Hoping To Start Soon...

[Winggedheart]

I'm hoping to start soon on what appears to be a very long road---breeding silkies, and perhaps sizzles. Lol. Or any chicken of good quality.
I'm hoping to get around 7 blue silkies chicks by February 15th; along with some mottled cochin bantams, some white-crested black polish bantams, and some black frizzled cochin bantams. Some of those will be pets, and all, mostly pleasure birds that I'll probably breed amongst themselves, but the blue silkies will be my main focus.
Any tips? I've got the basic experience with hatching and breeding chickens and caring for them--but I was wondering if anybody had any tips for silkie breeding.

All the best,
~ Winggedheart

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

My tip would be feed at least 20% protein. My first year I fed regular layer pellets and this year I started with the 20% feed, and saw great improvement in the birds feather quality, etc. Another tip is trim their bums. I noticed in the beginning of the year, around Feb. when I started hatching for myself, the fertility was pretty bad. I trimmed their butts and checked the fertility again, and it was 100%. Every egg I sat after that was fertile. Sometimes they get are too fluffy, that the males can't make contact with the females.

Good Luck!

ETA: Also get a copy of the standard of perfection. It comes in handy, alot.

 

[Winggedheart]

Thank you very much for the advice; I appreciate it.

 

[TK Poultry]

I don't raise silkies (for some strange reason I can't keep them alive lol) but I can say this be in with a good breeder. Try to make friends so that way you can bounce ideas off of them. I find this sometimes more useful than my standard. The standard doesn't tell you which pairings or which pens are going to make good offspring its only going to tell you what makes the ideal bird. well two ideal birds aren't always going to make ideal birds. So a recipe of sorts is nice and that is what a mentor or a friend can give you.

 

[Winggedheart]

Thanks, TK, I'll keep that in mind.

I don't have any friends, really, that are professional in birds, but I've certainly got people I can regularly bore to death with my chattering!

 

[chicken head34]

srry no advice, pretty new to the chicken thing but just wanted to say goodluck!!!

its very exciting!!! my silkie hens just started laying!!

 

[TK Poultry]

Quote:
I really didn't either and my age is kind of a disablity when it comes to chickens. People just pass me over but if you ask enough questions and you are out there enough it will come in time. Believe me there are no shortages on Silkie breeders you'll find someone you just have to give it time. I started out asking the breeder I purchased my first Ameraucanas from and then I went from there.

 

[Winggedheart]

Thanks Chickenhead---and that's great that your birds are laying!

The silkie hens I used to have were very stubborn about laying. Lol.

And yes; the only thing wrong with my age is my budget; lol. I'm just barely too young to get a job.

But thanks again, and I'm sure I can find help on the forum if I need it...oh the grandness of having loads of chicken-lovers together! Lol.

 

[TK Poultry]

Quote:
well see maybe we can bounce ideas off eachother then since we apparently have more in common then I thought. Do you want to get some Ameraucanas!!! lol or I'll get some silkies

 

[Winggedheart]

I've had some before; and still have a few standard size birds. Lol. The EE, right? (Either that, or I'm really dumb. Lol.)