5 month-old Best Friend Silkie Sisters

Swbertrand1

Crowing
5 Years
Apr 21, 2018
1,159
1,595
291
Wilmington, NC
I thought I'd share a little story that started out on April 03, 2021 when two eggs hatched in our incubator. This is the story of two 5 month-old (as of this writing) Silkie chickens that are 1/2 sisters, but the very best of chicken friends. Photos of their bond are included below.

On April 03, 2021, during a larger and lengthy Silkie hatch, two cute little fur-balls hatched within hours of each other. From the start, they were clumsy and unsure of their new world and life in general, but they thrived in the company of as many as a dozen other chicks, all of which were destined for other eventual homes. Unlike most spring hatches, we were not going to keep any birds this year, but something happened at about week 4 or 5 that brought chicken math back to the forefront, two little chicks that were remarkably sweet, affectionate, and obviously inseparable. They would come to be known as Peanut and Kilo.

Kilo is the daughter of one of our 3 year old hens, Clara. Peanut is the daughter of a 3-1/2 year old hen, Splash, and they both share the same father, Primo. Kilo is snow-white, save a small portion of her neck feathers that have the slightest little bit of yellow coloring, while Peanut is mostly cream-colored with a few light brown/tan brush strokes here and there, and very distinct little blotches of almost black spots, one the top of her head, and a few more on the sides of her head. Kilo has a wattle, strange for a Silkie, but her mother's heritage is not known to us. Peanut is bearded like her mother, so they make for a nice contrast in more ways that just color. These two grew close from about week 2, doing just about everything together, but it was really in week 4 or so that it became abundantly obvious. With the full hatch all living together, these two just seemed to gravitate to one another for no particular reason. Oddly enough, they were the most affectionate and inquisitive, even around chicks that were twice their size and as much as 10 days older than them. So, when it came time to find homes for the other chicks, we put them out of sight and held them back to stay on the ranch with us :)

They really were a pair that only grew closer together with each passing day. They shared a brooder, meals, foraging, "worm time" (when the get live mealworms), outside time, everything! They'd carefully watch us in the kitchen night after night, wake to our voices in the morning, chirp happily all day long, and wait patiently for us to come see them or take them out in the spring weather, which was most every day. When we'd arrive at the brooder, they be clamoring to jump on our hands or arms as we'd reach in to pick them up, purring that little "chirring" sound that chicks do when they're happy and content. It was chick bliss for them and for us. For a while, we thought one of the chicks might be a rooster, though, so we made the pact that if one was a rooster, they would go as a pair; they are just that close and tight with one another. Sadly, Peanut woke one morning (or overnight) to a severe case of Wry Neck at 6 weeks of age, a case that we weren't sure she'd recover from, but by this time, they had been spending their nights in a segregated side of our main coop. What would happen to their bond?

Peanut needed to be removed from the coop for "treatment", and we worried about the chicks being separated. Peanut could not stand, could not eat/drink, and couldn't hold her head up at all. It was heart-breaking. Kilo, though I'm sure confused by Peanut's disappearance, never seemed to let on that she was worried however. She would stay in the coop alone at night except for the company of our adult birds. She was a trooper though, and she was often granted visits to see Peanut that was now spending day and night in a cat bed in the house. Peanut responded positively to treatment, but she was so unsteady on her feet that it took her six weeks to get back to the coop, and that was just to visit since she couldn't climb the ramp. She wouldn't/couldn't jump up or down, wouldn't even take a 3" or 4" step down, and she would fall if she tried to walk or run. Instead, her life was confined to the cat bed in the living room. She'd watch TV with us, but if my bf even spoke one word, she would start "talking" to him, doing the little chirring sound to which he'd usually chirr back at her - this would go on sometimes for 20 or 30 minutes., While Peanut did spend a LOT of time inside, most of it at night, we'd put her outside as much as possible with Kilo during the day, usually for an hour or two here, and an hour there. I've never seen anything so sweet as what took place after days of them being apart.

