A few questions about silkies

[happyhens]

I just traded some cages for 6 silkies- 4 partridge, one is very dark blue (looks almost black) and one black. Supposedly 3 pullets and 3 cockerels, but you know how that goes with silkies. One of the pullets looks a little "iffy" to me. Anway, I already had a blue rooster and a white pullet. Should I seperate the colors? Or can I put them all together? I do want to hatch their eggs (hopefully they will do their own hatching, that is a major reason why I got them) or possibly sell hatching eggs, so is it important to keep the colors seperated? What colors would come from a blue rooster and a white hen? How about a partridge rooster and a white hen? Blue rooster and partridge hen? This could be fun!

Also another question for those of you that have experience with silkie hens- how many have goon broody out of how many hens? (ex: had 5 silkie hens, 2 have goon broody) I have 4 pullets/hens, and was just wondering about how many of them will be going broody. Only one or 2? All of them?
P.S. One more question- I have a silkie pullet that is 8-9 months old that hasn't started laying yet. Is that normal? How old are they before they start to lay? My Barred Rocks that are the same age started laying 2 or 3 weeks ago.

 

[ninny]

The best way is to seperate the colors. Most of your hens will go broody on you at some point. They will do all the hatching and baby care for you.


As to your colors not sure. I'd like to know.

 

[Teresaann24]

I'm not sure on colors that you would get with mixing colors. They would prob be a mix of colors or which ever color is dominant.

Like the previous poster said they all will go broody somtime on you. Silkies are very broody, My girls started laying at 6 months old.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

In general, but there are always exceptions, the better the quality, the longer it takes to lay. Hatchery birds often lay at about the same timne as other chickens. Show birds tend to develop more slowly. I had one girl who was over a year old before she laid. A boy I thought was a pullet until he started crowing at 9 or 10 months.

If you plan to sell hatching eggs only make colour crosses that you KNOW work. White only to white; blue, black and splash can be together; partridge only to partridge. If you mix the colour of your birds together, advertise it, and expect that many will choose to purchase from those who keep their colours properly paired.

That doesn't mean that you can never let them run together, but it does mean that you need to do that only when you aren't collecting eggs to sell or when you are making conscious decisions on who you're pairing together and why.

White X anything other than white is pure chance.

 

[happyhens]

Thanks for the advice. Here is what I have-
2 Partridge cockerals
2 Partridge pullets
2 Blue cockerals
1 Black pullet &
1 white pullet
How would you split these up? I do intend to get rid of a couple of the roosters. Don't think I need 4 roosters for 4 hens. What if I picked the best blue rooster and put him in a pen with the black pullet and the white pullet, and picked the best partridge roo and put him with the 2 partridge pullets? Or should I keep the black pullet and a blue rooster together alone, and put the white pullet in the partridge pen?
If/when I start selling hatching eggs I will be sure to note what colors are in each pen.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I believe I have heard that white is usually a cover for black. I would keep one partridge roo and one blue roo, and keep the partridge together, and the blue, black and white together. Unless you plan on getting a white roo for your white girl. You would just need to make sure you tell whoever is looking for them that the blue and black pen would have a white with it. I don't know what color would come of the white hen with blue cockerel, if you hatch some eggs and don't like how they look, you could always put her in the other pen.

I have 4 silkie pullets that are 8 months old. One has layed a total of 6 eggs a few weeks ago. The roo that is the same age just started crowing, and none of the other girls have layed yet. So it does seem that they take a bit longer to start. But it could also be because of the weather.

 

[PurpleChicken]

We need pictures here!!! Partridge silkies are rare. Love them.

 

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:
This is my partridge boy, Martin. I love his coloring, but he has a singlecomb.

I didnt know that partridges are rare.

 

[happyhens]

I will try to get pictures tomorrow if I have some extra time, its dark outside now. They look a little rough right now, the guy I got them from had them running with a bunch of bigger breed chickens and they got a little trampled and dirty (and other types of poultry as well, he had pheasants and turkeys and geese too). Even in just 2 days of being seperated from other chickens/poultry they already look cleaner and fluffier.
Hmm looking at silkieluver_07's partridge makes me wonder about mine. Is there such a thing as blue partridge? The darker colored feathers on my partridges look mostly blue/gray.
Pretty rooster, by the way! Too bad about the single comb :-( I like his color too.

 

[briarpatchfarms]

2 Partridge cockerals
2 Partridge pullets
2 Blue cockerals
1 Black pullet &
1 white pullet
I would put all the partridge in one cage together. 1 blue cockeral with a black the other witht the white because whit is dominant over any color!