Fluffy Butt Acres: Stories of our flock

[rural mouse]

Chook Plan

So this year I have decided that I will likely maybe not get chicks (we shall see on that I still want those Brahma), instead my niece is hell-bent on hatching more chicks again for her school - sheesh.

I told her I would give her Silkie eggs this time and she can hatch out a bunch of silkies for me. Thus I will ask my friend if I can borrow her rooster and setup the silkies (Henny, Fluffy, Curly, and Marty) along with wee rooster man in the Summer House so I am sure they will be only bred by him.

Does anyone know how long I need to keep the girls away from Mr P so his genes aren’t in the mix??? I was thinking a month, as I know hens can store sperm a long whole.

To be honest I was planning this anyways, I really like the silkies and contrary to belief when not broody they are my best layers!

I miss these little beauties!
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A month is about right. I think 3 weeks is the limit, so you'd have an extra week just to be sure.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Chook Plan

So this year I have decided that I will likely maybe not get chicks (we shall see on that I still want those Brahma), instead my niece is hell-bent on hatching more chicks again for her school - sheesh.

I told her I would give her Silkie eggs this time and she can hatch out a bunch of silkies for me. Thus I will ask my friend if I can borrow her rooster and setup the silkies (Henny, Fluffy, Curly, and Marty) along with wee rooster man in the Summer House so I am sure they will be only bred by him.

Does anyone know how long I need to keep the girls away from Mr P so his genes aren’t in the mix??? I was thinking a month, as I know hens can store sperm a long whole.

To be honest I was planning this anyways, I really like the silkies and contrary to belief when not broody they are my best layers!

I miss these little beauties!
View attachment 3721175

Yay for silkie chicks, I fully support this.
I am going to assume she will want to set the eggs around the first week of April. Your girls will need isolated from Mr. P about the middle of February. I was told the girls need 3 weeks of a clean out period. About the middle of March bring in Mr Silkie and introduce him. Start saving those eggs exactly one week before she wants to set them. Eggs can be incubated as old as 14 days but the best viability will be 7 days or fresher. Incubate more then you plan to keep since these will be pure silkies. People like and want silkies. If you have a boy or two hopefully you will also have a few extra hens to sell the chicks in pairs or trio's. Now, for this to work your girls will have to cooperate with you. They are not allowed to go broody during the clean out phase or the short visit with Mr. Silkie. If you had one girl at the tail end of egg collecting decide to go broody, I would try to time it to the time the school eggs are set and give her a egg or two to love. More silkie's and hopefully a momma who would also adopt the school chicks if they can be returned to you within a day or two of hatching. I think last year your friend had a very nice looking black boy and a white boy. For personal reasons if they both were very similar in temperament and nice I would borrow the black boy if it were me but your choice. If one is a sweetheart and the other a jerk, borrow the sweetheart. I fully believe genetics play a big part on a roosters personality. A jerk roo will sire jerk sons. This is also a excuse to visit your friend a bit before bringing in Mr. Silkie. Spend time with her and also hang out with her lovely silkies just observing. They may still have the 3 you raised last year. There is also nothing wrong with putting a deal in place to add a few of her silkie eggs to the school hatch if she is willing. One can never have too many silkies.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Chickie babies

Bert and Betty
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Notice Bert’s lovely black spots showing more now.
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@RebeccaBoyd
Marty is starting to get her feathers back, she is stilling hanging around Henny and the chicks
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And look at these frizzle cuties
Mama Curly
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And her daughter
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Bert and Betty are absolutely adorable and are making me want chicks. Each of your silkie girls need a hug from me, especially Wee Miss Marty.

