* Pippin's advice *

[PippinTheChicken]

my 8 silkie chicks (2, 2.5 and 3 mo) all have two paralel - slightly forming v shape lines with growing walnut shape in between. their crests are huge and round. according to what you say all girls, right?

Yes. They does sound like pullets. Pictures would be helpful. I'll find a pic of a pullet comb to compare

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Yes. They does sound like pullets. Pictures would be helpful. I'll find a pic of a pullet comb to compare

Not my image:

Sometimes it doesn't have the spikes, and instead is just the parallel lines without the spikes.

 

[chickengr]

Not my image:
View attachment 2999425
Sometimes it doesn't have the spikes, and instead is just the parallel lines without the spikes.

mine have the spikes.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

mine have the spikes.

pullets!

 

[Thephonyfarm]

Lots of people ask me about the things I know a lot about so I've decided ot make a thread where you can ask me questions about any of these things:

• Broody hens
• Hatching
• Helping to hatch
• Raising chicks
• Saving weak chicks
• Sexing silkies

Please ask away! You can also post links to threads (your threads or someone else's) about any of those topics so I can find them and help out!

If you know about these stuff too, feel free to answer some as well. @Silkie Princess you know about broodies, and @LadiesAndJane you know about silkie sexing.

Hopefully we can end up with a large gathering of information so newbies can stop by and learn!

Thanks for the advice on my chick with a splayed leg. I will be trying all your suggestions. My next post was going to be on her possible curled toe. I’ve attached a picture. How would I go about fixing this?

 

[Iluveggers]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/how-to-fix-curled-toes-in-chicks.1250947/#post-20068689

 

[PippinTheChicken]

Thanks for the advice on my chick with a splayed leg. I will be trying all your suggestions. My next post was going to be on her possible curled toe. I’ve attached a picture. How would I go about fixing this?

That is curled toe. Don't worry. It's easy to correct. The link @Iluveggers sent is useful so you can use that.
All you need is cardboard and a plaster.

1. Lay the foot flat on the cardboard and draw around it
2. Cut out the shape you drew
3. Lay the chick's foot flat on it so all the toes are straight.
4. Cover with the plaster

She may struggle walking since she has the shoe and the splayed leg corrector (exactly like Blue). You can take the shoe off after a week and see if it's healed.

 

[chickengr]

another question: why do some embryos die at around 2 weeks? does it have to do with incubator or what?

 

[PippinTheChicken]

another question: why do some embryos die at around 2 weeks? does it have to do with incubator or what?

Sometimes eggs just quit for no apparent reason, it's not necessarily anyone's fault. Temp is the main reason (so thats why you should calibrate your thermometers properly) Where the eggs are from and the incubator that you use are factors that can affect a hatch, for example, shipped eggs have lower hatch rates, and high quality incubators are more reliable than cheap ones.

 

[Buckingham Palace]

Hi pippin. im hatching eggs under my broody kathy and I was wondering if I could shut Her in to the nesting box on day 20? she is a very stubborn broody and would only sit on a nest if it was in the big coop. I made her a separate area in the coop. Now the reason I’m wondering if it would be ok to close her in is the nesting box is raised 40cm off the ground and Im worried the chicks will fall off the side of a ramp. Do you think she would be ok? Thank you.