Silkie broody day 20

[ValerieJ]

I will have to feed them all chick food if they are all fine together, will they still lay as many eggs? And think I read something about oyster shells?

Yes, they will all get chick food for a while, which is fine. Offer oyster shell on the side for the layers. It should not effect laying at all. Have you been feeding them a layer feed until now? (Would explain why you haven't been offering oyster shell all along.)

 

[Life]

Yes, they will all get chick food for a while, which is fine. Offer oyster shell on the side for the layers. It should not effect laying at all. Have you been feeding them a layer feed until now? (Would explain why you haven't been offering oyster shell all along.)

Ok thanks for advice, yes they have layer pellets, fingers crossed I may get a chick todayMerry christmas

 

[Mylied]

I let my broodies do what they want. With my bantams, I've had as many as 3 sharing a nest and sometimes one joins the party late. I've not experienced any problems with it. They take turns sitting during the day and then all smoosh together at night. When the chicks hatch, usually one will have primary caretaking duties but the others will let them sit under them if they want. My showgirl rooster will keep them warm too. Silkies are pretty chill. And chicks are okay being stepped on a bit by the other chickens. They'll peep and the big one gets off and they learn to get out of the way.

 

[Mylied]

Also, you can give the wry neck one some human selenium vitamin. I crush it up and mix it with the contents of a vitamin e pill. I've not treated wry neck in adult chickens but have done it with chicks. As far as I understand it's the selenium that helps, while the vitamin e helps them absorb it.

 

[ValerieJ]

Ok thanks for advice, yes they have layer pellets, fingers crossed I may get a chick todayMerry christmas

Pictures!!!

 

[Life]

I let my broodies do what they want. With my bantams, I've had as many as 3 sharing a nest and sometimes one joins the party late. I've not experienced any problems with it. They take turns sitting during the day and then all smoosh together at night. When the chicks hatch, usually one will have primary caretaking duties but the others will let them sit under them if they want. My showgirl rooster will keep them warm too. Silkies are pretty chill. And chicks are okay being stepped on a bit by the other chickens. They'll peep and the big one gets off and they learn to get out of the way.

Ahh how cute, I won’t worry then about them getting squished, just hope I get some, can’t hear any cheeping in eggs

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Ok thanks for advice, yes they have layer pellets, fingers crossed I may get a chick todayMerry christmas

Honestly... Silkies are too broody to eat layer... switch them over to 20% protein flock raiser or an unmedicated chick starter asap with OS on the side for active layers...

Both feeds are higher in amino acids while not having the added calcium of "layer" that birds not in lay such as broody's, chick, roosters, molters, etc... don't need and fed long term *could* (doesn't mean will) even cause gout, kidney failure, or sudden death.

Some Silkies seem to have a higher nutrient need or less of an ability to absorb certain nutrients... especially if at any point they had to be treated for coccidiosis. Again this stated after I bred them for several years.

Using flock raiser or starter will NOT negatively impact your egg laying and might even improve it, will definitely improve the available nutrients inside your eggs... 22% protein was shown to give the best hatch rates (which to me says more nutrients my family is consuming when eating eggs), while 16% protein in most "layer" feeds is the MINIMUM needed to keep a light bodied bird in laying condition. Despite Silkies being bantam... I have put enough of them on the table that I would NOT call them light bodied. In addition to all things stated my birds have softer molts and recover sooner since I NEVER use layer after learning the difference.

Ahh how cute, I won’t worry then about them getting squished, just hope I get some, can’t hear any cheeping in eggs

I'm in disagreement... but we all have to face our own trials and errors.

 

[Life]

Honestly... Silkies are too broody to eat layer... switch them over to 20% protein flock raiser or an unmedicated chick starter asap with OS on the side for active layers...

Both feeds are higher in amino acids while not having the added calcium of "layer" that birds not in lay such as broody's, chick, roosters, molters, etc... don't need and fed long term *could* (doesn't mean will) even cause gout, kidney failure, or sudden death.

Some Silkies seem to have a higher nutrient need or less of an ability to absorb certain nutrients... especially if at any point they had to be treated for coccidiosis. Again this stated after I bred them for several years.

Using flock raiser or starter will NOT negatively impact your egg laying and might even improve it, will definitely improve the available nutrients inside your eggs... 22% protein was shown to give the best hatch rates (which to me says more nutrients my family is consuming when eating eggs), while 16% protein in most "layer" feeds is the MINIMUM needed to keep a light bodied bird in laying condition. Despite Silkies being bantam... I have put enough of them on the table that I would NOT call them light bodied. In addition to all things stated my birds have softer molts and recover sooner since I NEVER use layer after learning the difference.


I'm in disagreement... but we all have to face our own trials and errors.

Very informative ta, starter feed it is or mayby a mixture with layer pellets for other 2 if I decide to keep them seperate, still undecided about that yet