BREEDING FOR PRODUCTION...EGGS AND OR MEAT.

[Beer can]

Too bad there isn't large fowl silkies here in the US, I hear there is in Europe, just had never been imported here, only the bantams. Like I said my TSC silkies are way bigger than SOP, but you said yours is small, so I guess that isn't a go to place like I thought.

 

[miss heny]

It honestly depends on the hatchery IMO. I mean mine are bigger then standard but not by much honestly. I would love to find a hatchery with bigger stock to work with... Maybe find some cull Showgirls?

 

[Beer can]

Lol! Seems kinda funny talking silkies and showgirls for eating

How do they get showgirls so small? Use bantam NN?
I missed out on getting NN cemani crosses. Her NN rooster and many others were killed by a weasel. She was keeping the NN fibros and I was getting her fibro non NN culls. Bad hatches and a dead rooster, only ended up with one fibro and some non for me so I opted out.

 

[miss heny]

Lol I think that how they did it, but hey I can get 10 bucks for a scrawny rooster to eat so yea I am gonna raise them for food!!

I would love some cemani in a few years once my Swedish hens are establish. But I may be getting NN to try that out later on >.>

 

[Kassaundra]

I'm trying something similar, wish I had access to swedish black or cemani. I'm trying a TSC white silkies (they are big) cross with white jersey giant. The silkies are very black skinned, have to wait and see how the chicks turn out, I'm going to line breed any that turn out fibro.
I thought about scrapping the idea when I saw someone post here their large Naked Neck fibro's, they looked AWESOME! Can't remember who it was, dfr1973 or Kassaundra??

I do have large fm nn, in that they are full sized chickens not bantam, but not large as compared to jersey giants. Got my first good fm boy this year so this year will by my first fm x fm mating to hatch. My fm started w/ silkie several generations before I got them.

 

[Kassaundra]

Too bad there isn't large fowl silkies here in the US, I hear there is in Europe, just had never been imported here, only the bantams. Like I said my TSC silkies are way bigger than SOP, but you said yours is small, so I guess that isn't a go to place like I thought.

There is a lady that has large silkies here. I forget her name she is on byc, and up in Michigan or somewhere in that area. She has bred them to chochins I believe for good size, but then crossed back to keep the fm and silkie feathers.

 

[miss heny]

Magically question, doth she ship? hahah

 

[jbkirk]

For whatever it's worth, anyone who does want to keep track of each bird by banding can do so very easily using numbered zip ties. Very inexpensive and easy to use (I especially like being able to size them just so for each growing bird - big enough to allow for growth, small enough not to slip above the joint and cut off circulation). They are sold in several colors at Strombergs - I switch colors as they get swapped out in growing chicks - helps me tell by eye who has and hasn't had their band changed, so I don't risk missing switching out a band that then causes injury as they outgrow it. You do need to tell them if you want certain sequences, though (e.g., 1-25 - vs. getting #s 75-100 like I did once when I forgot to say on the form). This was very useful to me as I kept track of my chicks, as I had a hard time telling them all apart reliably until relatively recently (and it would be even harder if there weren't so many different leg colors in the mix). I doubt I will continue to use them on the adults, but they have been very useful.

(No financial relationship to Strombergs, blah, blah, blah...)

- Ant Farm

Edit to add: The numbers DO wear off over time. Hasn't been a real problem for me as they have to be swapped out every few weeks anyway due to them growing out of them. If you wanted to use them long term on adult birds, you might need to switch them out/refresh them every so often.

I think that $0.08 for a wing band is better than $0.22 for one zip tie (which has to be replaced)

 

[DesertChic]

That's amazing! So, do I understand that you have this all in a single building, separated in pens?

(Man, I SOOOOOO need a barn!)

- Ant Farm

Yep! When you walk in the front door, there's an open area for storing things, etc. Right now I have a large metal dog kennel that's being used to (hopefully) break my very broody hen, Lily, once again. (She's the one I allowed to hatch the Fast Five NN chicks).

Each side of the cabin contains 2 pens, one large and one small, with the smallest ones measuring roughly 4' x 8', and the large one measuring about 8' x 8'. The Bielefelder pen opens directly to the outside since I allow them to free-range. The pen next to theirs is completely closed off for isolation purposes, and the two pens on the other side of the cabin open to their own contained runs measuring roughly 6' x 9' each. This allows the young birds to grow up still interacting with other members of my flocks, but safely through the hardware cloth.

 

[jbkirk]

Yep! When you walk in the front door, there's an open area for storing things, etc. Right now I have a large metal dog kennel that's being used to (hopefully) break my very broody hen, Lily, once again. (She's the one I allowed to hatch the Fast Five NN chicks).

Each side of the cabin contains 2 pens, one large and one small, with the smallest ones measuring roughly 4' x 8', and the large one measuring about 8' x 8'. The Bielefelder pen opens directly to the outside since I allow them to free-range. The pen next to theirs is completely closed off for isolation purposes, and the two pens on the other side of the cabin open to their own contained runs measuring roughly 6' x 9' each. This allows the young birds to grow up still interacting with other members of my flocks, but safely through the hardware cloth.

@DesertChic had you ever thought of selling her? Someone in your area just might REALLY want a consistently broody hen... instead of constantly fighting her. (like me. Haha)