When Peanut would get outside during that first/second week, she could still not walk much at all, couldn't stand well, would drop her head to the right and downward to the point it was hanging between her legs and dragging on the ground. She'd fall if she tried to walk, or go in circles, and the few times she tried to jump, she'd crash dramatically. For a while, we weren't sure her right eye would survive the dragging across the ground, but concluded that if her eye was in jeopardy, she'd close it. That, thankfully, proved to be true. During this time, Kilo NEVER left her side, never pecked at her or showed any behavior other than steadfast patience and solidarity with her sister that clearly wasn't behaving as Kilo had remembered. Some of the photos show them side by side and Peanut just barely has her head off the ground, in others it's tilted far to the side, but such was her condition from June 23 to about August 6. When she did finally break out of her Wry Neck after intensive 3-a-day treatments, it was almost like she'd never been afflicted.

Today, the sisters are like the proverbial two-peas-in-a-pod. They do EVERYTHING together and in virtual lockstep. On April 5, Kilo laid her first egg, and Peanut was there to high-five her just afterward. Today, just two days later, Peanut laid her first egg. These two amazing chicks grew into the sweetest pullets, and have now matured into beautiful Silkie hens just after their 5-month birthday of August 03, 2021. That they laid their first eggs almost on the same day tells us these two were meant to be together from the start. They are now part of a larger flock of other Silkies and full-size birds, but they hold their own already.

Peanut was always the more dominant of the two chicks, and maybe that's why Kilo stood by her sister so steadfastly and without protest. For a short while, Peanut needed the stronger shoulder of Kilo, and she got it. Now Peanut has returned to form but retains ever so slight balance issues from time to time. Yet, that doesn't prevent her from maintaining an intense loyalty to her sister, the sister that never gave up on her, by defending Kilo against the pecking order sorting by the other adult birds. It's an interesting dynamic to watch for sure, but one I'm sure we'll see more of in the coming months and years out of these two sisters and best friends...

S
 

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I thought I'd share a little story that started out on April 03, 2021 when two eggs hatched in our incubator. This is the story of two 5 month-old (as of this writing) Silkie chickens that are 1/2 sisters, but the very best of chicken friends. Photos of their bond are included below.

On April 03, 2021, during a larger and lengthy Silkie hatch, two cute little fur-balls hatched within hours of each other. From the start, they were clumsy and unsure of their new world and life in general, but they thrived in the company of as many as a dozen other chicks, all of which were destined for other eventual homes. Unlike most spring hatches, we were not going to keep any birds this year, but something happened at about week 4 or 5 that brought chicken math back to the forefront, two little chicks that were remarkably sweet, affectionate, and obviously inseparable. They would come to be known as Peanut and Kilo.

Kilo is the daughter of one of our 3 year old hens, Clara. Peanut is the daughter of a 3-1/2 year old hen, Splash, and they both share the same father, Primo. Kilo is snow-white, save a small portion of her neck feathers that have the slightest little bit of yellow coloring, while Peanut is mostly cream-colored with a few light brown/tan brush strokes here and there, and very distinct little blotches of almost black spots, one the top of her head, and a few more on the sides of her head. Kilo has a wattle, strange for a Silkie, but her mother's heritage is not known to us. Peanut is bearded like her mother, so they make for a nice contrast in more ways that just color. These two grew close from about week 2, doing just about everything together, but it was really in week 4 or so that it became abundantly obvious. With the full hatch all living together, these two just seemed to gravitate to one another for no particular reason. Oddly enough, they were the most affectionate and inquisitive, even around chicks that were twice their size and as much as 10 days older than them. So, when it came time to find homes for the other chicks, we put them out of sight and held them back to stay on the ranch with us :)

They really were a pair that only grew closer together with each passing day. They shared a brooder, meals, foraging, "worm time" (when the get live mealworms), outside time, everything! They'd carefully watch us in the kitchen night after night, wake to our voices in the morning, chirp happily all day long, and wait patiently for us to come see them or take them out in the spring weather, which was most every day. When we'd arrive at the brooder, they be clamoring to jump on our hands or arms as we'd reach in to pick them up, purring that little "chirring" sound that chicks do when they're happy and content. It was chick bliss for them and for us. For a while, we thought one of the chicks might be a rooster, though, so we made the pact that if one was a rooster, they would go as a pair; they are just that close and tight with one another. Sadly, Peanut woke one morning (or overnight) to a severe case of Wry Neck at 6 weeks of age, a case that we weren't sure she'd recover from, but by this time, they had been spending their nights in a segregated side of our main coop. What would happen to their bond?

