Getting the flock out of here - a diary of a crazy chicken man

[ozexpat]

Back for my 3 day catch-up on this thread....LOVE it!
i made a Tumblr page for my chicken and duck adventures.
I posted a link to this thread, and your CCM page- hopefully it will drive traffic to you!!!!
(not that I am getting much traffic there yet

)

Thanks so much.

I need to really work on the website. I have a few ideas but getting down to completing it will take a few straight hours.

I have been sidetracked with an Android app for chicken math.................

 

[chicknfun]

Oz, you're Quackin' me up!!!!!!

(my new saying since my ducklings arrived!!)
I need that app!!!

 

[Bulldogma]

Finally caught up! Love the logo and shirts.

Love the Silkie pics - I have one raising 3 Swedish Flower Chicks and another sitting on 5 eggs. I think I'm gonna have to get more Silkies! They work far better than my 'bators (with my limited 'bator skills) though I did just hatch 2 SFH and 1 Dark Cornish chicks.

Really looking forward to some pictures of Bernie & Analou (sp?) with the chooks!

 

[ozexpat]

Finally caught up! Love the logo and shirts.

Love the Silkie pics - I have one raising 3 Swedish Flower Chicks and another sitting on 5 eggs. I think I'm gonna have to get more Silkies! They work far better than my 'bators (with my limited 'bator skills) though I did just hatch 2 SFH and 1 Dark Cornish chicks.

Really looking forward to some pictures of Bernie & Analou (sp?) with the chooks!

thanks.

i will get bernie analou and dave to pose with the chickens asap!!

as soon as some pullets start laying, i will move a local roo in with them and see if my local broodies can hatch some eggs for me.

how old is a silkie typically when they start to go broodie?

 

[Sally Sunshine]

Quote: IDK about silkies, however my LF cochins laid well before my silkies (they are both 9 months old) the silkies only started laying last month! and this is the first time black betty cochin is broody, she started laying Nov. and let me tell you she can fit alot of eggs under her! not sure I said anything you needed to hear though

 

[ozexpat]

IDK about silkies, however my LF cochins laid well before my silkies (they are both 9 months old) the silkies only started laying last month! and this is the first time black betty cochin is broody, she started laying Nov. and let me tell you she can fit alot of eggs under her! not sure I said anything you needed to hear though

i always listen to what you have to say.

Some of offgridmama's eggs had silkie mixed with polish - the polish will probably mitigate the silkie broodiness though. I was planning to take some cochins but my test batch had 50% clears from a local supplier and i ended up with 6 from 18. pretty crappy numbers for local eggs. i was thinking of getting silkies from him originally. i do have quite a few orps coming over on the ride but they are slow to mature as well. the rest of my bunch have less than average broody qualities.

i may take pigletts offer for some silkie extras

 

[Bulldogma]

thanks.

i will get bernie analou and dave to pose with the chickens asap!!

as soon as some pullets start laying, i will move a local roo in with them and see if my local broodies can hatch some eggs for me.

how old is a silkie typically when they start to go broodie?

Silkies take a while to mature - 23+ weeks... but... once they start to lay, they may lay for a month or two and then go broody. Average is 4 bouts of broodiness a year, though some will do more. You just have to watch that they are eating enough and not starving themselves just to be broody. My white Silkie needs to have the food in the nest box with her so she'll eat, but my black Silkie leaves the nest 2ce a day like clockwork to eat and relieve herself (thank goodness she doesn't do that in the nest as my white Silkie is prone to doing.

)

They make wonderful mothers and one never has to worry about the power going off in a storm or getting the proper humidity during lockdown!

 

[piglett]

Silkies take a while to mature - 23+ weeks... but... once they start to lay, they may lay for a month or two and then go broody. Average is 4 bouts of broodiness a year, though some will do more. You just have to watch that they are eating enough and not starving themselves just to be broody. My white Silkie needs to have the food in the nest box with her so she'll eat, but my black Silkie leaves the nest 2ce a day like clockwork to eat and relieve herself (thank goodness she doesn't do that in the nest as my white Silkie is prone to doing.

)

They make wonderful mothers and one never has to worry about the power going off in a storm or getting the proper humidity during lockdown!

my 2 silkie hens are both about 8 months old & only 1 has gone broody
they also took a good long time to start laying, but now they do lay well for me

i have a few more silkie youngsters that should start laying come May....i hope
i got them last Sept & all i have done is put feed into them so far.

just hatched out 2 more silkie babies & a pile of buff orpingtons
also set a mix of 25 more eggs

i'm going to see if my white leghorn roo is getting the job done
if not he will head to camp!


good luck
piglett

 

[ozexpat]

my 2 silkie hens are both about 8 months old & only 1 has gone broody
they also took a good long time to start laying, but now they do lay well for me

i have a few more silkie youngsters that should start laying come May....i hope
i got them last Sept & all i have done is put feed into them so far.

just hatched out 2 more silkie babies & a pile of buff orpingtons
also set a mix of 25 more eggs

i'm going to see if my white leghorn roo is getting the job done
if not he will head to camp!


good luck
piglett

you are going to have a lot of chickens soon. you are doubling up every 21 days lol

 

[piglett]

Quote: i just got a lemmon & a splash silkie from my roo George

George looks to be a keeper, now i need to get my silkie pullets all laying

then i can supply you in good shape OZ

oh also i just set 3 english orpington eggs

so we will see if my big blue boy camps or stays



take care
piggy