Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[LaPetiteFarmer]

I love the color on that last one!!
I was pretty worried that she had a brain injury. The two that I had that went through it survived. Many breeders recommend vitamin E capsules. Squeeze 400 mg 3 times a day into the mouth.
Where do you live?
yes, can be. Such a shame...

The last one is Sophie, my poor girl who was attacked. Yep, such a shame. I am so mad at myself for letting them free range all together. Now I am paying the price. I really hope she recovers. I went and got some vitamin E and B12.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: With wry neck they hold their head at odd angles; usually twisted around and sometimes hanging down, too. Not to say there can't be a neck or balance problem, But she doesn't APPPEAR to have one in the photo. A tucked head and not moving simply sounds like she feels poorly.

 

[Me & Jack]

I bought three white silkies from a " knowlgeble" breeder that was supposed to be pure stock. Found that6 he was not so well educated on Silkies, The ywere hatched in feb 12One was bearded and said to be a cockeral WRONG, He said al cocks were bearded WRONG All thre are laying now and they are of three differnt sizes the bearded being the largest. Now I want to set some eggs but need a goo cockeral HELP.

Where are you located. I might have a few cockerels to choose from (definitely bearded), but I'm not shipping so we'd need to be close. I'm in NC.

 

[thedragonlady]

Poulettes,
Your blue birds are all gorgeous. I especially like the medium blue. I am still learning about blacks, so I grabbed my ABA book which says:
"Lacings of a foreign color on the black or blue variety of males one year old and scarcity of foot feathering shall not be a disqualification but they are to be rated under birds that do not have theses defects." Sonoran or Destiny or DragonLady might be better able to address the leakage in terms of breeding and what you could expect in offspring.

Red leakage is always a problem in males in BBS, or true blacks. A tiny bit on a male's hackle only , does give you a nice green sheen in black females though. I would never use a K that showed it early on , or in the wing bows, as it will get worse the next year. You have to keep really good records to use leakage , or you'll end up with mud. You can cut down on leakage by going back to a true white male .

 

[thedragonlady]

Thank you,
I love blues!
Talking about blue silkies, my blue (last picture) Sophie isn't doing better. I am quite worried about her. I am starting to wonder if she doesn't have brain damage / head injury. She is extremely lethargic, sleeps all day with her head tucked in, barely moves, doesn't eat or drink and when I put her back in the coop on top of the roost with the other ones, she didn't have any balance. I had to bring her back inside the house where it is warm and cozy. I will wait a few days to see how she does

. Any suggestions?

You can get NUTRICAL from your vet. It is a paste, and 1/2 " twice a day will keep her going until whatever is bothering her reveals itself. I always keep NUTRICAL on hand as I've saved a lot of critters with it over my years doing re-hab for the DNR.

 

[peepblessed]

The last one is Sophie, my poor girl who was attacked. Yep, such a shame. I am so mad at myself for letting them free range all together. Now I am paying the price. I really hope she recovers. I went and got some vitamin E and B12.

I was afraid it was that pretty girl.... So sorry. Is she any better today?

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

With wry neck they hold their head at odd angles; usually twisted around and sometimes hanging down, too. Not to say there can't be a neck or balance problem, But she doesn't APPPEAR to have one in the photo. A tucked head and not moving simply sounds like she feels poorly.

Alright, that sounds promising, thanks again.

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

You can get NUTRICAL from your vet. It is a paste, and 1/2 " twice a day will keep her going until whatever is bothering her reveals itself. I always keep NUTRICAL on hand as I've saved a lot of critters with it over my years doing re-hab for the DNR.

When I searched it online, I saw you could get it through Amazon, Petco,....
It seems to be a paste as you describe. It's pretty cheap, so definitely give it a try too.
Thank you.

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

I was afraid it was that pretty girl.... So sorry. Is she any better today?

Not really. I have to force her to eat her egg yolk, take her vitamins, drink via syringe the sav a chick but with all of that, she still looks lethargic. But thanks again!

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

Red leakage is always a problem in males in BBS, or true blacks. A tiny bit on a male's hackle only , does give you a nice green sheen in black females though. I would never use a K that showed it early on , or in the wing bows, as it will get worse the next year. You have to keep really good records to use leakage , or you'll end up with mud. You can cut down on leakage by going back to a true white male .

"You can cut down on leakage by going back to a true white male" REALLY?
That is so interesting. I learn everyday. Talking about learning, I would love to purchase a very nice, basic, but reliable book on genetic. However, I don't want it to be too complicated (at first) because I am obviously new on genetic but would love to understand more.