Peanut needed to be removed from the coop for "treatment", and we worried about the chicks being separated. Peanut could not stand, could not eat/drink, and couldn't hold her head up at all. It was heart-breaking. Kilo, though I'm sure confused by Peanut's disappearance, never seemed to let on that she was worried however. She would stay in the coop alone at night except for the company of our adult birds. She was a trooper though, and she was often granted visits to see Peanut that was now spending day and night in a cat bed in the house. Peanut responded positively to treatment, but she was so unsteady on her feet that it took her six weeks to get back to the coop, and that was just to visit since she couldn't climb the ramp. She wouldn't/couldn't jump up or down, wouldn't even take a 3" or 4" step down, and she would fall if she tried to walk or run. Instead, her life was confined to the cat bed in the living room. She'd watch TV with us, but if my bf even spoke one word, she would start "talking" to him, doing the little chirring sound to which he'd usually chirr back at her - this would go on sometimes for 20 or 30 minutes., While Peanut did spend a LOT of time inside, most of it at night, we'd put her outside as much as possible with Kilo during the day, usually for an hour or two here, and an hour there. I've never seen anything so sweet as what took place after days of them being apart.

When Peanut would get outside during that first/second week, she could still not walk much at all, couldn't stand well, would drop her head to the right and downward to the point it was hanging between her legs and dragging on the ground. She'd fall if she tried to walk, or go in circles, and the few times she tried to jump, she'd crash dramatically. For a while, we weren't sure her right eye would survive the dragging across the ground, but concluded that if her eye was in jeopardy, she'd close it. That, thankfully, proved to be true. During this time, Kilo NEVER left her side, never pecked at her or showed any behavior other than steadfast patience and solidarity with her sister that clearly wasn't behaving as Kilo had remembered. Some of the photos show them side by side and Peanut just barely has her head off the ground, in others it's tilted far to the side, but such was her condition from June 23 to about August 6. When she did finally break out of her Wry Neck after intensive 3-a-day treatments, it was almost like she'd never been afflicted.

Today, the sisters are like the proverbial two-peas-in-a-pod. They do EVERYTHING together and in virtual lockstep. On April 5, Kilo laid her first egg, and Peanut was there to high-five her just afterward. Today, just two days later, Peanut laid her first egg. These two amazing chicks grew into the sweetest pullets, and have now matured into beautiful Silkie hens just after their 5-month birthday of August 03, 2021. That they laid their first eggs almost on the same day tells us these two were meant to be together from the start. They are now part of a larger flock of other Silkies and full-size birds, but they hold their own already.

Peanut was always the more dominant of the two chicks, and maybe that's why Kilo stood by her sister so steadfastly and without protest. For a short while, Peanut needed the stronger shoulder of Kilo, and she got it. Now Peanut has returned to form but retains ever so slight balance issues from time to time. Yet, that doesn't prevent her from maintaining an intense loyalty to her sister, the sister that never gave up on her, by defending Kilo against the pecking order sorting by the other adult birds. It's an interesting dynamic to watch for sure, but one I'm sure we'll see more of in the coming months and years out of these two sisters and best friends...

S
Oh my goodness, what a beautiful story! This actually made me tear up a bit because their bond is so incredibly special. It’s a story near and dear to my heart as I also have two Silkie babies (7 weeks old) that are attached at the hip. I got them at a week old and while it’s just the two of them and they have no choice but to be together, their bond is so sweet. They do everything together, sometimes in perfect synchronization; I’ve even seen them poop at the same time lol. If I take one out of the brooder even for a moment the other (who wasn’t far away to begin with) comes right over cheeping away to see what I’m doing with their sibling. Heaven forbid I give cuddles one at a time! I’m amazed at your girls’ devotion to one another and I can only hope for the same bond in my babies as they continue to grow together. Thank you for sharing this wonderful story! ♥️♥️♥️
I thought I'd share a little story that started out on April 03, 2021 when two eggs hatched in our incubator. This is the story of two 5 month-old (as of this writing) Silkie chickens that are 1/2 sisters, but the very best of chicken friends. Photos of their bond are included below.

