ThatParrotLady
Chirping
- Apr 24, 2017
- 51
- 80
- 72
Most of my experience is dealing with exotics, I spend half of my time at home working from home and the other half of the time with dogs or parrots but I've found chickens are completely different! So most of the time while I'm working on graphics for work they're sitting with me at this desk.
I actually have been lurking on the forum for a bit reading your posts you guys seem like a great community, but it's the silkies as for why I am here. I am about 95% (by gut feeling only) sure I have a male silkie. Largely due to his behavior. He was born within 24 hours of his girlfriend (i'm sure she's a girl because she's docile, smaller, narrower, she just doesn't seem built like a male but these are chickens there's a great chance I'm wrong XD)
But I think he's a boy because he's so muscular, he's chunky, he's very active, he sits with his head up and he constantly guards her when I have him out with the older chicken (6 weeks) for supervised scratch in the pine shedding exploration. And when I was advised by my sister to allow some level of pecking to occur by the other chicks because that's how they establish themselves. I was surprised to see the bigger girl sitting while the other two were scratching away. Her name is Cathy (She's 6 weeks), she turned her head and and lightly peck Ginger (His girlfriend), it wasn't assertive she just pulled some sawdust off her feathers but it startled her so she ran behind Chunky (That's his name). So he squared up and got in her face immediately and with the tiniest jump ever actually managed to kicked Cathy in the face.
I reached in and immediately separated them because I am not sure where that'll go from there because the older chick is looking down like "Wat" and he goes for it again but by then I've snatched her and him up. I wanted to ask my sister but she is offline so I wanted to ask....
Is it normal for a young chick to do that? I've also observed him "jumping" and bouncing onto the dust talons first and I can't seem to find any of that behavior anywhere else. He's healthy, active, eating properly, and loaded up on medicated chick feed and electrolyte water I picked up from the feed store as per their recommendation to keep them all hydrated. He's friendly enough, but likes to do his own thing UNLESS he can't see Ginger. Then he rushes to her or will peep LOUDLY Until he's sure she can see him.
Like I don't care if he's a boy I'm keeping him no matter what, but if he's definitely a boy that means I can only buy sexed silkies from here out because I don't want to risk two boys fighting each other, or getting him neutered. (Even if it's only 60$ to get it done my sister's uncomfortable with the procedure and her opinion matters to me, so it's easier to just not risk getting another boy)
Have any of your chicks ever done this?
I actually have been lurking on the forum for a bit reading your posts you guys seem like a great community, but it's the silkies as for why I am here. I am about 95% (by gut feeling only) sure I have a male silkie. Largely due to his behavior. He was born within 24 hours of his girlfriend (i'm sure she's a girl because she's docile, smaller, narrower, she just doesn't seem built like a male but these are chickens there's a great chance I'm wrong XD)
But I think he's a boy because he's so muscular, he's chunky, he's very active, he sits with his head up and he constantly guards her when I have him out with the older chicken (6 weeks) for supervised scratch in the pine shedding exploration. And when I was advised by my sister to allow some level of pecking to occur by the other chicks because that's how they establish themselves. I was surprised to see the bigger girl sitting while the other two were scratching away. Her name is Cathy (She's 6 weeks), she turned her head and and lightly peck Ginger (His girlfriend), it wasn't assertive she just pulled some sawdust off her feathers but it startled her so she ran behind Chunky (That's his name). So he squared up and got in her face immediately and with the tiniest jump ever actually managed to kicked Cathy in the face.
I reached in and immediately separated them because I am not sure where that'll go from there because the older chick is looking down like "Wat" and he goes for it again but by then I've snatched her and him up. I wanted to ask my sister but she is offline so I wanted to ask....
Is it normal for a young chick to do that? I've also observed him "jumping" and bouncing onto the dust talons first and I can't seem to find any of that behavior anywhere else. He's healthy, active, eating properly, and loaded up on medicated chick feed and electrolyte water I picked up from the feed store as per their recommendation to keep them all hydrated. He's friendly enough, but likes to do his own thing UNLESS he can't see Ginger. Then he rushes to her or will peep LOUDLY Until he's sure she can see him.
Like I don't care if he's a boy I'm keeping him no matter what, but if he's definitely a boy that means I can only buy sexed silkies from here out because I don't want to risk two boys fighting each other, or getting him neutered. (Even if it's only 60$ to get it done my sister's uncomfortable with the procedure and her opinion matters to me, so it's easier to just not risk getting another boy)
Have any of your chicks ever done this?
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