I'm new here! :D

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mavanr

mavanr

In the Brooder
Aug 20, 2015
23
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I've been on and off BYC for months and I finally joined! I have a tiny lil' dog named Mocha, George the Muscovy and two grumpy bettas ;) I'm currently working on a paper to convince my father to let me get chickens- hopefully it works! :D Any one on here who would like to talk chicken is welcome to comment! I plan on getting a Plymouth rock, a black Silkie, a Wyandotte gold and a Black Star! Easter Eggers and buff Orpingtons look cool too, but I don't have room! XD Do you guys think my flock combination is good or bad?
 
Hi :welcome

Glad you could join the flock! Raising chickens is a great hobby to have, I sure do hope you are able to keep some in the future. Nice selection of breeds you have there. The only thing I would say is that your silkie may not get on in a mixed flock. They can sometimes be subject to bullying from other breeds due to their different appearance.

Wishing you the very best of luck in the future, be sure to ask any questions that you may have. Everyone here to help and very friendly.

Enjoy BYC and all the chicken chat :frow
 
Thank you for commenting, Yorkshire coop! I'll be sure to re-consider a Silkie- but my mom is really gunna' push having one:)
 
Welcome to BYC! Please make yourself at home and we are here to help.

Good luck finding the breeds you are after. I think they will do fine together as long as you buy them together. (In other words, it's hard to introduce new birds to one another.) If you buy that silkie separately and then try and add it to the other flock, you will have issues. Silkies are so different and unique looking that the other chickens will attack and fight with it.
 
I see what you mean, but I'm having a hard time finding any place that would have them all at once. If you have chickens, where did you get them? I was thinking of getting mine at Tractor Supply but their supply (from what I hear) is limited to three or so breeds.
 
mavanr said:
I see what you mean, but I'm having a hard time finding any place that would have them all at once. If you have chickens, where did you get them? I was thinking of getting mine at Tractor Supply but their supply (from what I hear) is limited to three or so breeds.
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I would first look at you look farm stores such as TSC or Farm King. Otherwise, you should order them online from a hatchery. I recommend MyPetChicken, Mcmurry Hatchery and Meyer Hatchery.
 
Welcome to BYC. Glad you decided to join our flock. A lot of us were lurkers before joining. :eek:) That's a good combination of breeds and hybrids. Black Star is one of several labels under which some hatcheries market their Black Sex Links which are very friendly and hardy, egg laying machines. I've raised them for years (along with dozens of other breeds and hybrids), and they have been my best layers, consistently churning out more than 300 large, brown eggs per hen per year, with double yolks not being uncommon. And the good news is that Black Sex Links are readily available from hatcheries, feed stores, and tractor supply stores. Please feel free to ask any questions you may have. We are here to help in any way we can. Good luck in getting your flock.
 
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By all means get mama a silkie. If mama ain't happy, nobody is happy - trust me. Slkies don't fly (but can jump high) and they are not regarded as good layers. They also get picked on because their large crests and beards obscure their vision. When people have trimmed the feathers back -it makes quite a difference.

The breed as a whole is known to be among the very best broody hens. Meaning they often go broody- they want to sit on eggs and hatch them. You could swap out the silkie's eggs and add fertile eggs of any breed and she will hatch and raise them as her own.

Many people keep silkie hens, so they don't need an incubator. It's not all that easy, you can't make a hen go broody. When their hormones tell them to that's when things come into play.

Another thing about silkies - they are extremely difficult to sex before 4-5 mos. of age and sometimes not till they lay or crow. Hatchery silkies don't look much like breeder birds and may be lacking the "broody" influence. Silkies do very well as house chickens and that could sidestep the issue of other breeds attacking them. You might like to check out "people with house chickens," thread.

My friend has had silkies and seramas as house chickens for years. They fight over a place on the chair when the TV is on, and take over the dog's bed when they feel like going broody. They sleep on a mat inside the door when my friend is out, and greet her return like dogs.
 

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