On April 03, 2021, during a larger and lengthy Silkie hatch, two cute little fur-balls hatched within hours of each other. From the start, they were clumsy and unsure of their new world and life in general, but they thrived in the company of as many as a dozen other chicks, all of which were destined for other eventual homes. Unlike most spring hatches, we were not going to keep any birds this year, but something happened at about week 4 or 5 that brought chicken math back to the forefront, two little chicks that were remarkably sweet, affectionate, and obviously inseparable. They would come to be known as Peanut and Kilo.

Kilo is the daughter of one of our 3 year old hens, Clara. Peanut is the daughter of a 3-1/2 year old hen, Splash, and they both share the same father, Primo. Kilo is snow-white, save a small portion of her neck feathers that have the slightest little bit of yellow coloring, while Peanut is mostly cream-colored with a few light brown/tan brush strokes here and there, and very distinct little blotches of almost black spots, one the top of her head, and a few more on the sides of her head. Kilo has a wattle, strange for a Silkie, but her mother's heritage is not known to us. Peanut is bearded like her mother, so they make for a nice contrast in more ways that just color. These two grew close from about week 2, doing just about everything together, but it was really in week 4 or so that it became abundantly obvious. With the full hatch all living together, these two just seemed to gravitate to one another for no particular reason. Oddly enough, they were the most affectionate and inquisitive, even around chicks that were twice their size and as much as 10 days older than them. So, when it came time to find homes for the other chicks, we put them out of sight and held them back to stay on the ranch with us :)

They really were a pair that only grew closer together with each passing day. They shared a brooder, meals, foraging, "worm time" (when the get live mealworms), outside time, everything! They'd carefully watch us in the kitchen night after night, wake to our voices in the morning, chirp happily all day long, and wait patiently for us to come see them or take them out in the spring weather, which was most every day. When we'd arrive at the brooder, they be clamoring to jump on our hands or arms as we'd reach in to pick them up, purring that little "chirring" sound that chicks do when they're happy and content. It was chick bliss for them and for us. For a while, we thought one of the chicks might be a rooster, though, so we made the pact that if one was a rooster, they would go as a pair; they are just that close and tight with one another. Sadly, Peanut woke one morning (or overnight) to a severe case of Wry Neck at 6 weeks of age, a case that we weren't sure she'd recover from, but by this time, they had been spending their nights in a segregated side of our main coop. What would happen to their bond?

Peanut needed to be removed from the coop for "treatment", and we worried about the chicks being separated. Peanut could not stand, could not eat/drink, and couldn't hold her head up at all. It was heart-breaking. Kilo, though I'm sure confused by Peanut's disappearance, never seemed to let on that she was worried however. She would stay in the coop alone at night except for the company of our adult birds. She was a trooper though, and she was often granted visits to see Peanut that was now spending day and night in a cat bed in the house. Peanut responded positively to treatment, but she was so unsteady on her feet that it took her six weeks to get back to the coop, and that was just to visit since she couldn't climb the ramp. She wouldn't/couldn't jump up or down, wouldn't even take a 3" or 4" step down, and she would fall if she tried to walk or run. Instead, her life was confined to the cat bed in the living room. She'd watch TV with us, but if my bf even spoke one word, she would start "talking" to him, doing the little chirring sound to which he'd usually chirr back at her - this would go on sometimes for 20 or 30 minutes., While Peanut did spend a LOT of time inside, most of it at night, we'd put her outside as much as possible with Kilo during the day, usually for an hour or two here, and an hour there. I've never seen anything so sweet as what took place after days of them being apart.

When Peanut would get outside during that first/second week, she could still not walk much at all, couldn't stand well, would drop her head to the right and downward to the point it was hanging between her legs and dragging on the ground. She'd fall if she tried to walk, or go in circles, and the few times she tried to jump, she'd crash dramatically. For a while, we weren't sure her right eye would survive the dragging across the ground, but concluded that if her eye was in jeopardy, she'd close it. That, thankfully, proved to be true. During this time, Kilo NEVER left her side, never pecked at her or showed any behavior other than steadfast patience and solidarity with her sister that clearly wasn't behaving as Kilo had remembered. Some of the photos show them side by side and Peanut just barely has her head off the ground, in others it's tilted far to the side, but such was her condition from June 23 to about August 6. When she did finally break out of her Wry Neck after intensive 3-a-day treatments, it was almost like she'd never been afflicted.

