Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[Sonoran Silkies]

My whole problem, why set the bird aside for me and agree to hold the bird if you aren't really going to do it? In any case, I won't do that again.

Hmmm, 20 minutes is a pretty short time to sell to another if she agreed to hold it while you got cash. I've been known to ask to put a bird I was purchasing with mine, but only with people I know very well.

 

[Adoravachick]

Hmmm, 20 minutes is a pretty short time to sell to another if she agreed to hold it while you got cash. I've been known to ask to put a bird I was purchasing with mine, but only with people I know very well.

That's what I thought, the bird was completely out of sight, (20 minutes was including the time that I was trying to find her) so that's why it made me think that she had decided to keep her.

 

[KMHunter]

NICE! Put that girl's crest up in paper tape until the show, and see what an improvement that will make. Try putting them on Kitty Litter too!
Quote: These are gorgeous!
TheDragonLady- Is there a particular type of litter you recommend? Is cat litter bad for chickens? Just curious for future reference!

 

[littlecritters]

...

 

[aoxa]

These are gorgeous!
TheDragonLady- Is there a particular type of litter you recommend? Is cat litter bad for chickens? Just curious for future reference!

The dragon lady said white cat litter a few pages back I believe

 

[Adoravachick]

I have a question about eggs. I have one hen that consistanlty lays a misshapen egg. The top of the egg has a thicker shell and large pores and yesterday it was pink. Why would the eggs be misshapen? It is possible there is something wrong with her?

 

[aoxa]

I have a question about eggs.  I have one hen that consistanlty lays a misshapen egg.  The top of the egg has a thicker shell and large pores and yesterday it was pink.  Why would the eggs be misshapen?  It is possible there is something wrong with her?

She could have a uterine infection causing this. That's what I've heard from Speckledhen.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Honestly, I looked like the crazy chicken diva because I actually cared how my birds looked and I fussed over them. Actually, I was tickled at the crew that brought in the sebrights, they were pros. You could tell that they were competitors and this wasn't their first rodeo (so to speak). They were a group of retired guys and they took alot of care with their little peeps. They did sooo much grooming and I had a great time watching them!
This show was not really the experience that I had hoped for, I was expecting more, and I was disappointed. My husband was very excited and was totally supportive, but after a couple of hours, I was cold, wet, and bored. When I got home that night, I had to confess that I didn't have very much fun. There were people there to show for fun and then there were those that were showing and selling birds for the money. There were some shifty characters there. I am hoping that the next show will be a better experience.

The shows I've been to, I've felt a little out of place, because I'm usually one of the very FEW that bring silkies. So I'm brushing them, and fluffing their tails and adjusting their crests and spraying them up. So here I am with my son and he's holding and I'm fluffing, and we're a team and people come by to look at us and giggle at our birds! LOL (the most common comment is "which end is which?". I've had them called poodles many times by the LF people. They just bring a bird, throw it in the coop and take off. And here we are-- fluffing and I'll even break out the hair dryer on the rare occasion to get it just right. Which is why I asked Chickendales what he uses to fluff with-- TOTALLY shocked he did nothing else but washed and that was it. That is not how I've seen it done around here-- the other silkie people are much more serious than that. The silkie people get a little high strung about getting them all fluffed right. I don't have to do any other grooming usually-- I have beaks and toes already trimmed before I show up. The only other thing I might do besides fluffing is check the fluff around the vents and use baby wipes on feet and vent areas if it's bad. So far, haven't seen any shifty people, but I have seen others that didn't care about their birds. Did see someone bring in a bunch of hens that had bare backs from a rooster-- I thought that was terrible. The judge wrote 'condition' on their card and moved on. Some judges just won't judge them, others might go ahead.

Thanks, I have been trying very hard to not let the experience sour me. One thing that really bothered, I met one of the other exhibitionists that had birds for sale(I was very excited to meet her and actually sought her out) , she helped me look over her birds an I had picked out a splash pullet to purchase. She felt that the birds face was crooked, I said "It looks like it's just the way the feathers are laying", so she fixed the feathers and said "oh, she doesn't look crooked now." I told her I would take the bird and that I needed to run and get my money out of the car. She said "I'll set her off to the side for you". I went to grab my money and I then I couldn't find her, once I saw her back over with her birds, I went over to collect my new pullet. She told me that she waited around for me to come back and that another woman came along and bought the bird. I said "oh, I thought you said that you would hold her while I went to the car?" She said "Oh, I don't hold birds for people." I was angry and I thought that was very poor form. I have bought from her before, I have spent alot of money with her, so it's not like I was blowing smoke saying "oh, I'll be back" and then never return. I saw her put that bird in a crate in the bed of her truck to "set her aside" for me. Honestly, I think that she changed her mind once she realized that there was NOTHING wrong with that bird. I would have taken it better if she had just said that she had reconsidered selling the pullet. I can understand that.

I have heard stories like that from other people about her, so I wasn't completely shocked. I don't plan on buying from her anymore, it really turned me off. I ended up finding another splash, but that really bothered me. Not too much bothers me, but it just rubbed me the wrong way.

That is bizarre about the bird. I have not bought any birds at a show. But I do keep money in my back pocket on me, just in case. Maybe keep a wallet in your back pocket from now on so you don't have to leave. Still, that was pretty rotten of her to do that.

She could have a uterine infection causing this. That's what I've heard from Speckledhen.

Never heard of that! What do you do for it then? Run a course of injectible penicillin???

 

[thedragonlady]

These are gorgeous!
TheDragonLady- Is there a particular type of litter you recommend? Is cat litter bad for chickens? Just curious for future reference!

I always used the un scented, non clumping, white KL for my birds, and most of mine made to 8-12 years old.

 

[aoxa]

The shows I've been to, I've felt a little out of place, because I'm usually one of the very FEW that bring silkies.  So I'm brushing them, and fluffing their tails and adjusting their crests and spraying them up.  So here I am with my son and he's holding and I'm fluffing, and we're a team and people come by to look at us and giggle at our birds!  LOL (the most common comment is "which end is which?".   I've had them called poodles many times by the LF people.  They just bring a bird, throw it in the coop and take off.  And here we are-- fluffing and I'll even break out the hair dryer on the rare occasion to get it just right.  Which is why I asked Chickendales what he uses to fluff with-- TOTALLY shocked he did nothing else but washed and that was it.  That is not how I've seen it done around here-- the other silkie people are much more serious than that.  The silkie people get a little high strung about getting them all fluffed right.  I don't have to do any other grooming usually-- I have beaks and toes already trimmed before I show up.  The only other thing I might do besides fluffing is check the fluff around the vents and use baby wipes on feet and vent areas if it's bad.  So far, haven't seen any shifty people, but I have seen others that didn't care about their birds.  Did see someone bring in a bunch of hens that had bare backs from a rooster-- I thought that was terrible.  The judge wrote 'condition' on their card and moved on.  Some judges just won't judge them, others might go ahead.  


That is bizarre about the bird.  I have not bought any birds at a show.  But I do keep money in my back pocket on me, just in case.  Maybe keep a wallet in your back pocket from now on so you don't have to leave.  Still, that was pretty rotten of her to do that.



Never heard of that!  What do you do for it then? Run a course of injectible penicillin???  

Yes. I have put them on water soluble Tetracyclin, as my pullet laid one similar and than laid a broken egg, and she was going downhill fast. Antibiotics and force-feeding and then lots of calcium. She is 1.5 months after treatment and is laying perfectly again. I thought I was going to lose her.

Injectable penicillin is recommended, but you need a vet to get that here. My only option was antibiotic powder.