Questions about silkie chicks with vaulted skulls...

[loveourbirds]

down the road from mary jane thurstin close to the bait shop before you get to a trailer park... shes telling me this, I was only by it a couple of times. I myself didn't live up there for very long.

I hope all of this advice helps you along.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My broodies don't have any problems hatching chicks with vaulted skulls. Never had a case if wry neck either. But, I'll admit, I have a hard time getting any eggs to hatch in my incubator.

My hatch rates have improved since I started fermenting their feed though. I also don't feed my Silkies layer feed. Right now their getting fermented starter/grower. When I was feeding them dry food, they we're getting gamebird feed, with oyster shells on the side of course. They're an ornamental breed and don't lay nearly as many eggs as production breeds, so they don't need a whole lot of calcium

 

[blondie34]

My broodies don't have any problems hatching chicks with vaulted skulls. Never had a case if wry neck either. But, I'll admit, I have a hard time getting any eggs to hatch in my incubator.

My hatch rates have improved since I started fermenting their feed though. I also don't feed my Silkies layer feed. Right now their getting fermented starter/grower. When I was feeding them dry food, they we're getting gamebird feed, with oyster shells on the side of course. They're an ornamental breed and don't lay nearly as many eggs as production breeds, so they don't need a whole lot of calcium

Hmmmm very interests ..thank you! Of course I have a combined coop and run with about fifteen different breeds (all very docile and get along) so I'm not really sure if removing laying feed is an option since I have many laying hens... Maybe I'll offer two different kinds of feed in the different feeders or would that just be silly?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

You could offer the starter/grower with oyster shell on the side to the layers as well. That's what I did. I always had chicks running around when I had a mixed coop of layers. Didn't want the babies eating layer feed, and obviously the hens still need the calcium for egg making. They just pick at the oyster shells when they need it. Lots of folks feed layer feed to their Silkies, but I had alot of calcium deposits on my eggs when I was using it. After I switched, the calcium deposited went away. Good luck!