Today, the sisters are like the proverbial two-peas-in-a-pod. They do EVERYTHING together and in virtual lockstep. On April 5, Kilo laid her first egg, and Peanut was there to high-five her just afterward. Today, just two days later, Peanut laid her first egg. These two amazing chicks grew into the sweetest pullets, and have now matured into beautiful Silkie hens just after their 5-month birthday of August 03, 2021. That they laid their first eggs almost on the same day tells us these two were meant to be together from the start. They are now part of a larger flock of other Silkies and full-size birds, but they hold their own already.

Peanut was always the more dominant of the two chicks, and maybe that's why Kilo stood by her sister so steadfastly and without protest. For a short while, Peanut needed the stronger shoulder of Kilo, and she got it. Now Peanut has returned to form but retains ever so slight balance issues from time to time. Yet, that doesn't prevent her from maintaining an intense loyalty to her sister, the sister that never gave up on her, by defending Kilo against the pecking order sorting by the other adult birds. It's an interesting dynamic to watch for sure, but one I'm sure we'll see more of in the coming months and years out of these two sisters and best friends...

S
I thought I'd share a little story that started out on April 03, 2021 when two eggs hatched in our incubator. This is the story of two 5 month-old (as of this writing) Silkie chickens that are 1/2 sisters, but the very best of chicken friends. Photos of their bond are included below.

On April 03, 2021, during a larger and lengthy Silkie hatch, two cute little fur-balls hatched within hours of each other. From the start, they were clumsy and unsure of their new world and life in general, but they thrived in the company of as many as a dozen other chicks, all of which were destined for other eventual homes. Unlike most spring hatches, we were not going to keep any birds this year, but something happened at about week 4 or 5 that brought chicken math back to the forefront, two little chicks that were remarkably sweet, affectionate, and obviously inseparable. They would come to be known as Peanut and Kilo.

Kilo is the daughter of one of our 3 year old hens, Clara. Peanut is the daughter of a 3-1/2 year old hen, Splash, and they both share the same father, Primo. Kilo is snow-white, save a small portion of her neck feathers that have the slightest little bit of yellow coloring, while Peanut is mostly cream-colored with a few light brown/tan brush strokes here and there, and very distinct little blotches of almost black spots, one the top of her head, and a few more on the sides of her head. Kilo has a wattle, strange for a Silkie, but her mother's heritage is not known to us. Peanut is bearded like her mother, so they make for a nice contrast in more ways that just color. These two grew close from about week 2, doing just about everything together, but it was really in week 4 or so that it became abundantly obvious. With the full hatch all living together, these two just seemed to gravitate to one another for no particular reason. Oddly enough, they were the most affectionate and inquisitive, even around chicks that were twice their size and as much as 10 days older than them. So, when it came time to find homes for the other chicks, we put them out of sight and held them back to stay on the ranch with us :)

They really were a pair that only grew closer together with each passing day. They shared a brooder, meals, foraging, "worm time" (when the get live mealworms), outside time, everything! They'd carefully watch us in the kitchen night after night, wake to our voices in the morning, chirp happily all day long, and wait patiently for us to come see them or take them out in the spring weather, which was most every day. When we'd arrive at the brooder, they be clamoring to jump on our hands or arms as we'd reach in to pick them up, purring that little "chirring" sound that chicks do when they're happy and content. It was chick bliss for them and for us. For a while, we thought one of the chicks might be a rooster, though, so we made the pact that if one was a rooster, they would go as a pair; they are just that close and tight with one another. Sadly, Peanut woke one morning (or overnight) to a severe case of Wry Neck at 6 weeks of age, a case that we weren't sure she'd recover from, but by this time, they had been spending their nights in a segregated side of our main coop. What would happen to their bond?

Peanut needed to be removed from the coop for "treatment", and we worried about the chicks being separated. Peanut could not stand, could not eat/drink, and couldn't hold her head up at all. It was heart-breaking. Kilo, though I'm sure confused by Peanut's disappearance, never seemed to let on that she was worried however. She would stay in the coop alone at night except for the company of our adult birds. She was a trooper though, and she was often granted visits to see Peanut that was now spending day and night in a cat bed in the house. Peanut responded positively to treatment, but she was so unsteady on her feet that it took her six weeks to get back to the coop, and that was just to visit since she couldn't climb the ramp. She wouldn't/couldn't jump up or down, wouldn't even take a 3" or 4" step down, and she would fall if she tried to walk or run. Instead, her life was confined to the cat bed in the living room. She'd watch TV with us, but if my bf even spoke one word, she would start "talking" to him, doing the little chirring sound to which he'd usually chirr back at her - this would go on sometimes for 20 or 30 minutes., While Peanut did spend a LOT of time inside, most of it at night, we'd put her outside as much as possible with Kilo during the day, usually for an hour or two here, and an hour there. I've never seen anything so sweet as what took place after days of them being apart.

