To show humble I am, and secure enough to poke fun at myself....I will share with all you Silkie experts out there my recent experience. I joined BYC like many other urban farmers because of my love of chickens and the excitement of brooding my first chicks and raising my first flock. I was like a nervous expectant parent checking all the feeds for every little noise, hiccup or blemish that I was sure would blight my flock. Sure enough all the confident and experienced experts out there calmed me down and gave me great advice. I gradually grew confident of my chicken raising abilities. Until I recently purchased a new group of chicks to add to my small flock....
I bought four chicks at the feed store "guaranteed pullets". Three were Easter Eggers and the fourth was a Silkie which was in impulse buy after 40 minutes of un-relenting begging by my youngest daughter. Because I'm a totally experienced chicken farmer (LOL) I noticed one of my Easter Eggers was developing a different comb and that he was a rooster. I spotted this early and was able to re-home him. The two remaining Easter Eggers and my Silkie enjoyed a joyous Spring and Summer together...everything was perfect in my chicken paradise, until this morning.
My husband says "Your Silkie is crowing." I say, "No, that is the people on the other side of the hill you are hearing." Husband says, "Nope, I'm pretty sure I just saw your Silkie crow." I bought these chickens in March...the first Roo began to crow at less than 16 weeks! I'm not good at math, but we are way past 16 weeks and I am with those chickens 3x per day...I laugh at the husband and say "Ha, ha...April Fool's." He's says, "Nope, dead serious!"
Sure enough I go outside this morning and my Silkie is strutting and crowing and flapping his wings like he's been doing it all his life! I am flabbergasted...how could I not have noticed...he was not running to catch up to pack, instead he was running after his sisters?? OMG! She's become one of my favorites, strike that...he's one of my favorites. In my feable defense I have never owned a Silkie and in the absence of a distinguishable comb she/he seemed like one of the girls.
I really want to keep him but we are on 1/4 - 1/2 acre lots here in our neighborhood and my next door neighbor is a local Judge. I kind of don't want to piss her off (she likes the chickens but I don't want to push my luck). His crow was not too loud and he doesn't seem to crow alot...but will this continue??? In any event...thought some of you would get a chuckle...I'm almost able to chuckle at myself (of course my husband is having no problem laughing at me).
I bought four chicks at the feed store "guaranteed pullets". Three were Easter Eggers and the fourth was a Silkie which was in impulse buy after 40 minutes of un-relenting begging by my youngest daughter. Because I'm a totally experienced chicken farmer (LOL) I noticed one of my Easter Eggers was developing a different comb and that he was a rooster. I spotted this early and was able to re-home him. The two remaining Easter Eggers and my Silkie enjoyed a joyous Spring and Summer together...everything was perfect in my chicken paradise, until this morning.
My husband says "Your Silkie is crowing." I say, "No, that is the people on the other side of the hill you are hearing." Husband says, "Nope, I'm pretty sure I just saw your Silkie crow." I bought these chickens in March...the first Roo began to crow at less than 16 weeks! I'm not good at math, but we are way past 16 weeks and I am with those chickens 3x per day...I laugh at the husband and say "Ha, ha...April Fool's." He's says, "Nope, dead serious!"
Sure enough I go outside this morning and my Silkie is strutting and crowing and flapping his wings like he's been doing it all his life! I am flabbergasted...how could I not have noticed...he was not running to catch up to pack, instead he was running after his sisters?? OMG! She's become one of my favorites, strike that...he's one of my favorites. In my feable defense I have never owned a Silkie and in the absence of a distinguishable comb she/he seemed like one of the girls.
I really want to keep him but we are on 1/4 - 1/2 acre lots here in our neighborhood and my next door neighbor is a local Judge. I kind of don't want to piss her off (she likes the chickens but I don't want to push my luck). His crow was not too loud and he doesn't seem to crow alot...but will this continue??? In any event...thought some of you would get a chuckle...I'm almost able to chuckle at myself (of course my husband is having no problem laughing at me).
Especially the silkie. I'm mentally... logging all the silkies I can that people thought were one sex that were another. I'm trying to... train myself to know a female from a male flawlessly because I went through a lot of stress with mine!
