broken feathers on Silkie feet

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Maybe you could start a project for clean legged silkies so you wouldnt have to worry about feathered feet. It would be all silkie traits except it would have clean legs. That would be a fun project.

 

[SunshineSilkies]

I keep all of my silkes on shavings. 4 of my silkie pens have concrete with shavings and builders sand. They have beautiful foot feathering and I like to keep it that way. Seems like judges will look to see if they have 5 toes and not so much at the spacing of the toes but pay attention to the feathering on the feet. County fairs judge differently I think that a sanctioned show.

 

[Windchyme]

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I wouldn't confine her all year for that, I am kind of like you and like to let them have roaming time. When I have shown I have confined them about 3 months before in the barn on shavings. If she is the type to molt at about july, then is when I'd start confining her until the show. On babies the only show I am really interested in is in January. I keep the babies in the barn much longer in the wintertime anyway so in fall I might go through those that are already in the outside pens and yank those in and continue raising the babies in the garage. The most likely prospects stay in there until show time. I have a horrible time with my whites tending to yellow once they get into the outside pens as well as the mud in the winter. If I don't keep those in they just aren't showable at all. Maybe this helps a little.

 

[catwalk]

Maybe there could be performance classes at shows, where appearance is of little importance. My hen can sit on top of my head, walk onto my foot so I can pick her up without bending over, crow better than my rooster, and follow the sound of my voice (fro's too big to see). Yesterday she popped out a pink egg! All that, plus a permission slip from my neighbor saying that she would be heartbroken if Phyllis couldn't come out to play, has gotta be worth something, yeah?

 

[featherbaby]

Having a show quality chicken is admirable, and I respect those who do it. As for me, I'll take "free and happy" over "clean and perfect" any day. Life's too short not to take every little bit of joy you can, I'd let her run, play and entertain the neighbors. Seems like you have a special little personality here...don't waste a minute of enjoyment with her.

 

[Silkiefan]

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Maybe you can train another chicken to be her seeing eye chicken!

 

[catwalk]

Thank you, featherbaby, those are very nice sentiments. I really just want to get my foot in the showring, and she's the only one old enough to help me. Next year, though, I'll have adult Seramas that hopefully won't need as much babying. Because seriously, first prize at the fair is $3.50, but watching my elderly neighbor try to communicate through a funny chicken dance and chicken baby talk is priceless!

 

[featherbaby]

I'd pay you more than $3.50 for a video of the neighbor's chicken dance!!!!!HA!!!!!! A Kodak moment for sure!!!!! Imagine if youtube got hold of that one!!!