Search results for query: *

  1. DesertSilkieHen

    What do you do if two hens start acting like mortal enemies?

    I have a flock of six silkies: two roosters and four hens. Everyone was getting along just fine until this winter, when I had to separate out my two ten-year-old hens from the four younger chickens because the old ladies were having a hard time in sub-zero temperatures and needed to be kept...
  2. DesertSilkieHen

    Bringing a hen inside during a cold spell

    My 7 year old silkie hen looked very cold and lethargic this morning after an extremely cold night. She's the lowest ranking and a little frail, so I was worried about her dying in the -30F with windchill, -10F without wind temperatures. I brought her inside and she perked up and has been...
  3. DesertSilkieHen

    Bleeding toenail

    I (with help from an ornithologist) trimmed my month-old silkie's nail to collect a little blood for a DNA sex test. Afterwards, we held a cotton ball with corn starch on it for a few minutes till the bleeding stopped. Then the bleeding restarted so we held a fresh corn starch cotton ball on...
  4. DesertSilkieHen

    Unexpected wing colors developing in silkie chicks

    I purchased a few day-old silkie chicks from a breeder two weeks ago and two of them are developing unexpected colors. What do you think they'll look like as adults? The grey chick likely came from the blue/splash pen (but maybe the egg could have been from the paint pen??) but is developing...
  5. DesertSilkieHen

    What coop bedding is best for newborn silkie chicks living with adults?

    My broody silkie hen will be hatching out some silkie chicks for the first time next week! My adult silkies' coop bedding is pine shavings, but the person I bought fertilized eggs from said that the dust from pine shavings can kill baby silkies. What bedding should I use instead? I'm looking for...
  6. DesertSilkieHen

    Should I add eggs or chicks to a flock of two silkies?

    I have two 7 year old silkie hens whose sister just died of reproductive cancer. :( I would like to get 3-4 silkie chicks so that if one of my remaining hens dies, the other hen won't be all alone. My hens go broody very very easily but have never raised chicks or been around chickens from...
  7. DesertSilkieHen

    Silkie pullet is lethargic and just laid membrane-covered first egg

    My 8 month old silkie pullet Ty has been decidedly unwell for the last couple of days. On Friday morning she was lethargic, not eating, breathing heavily and her beak was filled with stringy saliva. I took her to the vet, who said that Ty probably has a throat ulcer and infection and gave me...
  8. DesertSilkieHen

    Bloody stools in the coop--- what to do??

    This evening I noticed a few bloody stools in my chicken coop and don’t know what’s wrong and how best to treat it. I have five 12-14 week old silkies in a 50 sq ft coop on pine shavings. They’re all acting normally and have healthy appetites. One, Ty, has been on the thin side and has lost a...
  9. DesertSilkieHen

    Sexing my little flock of silkie dinosaurs

    I have five silkies, two of which are 12 weeks old and three of which are 10 weeks old. I have three that I'm pretty sure are pullets, one probable cockerel and one mystery chick. I've posted the pictures below and would love some help! And yes, they are all named after dinosaur genera. Also...
  10. DesertSilkieHen

    Covering gaps in chicken coop roof

    I'm modifying my Craigslist coop and am concerned about weasels getting through the gaps in the roof. The roof is beveled and made out of sheet metal, with regular gaps between the wood and the roof. I'm putting quarter inch hardware cloth inside by the gaps but don't think this is sufficient...
  11. DesertSilkieHen

    Starting a small flock in Tucson

    Hello all, I had chickens throughout my childhood and in college but have been without them due to frequent moves and apartment-living. Now that I'll be in one place for the foreseeable future I've decided to rent a house so I can get chickens again. I had silkies for about a decade and am...
Back
Top Bottom