When Peanut would get outside during that first/second week, she could still not walk much at all, couldn't stand well, would drop her head to the right and downward to the point it was hanging between her legs and dragging on the ground. She'd fall if she tried to walk, or go in circles, and the few times she tried to jump, she'd crash dramatically. For a while, we weren't sure her right eye would survive the dragging across the ground, but concluded that if her eye was in jeopardy, she'd close it. That, thankfully, proved to be true. During this time, Kilo NEVER left her side, never pecked at her or showed any behavior other than steadfast patience and solidarity with her sister that clearly wasn't behaving as Kilo had remembered. Some of the photos show them side by side and Peanut just barely has her head off the ground, in others it's tilted far to the side, but such was her condition from June 23 to about August 6. When she did finally break out of her Wry Neck after intensive 3-a-day treatments, it was almost like she'd never been afflicted.

Today, the sisters are like the proverbial two-peas-in-a-pod. They do EVERYTHING together and in virtual lockstep. On April 5, Kilo laid her first egg, and Peanut was there to high-five her just afterward. Today, just two days later, Peanut laid her first egg. These two amazing chicks grew into the sweetest pullets, and have now matured into beautiful Silkie hens just after their 5-month birthday of August 03, 2021. That they laid their first eggs almost on the same day tells us these two were meant to be together from the start. They are now part of a larger flock of other Silkies and full-size birds, but they hold their own already.

Peanut was always the more dominant of the two chicks, and maybe that's why Kilo stood by her sister so steadfastly and without protest. For a short while, Peanut needed the stronger shoulder of Kilo, and she got it. Now Peanut has returned to form but retains ever so slight balance issues from time to time. Yet, that doesn't prevent her from maintaining an intense loyalty to her sister, the sister that never gave up on her, by defending Kilo against the pecking order sorting by the other adult birds. It's an interesting dynamic to watch for sure, but one I'm sure we'll see more of in the coming months and years out of these two sisters and best friends...

S
 
I thought I'd share a little story that started out on April 03, 2021 when two eggs hatched in our incubator. This is the story of two 5 month-old (as of this writing) Silkie chickens that are 1/2 sisters, but the very best of chicken friends. Photos of their bond are included below.

On April 03, 2021, during a larger and lengthy Silkie hatch, two cute little fur-balls hatched within hours of each other. From the start, they were clumsy and unsure of their new world and life in general, but they thrived in the company of as many as a dozen other chicks, all of which were destined for other eventual homes. Unlike most spring hatches, we were not going to keep any birds this year, but something happened at about week 4 or 5 that brought chicken math back to the forefront, two little chicks that were remarkably sweet, affectionate, and obviously inseparable. They would come to be known as Peanut and Kilo.

Kilo is the daughter of one of our 3 year old hens, Clara. Peanut is the daughter of a 3-1/2 year old hen, Splash, and they both share the same father, Primo. Kilo is snow-white, save a small portion of her neck feathers that have the slightest little bit of yellow coloring, while Peanut is mostly cream-colored with a few light brown/tan brush strokes here and there, and very distinct little blotches of almost black spots, one the top of her head, and a few more on the sides of her head. Kilo has a wattle, strange for a Silkie, but her mother's heritage is not known to us. Peanut is bearded like her mother, so they make for a nice contrast in more ways that just color. These two grew close from about week 2, doing just about everything together, but it was really in week 4 or so that it became abundantly obvious. With the full hatch all living together, these two just seemed to gravitate to one another for no particular reason. Oddly enough, they were the most affectionate and inquisitive, even around chicks that were twice their size and as much as 10 days older than them. So, when it came time to find homes for the other chicks, we put them out of sight and held them back to stay on the ranch with us :)

