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[Silkie Princess]

I've heard this story before but it doesn't stop me from almost crying.

Yes me too

 

[Silkie Princess]

Here’s the backstory for my user name if you want to know it.



Sweater was the name of my late partridge silkie rooster. He was indeed a “broody rooster”

A friend got him for me after I lost 75 birds to foxes in one week. My friend knew I loved Silkies and he said I needed some life after all that death.

Sweater had originally been a house chicken. He was actually potty trained. His second night with me he slept on my pillow. I had taken the loss of the chickens very hard so Sweater quickly became very special and close to me.
A remember the day I woke up to him crowing right next to me, that’s still the best morning I have ever had.

I kept trying to put Sweater out with the other chickens but he would just go to our back deck and sit by the slider till I let him in.

Then I got 45 chicks, Sweater immediately started acting like their mother.

Every night when I went in the coop he would be there with 45 chicks under and around him. He was very protective of the chicks and only let one other chicken near them (Flower my late white silkie).

Then he started becoming attached to my silkie hen, he would sit right next to her while she laid an egg and sit on her nest if she left it.

But he was not any less attached to me. Anytime I went out in the yard he would come running, all 45 chicks following him across the yard. He would sit on my feet until I picked him up, then he would ride around on my shoulder.

When I was finally starting to get over the loss of the birds from the fox attack.. we had another one.

I still don’t know what happened, somehow a fox got into our coop.

That morning I went out and felt my blood chill. I could see feathers spotting the yard. When I went to the chicken coop and found the door ajar I felt like I had been punched in the gut.

there were feathers and blood everywhere. And in Sweater’s corner there was one only chick left. I remember collapsing in complete shock and anger. And my mom and dad coming out and trying to comfort me. We did a sweep of the property for survivors, nothing.

Sweater’s feathers were all through the woods along with a trail of blood. It was evident that he went down fighting for the chicks till the end.

I Incubated the two eggs I had from Flower that were fathered by Sweater one of the chicks came out looking just like Sweater and acting nothing like him, but he died four days after hatching.

The other one looked just like Flower but acted the same as Sweater. I lost her a few months ago in a fox attack that happened in the middle of the day.

I haven’t had the heart to get Silkies since.

Sweater will always hold a very special place in my heart, one that can never be filled again. There’s not a day that goes by without me missing him and wishing I had done something different the night of the attack.

Do you hlave a pic of him?

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

What do you think did it work?

It looked like it did. What happened?

Also how do you potty train chickens?

@AngBantamLuv might know

 

[Silkie Princess]

It looked like it did. What happened?

He just ignored them

 

[Silkie Princess]

@AngBantamLuv might know

I found a great article on that. Im starting to think that even the broody will reject thenm.Ill have to try. If not Im going to keep them inside and potty train them. They are already proving to be one of my sweetest boys

 

[Silkie Princess]

Pickle (left) Fabio (right) also I am thinking of renaming Fabio so any name ideas are welcome!

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

Pickle (left) Fabio (right) also I am thinking of renaming Fabio so any name ideas are welcome!

"Charles"

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

Pickle (left) Fabio (right) also I am thinking of renaming Fabio so any name ideas are welcome!

Aww they are adorable

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

Pickle (left) Fabio (right) also I am thinking of renaming Fabio so any name ideas are welcome!

What heating plate are you using? Maybe it's just me but I think it's to high.

 

[Silkie Princess]

What heating plate are you using? Maybe it's just me but I think it's to high.

It is possible that its too high but they were raised by a broody hen and it was really cold when I picked them up. Also most of the time they run around the bathroom pecking at everything