripes on her back, but I couldn't get a photo of it with her wings in the way. She is a pale blue in color with tan specks. at 4 weeks old

 

[Fancychooklady]

Any ideas on what coloration this girl is? I want to say a partridge blue but not sure. She has a tan chipmunk stripes on her back, but I couldn't get a photo of it with her wings in the way. She is a pale blue in color with tan specks. at 4 weeks old

She looks porcelain.

 

[ChickenLady2014]

I usually see this kind of trouble in chicks with enormous vaulted skull or shipped eggs. It could be you just had a bad batch/hatch. It happens.
 I turn my eggs by hand three times a day until first pipped egg. I incubate dry at 30% humidity and up it to 60% at first pipped egg.  My Genesis 1588 has a fan and holds a steady 99/100 degrees. I turned my eggs this morning that are due because there were no pips then at 8 am. When I came to check them and maybe turn at noon, two chicks had hatched! Robust healthy chicks will do that from robust healthy flocks. There are many reasons for bad hatch rates. I find silkies from some strains to be more tricky than just silkies in general. Nutrition, virility, and good health of breeders is where it starts.

Thank you!

 

[ChickenLady2014]

First off, you can candle them before they go in the incubator and see if any have a detached yolk.  I'm sure you wait about 24 hours with the round side up before you put them in.  My silkies did not hatch early.  Early may be a sign of temp too warm.  Maybe.

I have found that the most important thing is to not let the temperature fluxuate .  Try real hard.  Either add water balloons and drape a bubble wrap over the incubator.  The temp should be between 99.5 and 100.  Use 2-3 thermometers, I have 3 right now.  I promise this will help.

Also, when you turn them or once a day, move the outer ones toward the center and the center ones outer.  There are microclimates in incubators.

Thank you!

 

[mystonedgarden]

11 chicks total. All three are sharing responsibility. I think some might be black?? But most are definitely blue.

 

[Falena]

Any ideas on what coloration this girl is? I want to say a partridge blue but not sure. She has a tan chipmunk stripes on her back, but I couldn't get a photo of it with her wings in the way. She is a pale blue in color with tan specks. at 4 weeks old

Ahh yes... Now that I'm seeing her, she does look Porcelain! Very lovely gal! <3

 

[FableFarms]

Hey!!! We are new and decided to post our lil chickies. We only have 4 silkies but soon we have more!!! We have 2 that we didnt raise from chicks that are white. 1 is laying and her name is Gertie. The other we have yet to name. But we do have 2 more lil chicks that we raised since theyve hatched! Here they are!

 

[Falena]

Snapped a few pictures of my chooks today... They're not the best due to my shady yard/phone camera, but I wanted to share anyway!

One of the two 'Red' chicks I caved and bought today. They're certainly darker than my buff chicks have been, and both have a little black spot on their heads. I'm crossing my fingers that they'll at least be Ginger Red/Buff...




Some group photos. You can see my Light Buff hen, my Smutty Buff roo, and some Partridges and a Blue or two, plus my teenagers.






Light and Dark Partridge gals... the dark one is very chatty!


She was picking something off her face ever so gently. So cute!
(Don't mind Gossie's bum... She's my lone Salmon Faverolles)

This hen is kind of a 'mystery color' to me... As a chick, she (and two others) were a pale lavender with faint chipmunk markings. Now she's Lavender/Grey with what appears to be red leakage? Would she be a Silver Partridge maybe? I like her a lot regardless!


A Blue Frizzled Silkie, whom I think is a cockerel... 'he' is being called Tribble at the moment lol!


A gang of teenage hooligans!


Tribble again, with a smooth Silkie cross pullet(?). She was about to jump up and grab a bug!

 

[flowerchild88]

Rhea my white silkie chick