Silkie thread!

[kssilkiemama]

Could someone post some pictures of their grays? I have a young roo that is the lightest color and it is hard to tell if he is a light blue or a gray. Thank you in advance.

 

[zolachicky]

Hi, I'm super new to chickens. My daughter and I love them. We wanted silkies because we heard what a great disposition they have. We got 3 silkies from a lady that breeds them locally. They are less than 2 weeks old. Can anyone tell me if they are bearded or non-bearded?

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks! I'll try to find some a sneak them in our next hatch.

Fancychooklady prefers beardless Silkies and for good reasons - less messy when they eat and better vision. My two Silkie hens are bearded and the silly girls groom each other's face feathers around their eyes and only around the eyes -- they both can see fine and still have their beards LOL! Somebody thought it funny that my two hens groomed each other's faces but then I just thought all Silkies did that! The APA accepts bearded and non-bearded alike in shows - post pics when/if you find nice non-bearded Silkies.

 

[QueenMisha]

Hi, I'm super new to chickens. My daughter and I love them. We wanted silkies because we heard what a great disposition they have. We got 3 silkies from a lady that breeds them locally. They are less than 2 weeks old. Can anyone tell me if they are bearded or non-bearded?

The one on the right is definitely bearded. The one on the left is iffy - I'm thinking non bearded or maybe a small beard.

 

[zolachicky]

Thank you! We're learning so much...I have two like the one on the right. The one on the left has the sweetest disposition. We call it "Wild Child" but it falls asleep when you hold him/her. <3 I love these babies.

 

[jessivogel]

I've got a question regarding pens/coops. We are trying to figure up plans on how many we are going to need. But... I need to know which color varieties can go together. So far we have white, partridge, and a blue. I really plan on getting black and splash eventually. I'm pretty sure that I read whites need to stay by themselves- and that BBS can go together. What about partridge? And in the BBS, would I need to keep a rooster for each color to give a better chance at getting pures? Or am I just going to be better off building pens/coops for each individual color variation?

Also, are they good breeders? Like one rooster per (5?) hens or should I just go with 7-8 hens and 2 roosters in a pen?

Next question- what about the babies? Do I just have a completely different pen/coop? Or do I just put them back into the same color pen until they find new homes?

Sorry for so many questions. I truly appreciate any and all responses, suggestions, etc. Thank you!!!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I've got a question regarding pens/coops. We are trying to figure up plans on how many we are going to need. But... I need to know which color varieties can go together. So far we have white, partridge, and a blue. I really plan on getting black and splash eventually. I'm pretty sure that I read whites need to stay by themselves- and that BBS can go together. What about partridge? And in the BBS, would I need to keep a rooster for each color to give a better chance at getting pures? Or am I just going to be better off building pens/coops for each individual color variation?

Also, are they good breeders? Like one rooster per (5?) hens or should I just go with 7-8 hens and 2 roosters in a pen?

Next question- what about the babies? Do I just have a completely different pen/coop? Or do I just put them back into the same color pen until they find new homes?

Sorry for so many questions. I truly appreciate any and all responses, suggestions, etc.

Thank you!!!

If you're breeding for pure colors, you'll want to keep your whites, partridge and B/B/S all in separate pens. In your B/B/S pen, you could put a blue rooster over blue, black and splash hens and get all 3 colors in the offspring. This is a great chart that explains how B/B/S breeding works:

What you do with the babies is whatever your preference is. I have a separate brooder for my incubator hatched chicks. They go into the brooder and stay there while they need a heat lamp. After they don't need heat anymore, they go into my integration cage in the coop (which is an XL dog crate). They stay in there a week or two, then I let them out with the big birds (usually somewhere around 6-9 weeks old depending on the time of year). Any chicks hatched by my hens start off right in the coop and the hens raise them up with the rest of the flock.

Hope this helps

Edited to add: I do also have a sale pen thats away from my coop. Any chickens I have advertised for sale go into that pen. That way I don't have to chase them down and catch them if someone wants them, and I don't have people walking around in my coops (biosecurity).

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Speaking of babies, mine have gotten so big!
I think this one is a boy, 11 weeks old now.



This ones looking like a boy too, 7 weeks old.


He sure is cute though!

This one might be a girl, also 7 weeks old.


It's definitely mastered the stink eye.

 

[Silkie2]

Aww! There so cute! I love the splash!

 

[jessivogel]

If you're breeding for pure colors, you'll want to keep your whites, partridge and B/B/S all in separate pens. In your B/B/S pen, you could put a blue rooster over blue, black and splash hens and get all 3 colors in the offspring. This is a great chart that explains how B/B/S breeding works: What you do with the babies is whatever your preference is. I have a separate brooder for my incubator hatched chicks. They go into the brooder and stay there while they need a heat lamp. After they don't need heat anymore, they go into my integration cage in the coop (which is an XL dog crate). They stay in there a week or two, then I let them out with the big birds (usually somewhere around 6-9 weeks old depending on the time of year). Any chicks hatched by my hens start off right in the coop and the hens raise them up with the rest of the flock. Hope this helps Edited to add: I do also have a sale pen thats away from my coop. Any chickens I have advertised for sale go into that pen. That way I don't have to chase them down and catch them if someone wants them, and I don't have people walking around in my coops (biosecurity).

Amazing!!! Thank you!!

And I just love your birds!!!