They really were a pair that only grew closer together with each passing day. They shared a brooder, meals, foraging, "worm time" (when the get live mealworms), outside time, everything! They'd carefully watch us in the kitchen night after night, wake to our voices in the morning, chirp happily all day long, and wait patiently for us to come see them or take them out in the spring weather, which was most every day. When we'd arrive at the brooder, they be clamoring to jump on our hands or arms as we'd reach in to pick them up, purring that little "chirring" sound that chicks do when they're happy and content. It was chick bliss for them and for us. For a while, we thought one of the chicks might be a rooster, though, so we made the pact that if one was a rooster, they would go as a pair; they are just that close and tight with one another. Sadly, Peanut woke one morning (or overnight) to a severe case of Wry Neck at 6 weeks of age, a case that we weren't sure she'd recover from, but by this time, they had been spending their nights in a segregated side of our main coop. What would happen to their bond?

Peanut needed to be removed from the coop for "treatment", and we worried about the chicks being separated. Peanut could not stand, could not eat/drink, and couldn't hold her head up at all. It was heart-breaking. Kilo, though I'm sure confused by Peanut's disappearance, never seemed to let on that she was worried however. She would stay in the coop alone at night except for the company of our adult birds. She was a trooper though, and she was often granted visits to see Peanut that was now spending day and night in a cat bed in the house. Peanut responded positively to treatment, but she was so unsteady on her feet that it took her six weeks to get back to the coop, and that was just to visit since she couldn't climb the ramp. She wouldn't/couldn't jump up or down, wouldn't even take a 3" or 4" step down, and she would fall if she tried to walk or run. Instead, her life was confined to the cat bed in the living room. She'd watch TV with us, but if my bf even spoke one word, she would start "talking" to him, doing the little chirring sound to which he'd usually chirr back at her - this would go on sometimes for 20 or 30 minutes., While Peanut did spend a LOT of time inside, most of it at night, we'd put her outside as much as possible with Kilo during the day, usually for an hour or two here, and an hour there. I've never seen anything so sweet as what took place after days of them being apart.

When Peanut would get outside during that first/second week, she could still not walk much at all, couldn't stand well, would drop her head to the right and downward to the point it was hanging between her legs and dragging on the ground. She'd fall if she tried to walk, or go in circles, and the few times she tried to jump, she'd crash dramatically. For a while, we weren't sure her right eye would survive the dragging across the ground, but concluded that if her eye was in jeopardy, she'd close it. That, thankfully, proved to be true. During this time, Kilo NEVER left her side, never pecked at her or showed any behavior other than steadfast patience and solidarity with her sister that clearly wasn't behaving as Kilo had remembered. Some of the photos show them side by side and Peanut just barely has her head off the ground, in others it's tilted far to the side, but such was her condition from June 23 to about August 6. When she did finally break out of her Wry Neck after intensive 3-a-day treatments, it was almost like she'd never been afflicted.

Today, the sisters are like the proverbial two-peas-in-a-pod. They do EVERYTHING together and in virtual lockstep. On April 5, Kilo laid her first egg, and Peanut was there to high-five her just afterward. Today, just two days later, Peanut laid her first egg. These two amazing chicks grew into the sweetest pullets, and have now matured into beautiful Silkie hens just after their 5-month birthday of August 03, 2021. That they laid their first eggs almost on the same day tells us these two were meant to be together from the start. They are now part of a larger flock of other Silkies and full-size birds, but they hold their own already.

Peanut was always the more dominant of the two chicks, and maybe that's why Kilo stood by her sister so steadfastly and without protest. For a short while, Peanut needed the stronger shoulder of Kilo, and she got it. Now Peanut has returned to form but retains ever so slight balance issues from time to time. Yet, that doesn't prevent her from maintaining an intense loyalty to her sister, the sister that never gave up on her, by defending Kilo against the pecking order sorting by the other adult birds. It's an interesting dynamic to watch for sure, but one I'm sure we'll see more of in the coming months and years out of these two sisters and best friends...

S
Thi reminded me of the bond two young roos I had until this year shared together. Beautiful story.
 
they are beautiful almost made me cry with the thought of you separating them so glad you kept them together. I have a silkie and a EE that are bonded like that. EE is the silkies protector she doesn’t let anyone pick on my silkie, which she is the only silkie and 1/2 the size of the rest of the flock so i was worried about it. But she has her own bodyguard in my sweet EE.
 

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