Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[PaintedFeathers]

We got them bled for a FFA/4-H show.

Yeah but it should have been a representative of the department of agriculture who did it which is a state department. So I would call them (if they are open with this government shutdown) and tell them about it.

 

[Jharper]

Yeah but it should have been a representative of the department of agriculture who did it which is a state department. So I would call them (if they are open with this government shutdown) and tell them about it.

I'll speak with our local FFA director.

 

[alamb1]

We woke up to hear some peeping this morning. I thought a chick must have escaped the brooder in our basement. To our surprise this little chick hatched. They're not even in lockdown yet. They're supposed to go in lockdown on Monday. I bumped the humidity up to 65% and turned off the automatic turner. Do you think the other eggs will be ok? Am I correct in thinking this chick can stay in for 3 days? This is our first hatch. Our friend has been hatching for us. We're using the Brinsea Octagon 20 with automatic turner.

 

[Pozees]

We woke up to hear some peeping this morning. I thought a chick must have escaped the brooder in our basement. To our surprise this little chick hatched. They're not even in lockdown yet. They're supposed to go in lockdown on Monday. I bumped the humidity up to 65% and turned off the automatic turner. Do you think the other eggs will be ok? Am I correct in thinking this chick can stay in for 3 days? This is our first hatch. Our friend has been hatching for us. We're using the Brinsea Octagon 20 with automatic turner.

Others with more experience may disagree, but I generally move them from incubator to brooder between 36 and 48 hours after hatch. Is there a chance this chick was incubated by a hen prior to being set? If you are able to set up a "hatcher" - 99-100 degrees, 50-60% humidity, where the chick can finish drying and absorbing its yolk, you can turn the humidity back down and reactivate the turner until Monday.

Honestly, what I and others often find is that if a chick is going to hatch, it's going to hatch no matter how much we screw it up short of turning off the heat. Yes you can drown them, or shrink wrap them, but the law of averages is with the chick that is going to hatch. This past spring I had two SLW hatch in an activated turner a week early - because it turned out they had been under a hen for a week, then collected, set in egg cartons, moved to my egg cartons, and driven home 3 hours with the A/C on in the car.

 

[alamb1]

Others with more experience may disagree, but I generally move them from incubator to brooder between 36 and 48 hours after hatch.  Is there a chance this chick was incubated by a hen prior to being set?  If you are able to set up a "hatcher" - 99-100 degrees, 50-60% humidity, where the chick can finish drying and absorbing its yolk, you can turn the humidity back down and reactivate the turner until Monday.

Honestly, what I and others often find is that if a chick is going to hatch, it's going to hatch no matter how much we screw it up short of turning off the heat.  Yes you can drown them, or shrink wrap them, but the law of averages is with the chick that is going to hatch.  This past spring I had two SLW hatch in an activated turner a week early - because it turned out they had been under a hen for a week, then collected, set in egg cartons, moved to my egg cartons, and driven home 3 hours with the A/C on in the car. 

No chance they were under a hen. My son faithfully gathers the eggs everyday and I go behind him to check. This is the only incubator we have. I have a brooder set up with other chicks in them but they are about two weeks old.

 

[gooselady]

I have a question about my show prospects. At what age do you start bathing them? Mine are young and I'm not even sure they will turn out show quality but I want to get them trained just in case.

 

[Pozees]

No chance they were under a hen. My son faithfully gathers the eggs everyday and I go behind him to check. This is the only incubator we have. I have a brooder set up with other chicks in them but they are about two weeks old.

I guess I would set up another brooder then - and I have used a variety of containers, my recent favorite is a plastic storage container about 2' x 2.5', two pieces of 2x4 across the middle for a level raised surface to put the 1 qt waterer on, shavings covered with paper towel and some starter crumble scattered on it, light over one end, hardware cloth across the top. Solid plastic holds a bit more heat and humidity, and here it's so dry I want that. It might not be the same where you are. Give the little one at least as long as it takes to get dry before taking out of incubator. Should be 12-24 hours.

 

[PaintedFeathers]

I have a question about my show prospects. At what age do you start bathing them? Mine are young and I'm not even sure they will turn out show quality but I want to get them trained just in case.

I have started my babies at 3 weeks

just a little wash of their bodies with a mild dog shampoo, then I make sure to blowdry them completely so they don't catch a chill

After a bath


Also, make sure to pick them up with your hand underneath and their legs between you fingers, with one or two fingers under their belly. These babies are so good at it, I can hold both of them in one hand between my fingers.

 

[gooselady]

I have started my babies at 3 weeks just a little wash of their bodies with a mild dog shampoo, then I make sure to blowdry them completely so they don't catch a chill After a bath Also, make sure to pick them up with your hand underneath and their legs between you fingers, with one or two fingers under their belly. These babies are so good at it, I can hold both of them in one hand between my fingers.

Thank you so much! I will get started on their training.

 

[chisNchickens]

Happy Hump Day!

Ha! As soon as I saw the top pic I said to myself "now THAT looks like a proper partridge", then I saw that you posted it and figures! Gorgeous coloring!