 

[rural mouse]

Yay for silkie chicks, I fully support this.
I am going to assume she will want to set the eggs around the first week of April. Your girls will need isolated from Mr. P about the middle of February. I was told the girls need 3 weeks of a clean out period. About the middle of March bring in Mr Silkie and introduce him. Start saving those eggs exactly one week before she wants to set them. Eggs can be incubated as old as 14 days but the best viability will be 7 days or fresher. Incubate more then you plan to keep since these will be pure silkies. People like and want silkies. If you have a boy or two hopefully you will also have a few extra hens to sell the chicks in pairs or trio's. Now, for this to work your girls will have to cooperate with you. They are not allowed to go broody during the clean out phase or the short visit with Mr. Silkie. If you had one girl at the tail end of egg collecting decide to go broody, I would try to time it to the time the school eggs are set and give her a egg or two to love. More silkie's and hopefully a momma who would also adopt the school chicks if they can be returned to you within a day or two of hatching. I think last year your friend had a very nice looking black boy and a white boy. For personal reasons if they both were very similar in temperament and nice I would borrow the black boy if it were me but your choice. If one is a sweetheart and the other a jerk, borrow the sweetheart. I fully believe genetics play a big part on a roosters personality. A jerk roo will sire jerk sons. This is also a excuse to visit your friend a bit before bringing in Mr. Silkie. Spend time with her and also hang out with her lovely silkies just observing. They may still have the 3 you raised last year. There is also nothing wrong with putting a deal in place to add a few of her silkie eggs to the school hatch if she is willing. One can never have too many silkies.

@Ponypoor I 2nd the motion on the black. (Personality 1st, then the black). You'll have a REALLY good chance of blue silkies.

Edit: the white, if is white, will get blue also, but if is splash, will be all splash except some of the Marty eggs.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Hahaha sure if you want left to right - Betty and Bert.

Betty is a secure Canadian Woman Chook and doesn’t mind if her wee brother is always listed first

You know surprisingly Bert is very timid, he won’t eat from my hand at all! Betty is very keen on hand feeding and following me for treats - Bert is one big chicken (pun intended). I am hoping this means he will be just like his Dada. If so then he’s definitely a keeper.

To me this is very encouraging about Bert. He does not have brothers who he feels he needs to compete with so you could be seeing his true nature. He will hit the hormonal phase eventually, cannot prevent that. It sounds though that he will be easily put in his place by Mr. P and the older hens.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

@Ponypoor I 2nd the motion on the black. (Personality 1st, then the black). You'll have a REALLY good chance of blue silkies.

Edit: the white, if is white, will get blue also, but if is splash, will be all splash except some of the Marty eggs.

Well white with silkies is from my understanding for the most part dominate white. Even if she uses the white roo with her white hens other colors can pop out that the white is hiding. We do not know the breeding behind her hens. If they came from generations of whites then yes they could be a pure strain of white/dominate white and only give white chicks. You will see this more though with show breeders not your hobby/ backyard flock breeders. Dominate white can also pop up within your black to black breeding as a recessive trait. The flock Branch came from is all black but hatchery stock. It did not survive hatching but in Branch's clutch of eggs there was 1 white chick produced. They have also hatched out 3 more white chicks themselves in 2 years from the parent stock.

 

[Desertvalleychickens]

Ah! Big Roo

I need a new handle I guess

Professional Chicken Wrangler! Great!

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

My handle should be change to obsessed with silkies or Not another Rooster.

 

[Ponypoor]

But does my ‘Professional Chicken Wrangler’ comment stay put? I don’t mind the rest but I am still laughing at the wrangler suggestion

 

[Ponypoor]

This storm is gonna be huge!
They can’t decide whether we’re going to get huge amounts of snow next week in the PNW, or just get plunged into an attic freeze. But luckily the temperature forecast became more moderate with lows near 11f (-11C! That must be the magic number) rather than -2f. I can’t quite tell, but do think the front is ginormous enough that we’re going to get hit by the same one.

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Tax: this is sweet little Vulture. She was a chick that I raised this summer (Albert & Whiskey’s hatch mate). She now lives relatively happily w a neighbor’s flock- but she is the one that Fez scalped! So she has to deal with a permanent bald patch and limited visibility due to eyelid damage.

Oh I had to see where you are located - ok other side of the continent so I would say no to the weather front I am to get, we generally get them coming out of Texas or Colorado. We call them Colorado Lows, they are usually big snow makers if I get the cold side of the front, or big rain makers if I am on the warm side.

Either way bad weather will be on the way.

Question - how did the wee lass get her wound? You said another chook attacked her?! Poor wee kiddo, but I find chickens to be very tough and resilient. She sure looks lovely now and of course shiny black is always gorgeous.