Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[CuteFluffyButtSilkies]

One of these things is not like the others

 

[LadiesAndJane]

One of these things is not like the othersView attachment 2533006View attachment 2533009View attachment 2533011

Little cutie! What is she?

 

[CuteFluffyButtSilkies]

It's a Brahma

 

[CuteFluffyButtSilkies]

What a cute little face

 

[BleuSaphir]

We live in a densely populated, primarily immigrant and BIPOC suburb (tiny houses with small yards) and always ask neighbors before we get new chicks. They have been surprisingly happy about us having them (and free cartons of eggs help!). So maybe try canvassing neighbors if you really want a rooster?

Some of our neighbors have roosters and we've had them in the past (all three died of Mareks ). I'm too nervous about a rooster getting impounded since we're not zoned for them (it would break my heart and be $$$), so won't be getting any more. I say hearing roosters crowing is so much more delightful than the endless barking of backyard dogs left out all day and night by themselves!

I live in the suburbs and I don’t think ever rooster were ever allowed. Surprisingly city of LA allow of 25 chickens and roosters as long as they are away from certain feet from any dwelling. And that amazing for to hear for an large metropolis city. But I kept a rooster in the past.

But I say that analogy because it has cause a rift between my old neighbor. But majority were actually caused my their unruly dogs. They don’t take care of them properly. Don’t walk them or play much. They left their poo in a pile on a corner of their backyard. Not to mention they bark a lot especially when I want to enter the garden side of the backyard to take care of my past chickens. It caused so much arguments between them. Thankfully they moved out 3 years ago. LOL

 

[PioneerChicks]

Thank you, this is so helpful!
Thankfully, all my girls look pretty good.
My cockerel has a single comb, though he came from breeder stock as well. Not sure about the comb genetics. He looks really good otherwise. Might have to switch him out though of course he is a sweetheart and we love him.
Doesn’t look like any of these chicks have a single comb, as far as I can tell this young.
I am finding that my silkies are quite popular here. They are all super fluffy. So of course I would like to continue to improve what I have. Funny one of the chicks was hatched with only four toes on one foot though both parents have five toes.
Hoping some of these eggs I hatch from two different breeders on the mainland will help improve the gene pool over here as well. Most silkies that I see on craigslist here anyway are from hatchery stock. Many have the wrong coloring of their skin and combs and minimal crests and are also quite large.
And as far as the cuteness and fluffiness of the chick determining the adult appearance, obviously there’s no way to predict that. Case in point is Zelda here who was quite funny looking as a chick and grew into this beautiful creature now.View attachment 2532723View attachment 2532722

It is so interesting to hear other breeders' experiences! I can't wait to watch the chicks grow!

 

[PioneerChicks]

This is a picture we took of a lot of children sort of working together to hold up a (not silkie) chick. I think it's really cool! I would love to see a higher-quality picture of this with a silkie chick! (And preferably without feet in the back )

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So Silkie breeders another question! Just completed my first Silkie hatch 9 of 12 hatched altogether of these, seven are Silkies the other two Silkie Crosses. Two were DIS and egg topsy reveals they were malpositioned the third one also malposition but managed to break through into the inner membrane before it passed. I am trying to figure out what happened and I think the eggs were just small as these were “pullet” eggs and I know there’s a lot of arguments against trying to incubate and hatch pullet eggs probably for this very reason. Lesson learned!
Just received 25 hatching eggs from a breeder in Washington state. One of the eggs is quite tiny I did not weigh them all as I did not want to disrupt the air cells but this one is really small and only weighs 23 g. Should I even attempt to incubate this one? Do you guys have a weight cut off on your hatching eggs? Can’t seem to find anything about this in the threads otherwise. Thank you so much!

 

[ChloeSilkie08]

So Silkie breeders another question! Just completed my first Silkie hatch 9 of 12 hatched altogether of these, seven are Silkies the other two Silkie Crosses. Two were DIS and egg topsy reveals they were malpositioned the third one also malposition but managed to break through into the inner membrane before it passed. I am trying to figure out what happened and I think the eggs were just small as these were “pullet” eggs and I know there’s a lot of arguments against trying to incubate and hatch pullet eggs probably for this very reason. Lesson learned!
Just received 25 hatching eggs from a breeder in Washington state. One of the eggs is quite tiny I did not weigh them all as I did not want to disrupt the air cells but this one is really small and only weighs 23 g. Should I even attempt to incubate this one? Do you guys have a weight cut off on your hatching eggs? Can’t seem to find anything about this in the threads otherwise. Thank you so much!

I honestly incubate whatever looks clean and normal. If it's small but has a normal shape and look I would incubate it but if there is any abnormalities I would discard it.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I honestly incubate whatever looks clean and normal. If it's small but has a normal shape and look I would incubate it but if there is any abnormalities I would discard it.

Thanks! I was trying to aim for about 40 g for the eggs that I had for my own birds. The smallest ones were about 32 g. This one just seems so tiny.
I guess worse comes to worse it doesn’t hatch but it’s so heartbreaking when they make it all the way to even internally pipping and then pass. Maybe another explanation for it.