Silkie thread!

[Fancychooklady]

Just curious what you all suggest for helping my poor silkie hen see better. She has a very full puff on her head and it seems like she doesn't see very well. Also how do you all keep their feet clean? Our girl always has a ton of dirt in her feet feathers. It's getting cold here so can't really bathe her unless I keep her in the house for awhile afterwards. Can I trim her crest puff?

You can tie the crest up with a small horse braiding band or trim. Be careful when trimming as you don't want to trim anything close to the eyes. This may cause regrowth problems.

 

[Cynthia12]

I have 8 silkie eggs doing well..where are the smiley faces on a smart phone? New at this!

 

[UpstateCkn87]

My beautiful silkie Bianca! I purchased her as a juvenile and noticed her beak looks dry and crusty. There is a small amount of brown on the top. Is this normal? I've never seen it on any of my other birds. She is 5 months old.
Thanks!

 

[UpstateCkn87]

My beautiful silkie Bianca! I purchased her as a juvenile and noticed her beak looks dry and crusty. There is a small amount of brown on the top. Is this normal? I've never seen it on any of my other birds. She is 5 months old.
Thanks!

I am trying to attach a photo but it is not embedding.

 

[greenbeetle]

I think those both look like definite hens. Rooster streamers or more definitive than that. Those two both appear to have small combs and nice, rounded crests and tails. My guess: two hens =)

Thanks for the reply, I am hoping they are both pullets.

 

[jas humbert]

Hello, all! I am new to the Silkie Thread, but I will probably be here now. I had a very successful October hatch, and have four little Silkies, four weeks old. I know it is early, but if there is any input about the colors or possibility of pullet vs cockerel, that would be welcome.

This is Cobweb. The egg was marked Blk/S by the breeder. What color is this? The bird looks silver with charcoal accents and a black mask. The top of the head is much flatter than all the other chicks - no stand-up fluff, yet. Also, this one has tiny little bumps on the back of the leg, visible and also noticeable by touch. The other chicks do not have that. This chick is the most curious.



Miranda is below.The egg said 'Paint''; this chick is silvery white with black accents. This is the largest of all four chicks that hatched on the same day.



It was hard to get Cleopatra to stay still. Oddly, the egg said "Lavender," but this chick is coppery, buttery and brown, with black accents.


Below is Calpurnia. This is the second biggest chick, almost as big as Miranda. The egg said "WhiteS" and the chick looks simply white. I expect it will just stay white.




Below, clockwise from upper left: Cobweb, Miranda, Cleopatra and Calpurnia. What are these colors? Will they change from this point on?

Below: Cleopatra has stepped in as a buddy for a newly-hatched Silver Laced Wyandotte. The Silkies are very nice chicks. They do not bully the baby.


Left to right, for size comparison: Miranda, Calpurnia and Cobweb. Cobweb is so small, but I am getting a roo vibe, even at 4 weeks. Thoughts? Thanks!!

1) Blue, 2)probably paint but maybe splash 3) partridge 4) white. Egg coding of Blk/S might be black/splash which means blue too-"blue, black, splash" some times abbreviated b/b/s is a common breeding. As far as heads go, some silkies have vaulted heads, some do not- it won't make much, if any, difference in how much crest feathering they grow into. Looks like Cobweb does not have a vaulted head. Not a problem. I've heard a couple of people say they have could tell their silkie was a boy that young so I guess it is not impossible, but I've never had it happen. I have 8 adults silkie hens and raise chicks every year and have yet to know sex before 3 months- most often not until much later. One of this year's babies will be 6 months on the 15th and I just this week I was sure she was a girl when she laid her first egg. She has more wattles than most and I was still not 100% sure she was not a late blooming rooster.

 

[Cerise1924]

1) Blue, 2)probably paint but maybe splash 3) partridge 4) white. Egg coding of Blk/S might be black/splash which means blue too-"blue, black, splash" some times abbreviated b/b/s is a common breeding. As far as heads go, some silkies have vaulted heads, some do not- it won't make much, if any, difference in how much crest feathering they grow into. Looks like Cobweb does not have a vaulted head. Not a problem. I've heard a couple of people say they have could tell their silkie was a boy that young so I guess it is not impossible, but I've never had it happen. I have 8 adults silkie hens and raise chicks every year and have yet to know sex before 3 months- most often not until much later. One of this year's babies will be 6 months on the 15th and I just this week I was sure she was a girl when she laid her first egg. She has more wattles than most and I was still not 100% sure she was not a late blooming rooster.

Thank you so much! You have a great amount of knowledge, and I appreciate your sharing it. I love Cobweb's coloring, so it is good to know that is what "blue" or "blue black splash" looks like.
I also remember that some of the Silkies clearly had that vaulted head at birth, but not all (there were two other chicks in the hatch, who have been given to another family).

You are definitely confirming by your experience that it is hard to determine the sex of Silkies. I'll just wait until spring, and enjoy how very cute they are.

I was wondering if the coppery one was partridge. Thanks again!

 

[jeffdogle]

I am in the Tuscaloosa ,Birmingham area this week and would love to find some silkie egg to take home so my kids can add some silkies back to the flock. Anyone in Alabama have some silkie eggs? We have had silkies and oldest and last silkie died a couple of months ago. my number is 817-723-0741. Feel free to text me anytime.

 

[jas humbert]

You are welcome Cerise. Your babies are adorable and you will love raising silkies. Don't be surprised if Cobweb darkens up some as he loses baby fluff and gets his real feathers. Sometimes you can't tell the real colors for a few months. Here are some of my babies who changed a lot as they grew. My paint was grayish white with no spots as a new baby. Some paints are born with spots some are not. Most get darker or larger spots as they grow. The second batch of pictures below has a blue of mine who darkened up quite a bit as she grew. Cobweb seems lighter so probably won't get that dark(?)









Baby partridge above- same chick at 4 months old below

 

[Cerise1924]

Ohhhh! What beautiful birds! That is amazing photo archive you have put together. Thank you so much for posting the pics. It is fascinating to see how the coloring develops over the months.

I am so excited to have these Silkie chicks, and look forward to watching them grow.

You are welcome Cerise. Your babies are adorable and you will love raising silkies. Don't be surprised if Cobweb darkens up some as he loses baby fluff and gets his real feathers. Sometimes you can't tell the real colors for a few months. Here are some of my babies who changed a lot as they grew. My paint was grayish white with no spots as a new baby. Some paints are born with spots some are not. Most get darker or larger spots as they grow. The second batch of pictures below has a blue of mine who darkened up quite a bit as she grew. Cobweb seems lighter so probably won't get that dark(?)









Baby partridge above- same chick at 4 months old below