Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[Adoravachick]

We are having our flock tested on Thursday. Then, we will be NPIP certified!!!! YAY! She said that she will also be inpecting the coops. What will she be looking for?

Oh, we changed the bedding in one pen to corn cob and it is fantastic so far! It's only been a week, so I wanted to see how long it will stay in good condition. It is about a $1.50 more per bag than the shavings. It took 8 bags to fill a 10x10 pen. I didn't realize that after a couple of days it expands and becomes like a sand, so the bedding is thick and deep....and DRY. I probably could have easily used 5 bags and it would have been perfect.

 

[chickendales]

We are having our flock tested on Thursday. Then, we will be NPIP certified!!!! YAY! She said that she will also be inpecting the coops. What will she be looking for?

Oh, we changed the bedding in one pen to corn cob and it is fantastic so far! It's only been a week, so I wanted to see how long it will stay in good condition. It is about a $1.50 more per bag than the shavings. It took 8 bags to fill a 10x10 pen. I didn't realize that after a couple of days it expands and becomes like a sand, so the bedding is thick and deep....and DRY. I probably could have easily used 5 bags and it would have been perfect.

just that coops clean and that you dont have birds there that arent tested

 

[chickendales]

We are having our flock tested on Thursday. Then, we will be NPIP certified!!!! YAY! She said that she will also be inpecting the coops. What will she be looking for?

Oh, we changed the bedding in one pen to corn cob and it is fantastic so far! It's only been a week, so I wanted to see how long it will stay in good condition. It is about a $1.50 more per bag than the shavings. It took 8 bags to fill a 10x10 pen. I didn't realize that after a couple of days it expands and becomes like a sand, so the bedding is thick and deep....and DRY. I probably could have easily used 5 bags and it would have been perfect.

im so glad in my state i can test my own birds

 

[Adoravachick]

im so glad in my state i can test my own birds

Yeah, that would be nice. My husband was asking me why we needed to be NPIP certified....I had to tell him that I wanted to keep our options open to see which direction these little silkies will take us in. I had to laugh because the last tailgate that I went to, I took 8 birds and came home with 8 birds, and he noticed the new birds because they were different colors and bigger. He NEVER notices..until that day...

. I got 3 new birds since then, still hasn't noticed. It cracks me up.

Once I become certified, that means that I can only buy stock from another NPIP flock right?

 

[jrosemoore]

Hey guys!
I just wanted to say hello. I am new to the silkie owning and have read this entire forum front to back, over two days. Thanks for all the lovely information. We should truly make it a book! Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I jump in with questions and pictures too. I am very obsessed with Silkies nowadays. I even posted an ad on the fridge for my "dream coop" just in case my husband gets bored and decides to build me one. Hehehe. I also have two young sons, ages 1 1/2 and an almost 3 year old. We are living out in the middle of Nebraska right now. I still consider myself a wisconsin girl at heart though since I was born and raised in a small town near Lake Michigan there.

But anyway, again, thanks for all of the information. You guys had me running out to the coop at 12:03am and waking the birds just to check their wings for this whole primary and secondary debate you were on. What fun. The good news is my wings are ok on my partridge silkies, but, they don't hold them close to their body. It seems like every time I have a winning silkie then I find something off. Last month I had a BEAUTIFUL bird but found that it's comb never properly developed and it never laid an egg....

 

[peepblessed]

We are having our flock tested on Thursday. Then, we will be NPIP certified!!!! YAY! She said that she will also be inpecting the coops. What will she be looking for?

Oh, we changed the bedding in one pen to corn cob and it is fantastic so far! It's only been a week, so I wanted to see how long it will stay in good condition. It is about a $1.50 more per bag than the shavings. It took 8 bags to fill a 10x10 pen. I didn't realize that after a couple of days it expands and becomes like a sand, so the bedding is thick and deep....and DRY. I probably could have easily used 5 bags and it would have been perfect.

Hope all goes well! Your pens look so great!!! I really want to do NPIP too.

 

[peepblessed]

Hey guys!
I just wanted to say hello. I am new to the silkie owning and have read this entire forum front to back, over two days. Thanks for all the lovely information. We should truly make it a book! Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I jump in with questions and pictures too. I am very obsessed with Silkies nowadays. I even posted an ad on the fridge for my "dream coop" just in case my husband gets bored and decides to build me one. Hehehe. I also have two young sons, ages 1 1/2 and an almost 3 year old. We are living out in the middle of Nebraska right now. I still consider myself a wisconsin girl at heart though since I was born and raised in a small town near Lake Michigan there.

But anyway, again, thanks for all of the information. You guys had me running out to the coop at 12:03am and waking the birds just to check their wings for this whole primary and secondary debate you were on. What fun. The good news is my wings are ok on my partridge silkies, but, they don't hold them close to their body. It seems like every time I have a winning silkie then I find something off. Last month I had a BEAUTIFUL bird but found that it's comb never properly developed and it never laid an egg....

We always have room for another silkie addict! Welcome!

 

[peepblessed]

Wanted to share some new photos of my girl, Silk. She is just a little over 6 months now and I am so enamored!

If she isn't eating or walking, this is how she looks. She has never been bathed so I can only imagine how pretty all that fluff would look blow-dried.

She comes from a Catdance egg. She is trimmed quite a bit around eyes and muffs and sees very well.

 

[Adoravachick]

Hey guys!
I just wanted to say hello. I am new to the silkie owning and have read this entire forum front to back, over two days. Thanks for all the lovely information. We should truly make it a book! Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I jump in with questions and pictures too. I am very obsessed with Silkies nowadays. I even posted an ad on the fridge for my "dream coop" just in case my husband gets bored and decides to build me one. Hehehe. I also have two young sons, ages 1 1/2 and an almost 3 year old. We are living out in the middle of Nebraska right now. I still consider myself a wisconsin girl at heart though since I was born and raised in a small town near Lake Michigan there.

But anyway, again, thanks for all of the information. You guys had me running out to the coop at 12:03am and waking the birds just to check their wings for this whole primary and secondary debate you were on. What fun. The good news is my wings are ok on my partridge silkies, but, they don't hold them close to their body. It seems like every time I have a winning silkie then I find something off. Last month I had a BEAUTIFUL bird but found that it's comb never properly developed and it never laid an egg....

WELCOME!!! Moresilkies disease is very serious. You may experience sweats, foaming at the mouth, and the urge to get more when looking at silkies.

 

[Adoravachick]

Hope all goes well! Your pens look so great!!! I really want to do NPIP too.

Thanks! I almost didn't recognize you with your new avatar. Silk is beautiful!

Oh remember the Lavender eggs? I had some trouble with my LG incubator, only 1 Lavender chick hatched. I had 19 eggs in that bator, only one made it. So, my lavender venture is over. I want to let the color develop a little before attempting again. It was such a disappointing outcome. I think I am going to enjoy my 1 Lavender chick and focus on white, black, and continue with the BBS pen to develop some show birds.