Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[lflynn5324]

Take some peanut butter, and add enough water to make a slurry that you can put into a syringe, or eye dropper. Feed her that a few times. This works for all sorts of birds, wild, and chickens. It is very high energy.

THe other thing you might get from your vet is NUTRICAL. It is a paste. You give 1/2 inch 3 x a day, and water. Again, very high energy , high caloric stuff. It works .

Oh THANK YOU so much for the advice!! Making the peanut butter/water now. I'll let u know how she is doing. Here is a pic of her before the accident. She's so pretty. She's on the left. If this doesn't work I'll talk to my vet tmrw.

 

[emvickrey]

HELP HELP!! I went to check on my silkies yesterday evening, and one of my sweet blue splash hens was stranded in the middle of my kiddy duck pool!! I don't know HOW she's alive since the water was just under her neck, and it was a cooler day. When I saw her little head trying to stay conscious, I ran over and pulled her out, rushed her in the house and started drying her off. By this point she seemed almost dead. Her body temp was cold and she could barely move her head!! I put the hair dryer on her and tried to get her temp back up, and I have her a cpl drops of sugar water. After holding her for a couple hours and determining she was somewhat stable, I set her up in a small tub with some heat, but today even tho she seems more conscious, she won't stand up. She's still so Shaky, and I haven't seen her eat or drink anything!! I'm so worried!! When I picked her up, she peed and pooped, which I Thot was good, but I don't know what else to do to help her?! I know she needs rest after sitting in that water for a couple hours, what what else can I do? Thanks for hearing me out guys!! I just love her. Her name is dotty

Is she shaking like she's chilled or just not steady like she's too weak to stand? If she's shaking like she's chilled I'd make sure the bulb you have in your heat lamp is at least 60 watt and she has no drafts. I hope she pulls out of it soon. I have a hen I've been tending to also. It breaks our hearts to see our babies not well.

 

[lflynn5324]

Is she shaking like she's chilled or just not steady like she's too weak to stand?  If she's shaking like she's chilled I'd make sure the bulb you have in your heat lamp is at least 60 watt and she has no drafts. I hope she pulls out of it soon.  I have a hen I've been tending to also. It breaks our hearts to see our babies not well.

well she's only shaky when I touch her, like her legs are unstable. But I noticed she also has a spot on top of her head that looks a little bloody and feathers are missing, like someone pecked her head really hard!! I'm wondering if that is contributing to her condition??! She doesnt seem to be getting better, and is losing strength to hold her head up. :'( its making me so sad!! Praying she makes it, but it doesn't look good. Thanks for the advice!!

 

[emvickrey]

well she's only shaky when I touch her, like her legs are unstable. But I noticed she also has a spot on top of her head that looks a little bloody and feathers are missing, like someone pecked her head really hard!! I'm wondering if that is contributing to her condition??! She doesnt seem to be getting better, and is losing strength to hold her head up. :'( its making me so sad!! Praying she makes it, but it doesn't look good. Thanks for the advice!!

Silkies don't have skulls like other birds. Their brains are protected by mostly skin and feathers. Go here
http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article.html It tells all about it. If she's had a brain injury she may not get better but then maybe so. All you can do is pamper her and do everything you can to make her comfortble and make sure she eats something and drinks. You can make a mash out of her feed by adding water and let it soak a bit. Hand feed her if you have to. Without food and water she will certainly wither away. If that link don't take you right to the article about silkie skulls look to the left and scroll down to "silkie skull" and click on it. You can clearly see by the skull how they can get brain damage easily. I've had some bang their heads and end up with their neck curled under to where they aactually do a flip. Roll completely over and back on their feet and they have healed from it. Sometimes it takes a while sometimes it don'g. I just hope yours healed well. Be very careful when messing with the spot on her head. You don't want to damage any brain tissue. Make sure it stays clean though if possible. Not like you can put a baind aide on it.

 

[PaintedFeathers]

BABY!!!! I had no clue I put one of Icelynn's eggs under my broody but apparently I did and this little beauty popped out! It looks pure to me, so I have no idea who daddy is! I have a smooth sizzle, a non-bearded black, and of course snowmiser who is white. HMMMM.... GAH IT"S SO ADORABLE!

 

[Jharper]

BABY!!!! I had no clue I put one of Icelynn's eggs under my broody but apparently I did and this little beauty popped out! It looks pure to me, so I have no idea who daddy is! I have a smooth sizzle, a non-bearded black, and of course snowmiser who is white. HMMMM.... GAH IT"S SO ADORABLE!

From my experience non bearded birds crossed with a bearded bird can make bearded birds.

 

[chisNchickens]

So, this means I shouldn't attempt to try to breed a true partridge from her? I know that she did indeed come from partridge parents (have just recently seen pictures) with actual partridge coloring, but maybe they were carriers of some other color....

By all means give it a try, can't hurt right?

 

[ChickNmamma]

BABY!!!! I had no clue I put one of Icelynn's eggs under my broody but apparently I did and this little beauty popped out! It looks pure to me, so I have no idea who daddy is! I have a smooth sizzle, a non-bearded black, and of course snowmiser who is white. HMMMM.... GAH IT"S SO ADORABLE!

It could be any of them. What color is the Smooth Sizzle? He may carry one silkied feather gene, The non-bearded Black can produce bearded chicks as JHarper said (just single for the bearded gene and less fluffy when adult and could loose it in the next generation if bred to a non-bearded again) and Snowmiser could be the father and the chick could be carrying recessive White. I don't think that helped... sorry. If the chick comes out with regular feathers then you will know its the Smooth Sizzle, that would be the only way you could tell.

 

[emvickrey]

It could be any of them. What color is the Smooth Sizzle? He may carry one silkied feather gene, The non-bearded Black can produce bearded chicks as JHarper said (just single for the bearded gene and less fluffy when adult and could loose it in the next generation if bred to a non-bearded again) and Snowmiser could be the father and the chick could be carrying recessive White. I don't think that helped... sorry. If the chick comes out with regular feathers then you will know its the Smooth Sizzle, that would be the only way you could tell.

So true. I had a BBS pen and the hens where bearded and the roo wasn't and I got both bearded and non bearded chicks. I prefer bearded silkies myself. Moore poof. That chick is adorable.

 

[PaintedFeathers]

It could be any of them. What color is the Smooth Sizzle? He may carry one silkied feather gene, The non-bearded Black can produce bearded chicks as JHarper said (just single for the bearded gene and less fluffy when adult and could loose it in the next generation if bred to a non-bearded again) and Snowmiser could be the father and the chick could be carrying recessive White. I don't think that helped... sorry. If the chick comes out with regular feathers then you will know its the Smooth Sizzle, that would be the only way you could tell.

The sizzle is black with gold hackle and saddle feathers, I guess we'll see =D I'm REALLY hoping the dad is Snowmiser, but I have never seen him breed, at least not correctly LOL The baby seems extra poofy, and has some really nice foot feathering which Jack my non-bearded and Zayn my sizzle don't really have. Jack's "might" be okay but he is in such bad shape I really don't know how he truly looks.

So true. I had a BBS pen and the hens where bearded and the roo wasn't and I got both bearded and non bearded chicks. I prefer bearded silkies myself. Moore poof. That chick is adorable.

Thanks =D