Maybe UC Davis could do a necropsy for you? It's free, you just have to pay for shipping which should be under $10 if you use their FedEx account number.
All the Silkies that I've had roost in the coop with the other hens. They are a little ditzy though. I had to put them in the coop at night a lot, and they ran into things sometimes. It might be all the head fluff, blocking their vision? I loved mine though. I got rid of them because I was tired of dealing with their broodiness ALL THE TIME. They were using Silkie Peer Pressure, to convince the other hens to go broody with them. I do have a whole bunch of Silkie chicks again though. I really do like them.I would not recommend adding just one Silkie. They are very different from other breeds. They rarely roost (they can't fly) so they need another Silkie to cuddle up with on the floor, or in my case, I stacked two, 2x4s on the floor of the coop so they can get off the soiled litter at night. Even then, I have to put them on it every night. They aren't the smartest birds!I am new to them, so maybe Chiqita can voice her opinion about them since she has had them longer.
Sounds like you are having fun planning on adding more breeds!
That's great! This is a beautiful coop. But keep in mind these pens are pretty small and really too small to keep adult birds in for very long. It could just be an optical illusion though. WHen they don;t include birds in the pisture it can be hard to get a real idea of the size. What are the dimensions of this one? It looks similar in size to my broody coop, but the enclosed part takes up more room that with mine. It also takes up more vertical space than with mine. They are great fro broodies who aren't moving around a lot, but I would not keep more than a banty or 2 in mine for extended periods. Are the nest boxes internal? Mine has a 2-nest box on the outside. Some of these have extension you can add to give more forage room.Yay my hubby is ebaying me 2 chicken coop kits so I can have breeding/laying cages to control my Lemon Cuckoo Orpington breeding. We are looking at a pro scale brooder (used of course) too! There are very few breeders in the US for these babies so he agreed to let me expand for our needs. Plus I have a friend starting an organic co-op and I will be the egg supplier so I can up my hen count. I would build the pens but he is deploying again and won't have the time to help me nor will I have the time to build them. Builfing out massive pen and barn was enough plus we have a rooster pen. For the one I am selling or will be butchered. I need more room. Plus I can build a duck pen and get those mud makers out of there. They don;t need an elaborate set up They could care less about shelter half the time.
It will be one rooster and 2 hens. I will rotate what hens get bred to which roo. They have numbered leg bands so I can track who is who. Eggs will be marked and chicks banded. I can keep good track of geaneology this way. fun funI will be chick hatching frequently.
This is how we do it also. Quick and over with
All the Silkies that I've had roost in the coop with the other hens. They are a little ditzy though. I had to put them in the coop at night a lot, and they ran into things sometimes. It might be all the head fluff, blocking their vision? I loved mine though. I got rid of them because I was tired of dealing with their broodiness ALL THE TIME. They were using Silkie Peer Pressure, to convince the other hens to go broody with them. I do have a whole bunch of Silkie chicks again though. I really do like them.
