Black silkies

[ultasol]

Amy- I hear you. There are some people here in the PNW I have shared stock with, and I know you've got good birds.... so I know who to call if something catastrophic happens and I lose all my breeding stock. You should have seen some of the lavenders I hatched last year! Woooo boy, some were ugly... but I got rid of the lavender hen that was one source of the problem (she was non-bearded and was throwing lots of streaky boys with HUGE combs) and I made some nice splits under a lav cock, which are currently being bred back. The splits are nice, but I still don't want to put them into the black breeding pen, that's for sure!I don't have a whole heck of a lot of splits... but it seems like they are all laying right now.

I posted an auction for eggs because one of my incubators is down and I'm waiting on a part. I listed it with a conservative 8 eggs because I knew I had at least that many from the dilute pen,.. so today everyone gave me an egg. Oi. At least I don't have an incubator running with only 3 or 4 eggs in it....

I wonder how my blacks will do at the Western National. I am hoping some of the CA crowd shows up.

I know Calesta will be showing, and she also has some nice blacks.

 

[jen5680]

Anyway you could post a picture??? I HATE those little chick leg bands and would love more info
on this!!

 

[ultasol]

I have some eggs hatching today, I can see if I can get some pictures when they hatch. For some reason, I'm having trouble focusing with the camera. I got a new digital camera on sale over the holidays, but I'm not a good digital photographer. I kind of miss the old manual SLR.

 

[ultasol]

I should also state that since I only have one white breeding pen set up right now I don't toe punch the whites, and that is most of what is due to hatch today, but I know I have one or two lavender pen chicks and those do get punched just in case one turns out looking like a light splash or is a split.

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

http://www.dominiquechicken.com/Toe_Punch_Chart.html
http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/toe_punch.html
Hope this helps some

 

[jen5680]

Is the best time to do it as soon as they hatch?? I would think it would hurhurhurt???
But anything is better than those legbands!! LOL!!

 

[rilly10]

SOOOO glad I found this thread! I am working on seperating my blacks out of my BBS pen and keeping black only and a blue/splash only pen. I am sooooo picky with the blacks though I only have one hen I hatched from Bobbi Porto eggs that I really want to use. I also bought a black pair from Premeir last fall but it got too cold for them to ship so I will get them in the spring. I love my lavs, blues, and splashes, but there is nothing like a gorgeous beetle green black silkie!

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

Thanks so much for starting the "black silkie" thread. I don't breed any blue or splash, but I do love my blacks.
Can someone explain to me why/how my gorgeous inky black pullet with alot of beetle green in her wings & tail can molt out to display brown hues???

 

[ultasol]

It does hurt, but it is temporary and quick. I needed a way to mark them that would last... and this was the best way. I will get pictures as I do it if I can, which will show you scale (size of punch compared to size of chick, and size of hole) and how tiny the toe punch is. There is hardly any blood,.. never enough to shed a drop.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
No more barbaric than piercing your ears. Pretty similar.