Finally got a better camera!

[rainplace]

Here's some pictures of the silkies

People always ask if silkies can swim. Yes, they can. They do it well and prefer to spend all their time in the pond They are the two on the right:

Here's a drake in the foreground and a female, Chloe, above him. The male has a green bill which I will try to breed out. The rest of the silkies have nice black bills. He will be the main breeding drake though because he has the best silkiness:

Here he is again:

This is Mario the secondary male, if I can get two hatches out of my silkies, I'll be putting him in for the second breeding:

Mario has the black bill and feet that are desirable.

It was hard to get pictures today because I just cleaned out the pond and refilled it so everyone was going nuts. They were diving, and splashing, and preening, and just busy in general. The runners were either diving around, trying to get it on with one of my geese, or bent over preening...

Look at the snots being uncooperative!

Next year I hope to have enough silkies so I can breed back to the indies in 2011 for more sheen. However I won't know till 2012 how well that works out. The mini program looks to be on hold because I haven't been able to find a good starter runner... maybe next year!

 

[Dances with Ducks]

Those are actually good pictures - if you wanted action photos!

The green sheen on those long feathers is really cool!!

 

[thatchickenlady]

Very nice pictures. Maybe I missed it, but what kind of camera are you using? I want to submit a picture of my birds for the home page feature but need a new camera also.

 

[rainplace]

Quote:
It's an Olympus Camedia C-740. It's really my old camera that I lost and recently found again. The camera isn't bad, but I do not like the way it takes a bit from when I click to actually taking the picture. I often miss shots I would like.

 

[L0rraine]

Wow, I hadn't asked this question yet, but had wondered, because I never see my Silky in the pool. Though he's soooo shy I assumed he could be swimming when I wasn't looking.

 

[bird]

Rainplace you have nice birds and thank you for the interesting pics you shared with us!

Maybe in spring you will send some silky and black east indies eggs in my direction?

I have only white and grey silky ducks

... Your black are soo pretty!

 

[rainplace]

Somehow I missed your post bird. Beautiful silkies!

I have few new ones pictures of mine:

Sissy:

Chloe:

 

[bird]

Rainplace thank you for your reply

As always your pics with your birds are great!

My silky ducks are from Holderreads farm and from hatching eggs from woman in Michigan.

 

[rainplace]

Mine are from Holderread also.

So you hatched them out in an incubator? What was your hatch rate?

 

[bird]

Hi Rainplace!
The silky ducks on the second pic are from hatching eggs. This was my first attempt to incubate duck eggs and I didn't know that it is not good to use turner ( I did) and e.t.c. My hatch rate was 50% - from 6 eggs 3 ducklings. The 3rd - one black duckling I lost it

Sorry, I didn't write as I was busy with the hatching of little ducky from the only one developed egg from my recent duck eggs...
It is on the pics

sleeping - just hatched one day old