silkie experts! where are you? a few more Q's added, Page 3.

[Sonoran Silkies]

Wrong manual--you need to read Murphy's Laws as Pertaining to Hens

Rule #1 when you need your hen to lay eggs, either for breeding, or to sell, or for breakfast...she will enter a near-permanent broody state. Only hatching and raising chicks will cause her to leave this state.

Rule #2 when you need your hen to brood, hatch and raise chicks, she will remain uninterested in the process, until such time as you break down and purchase an ultra-fancy, ultra-expensive, fully-automated incubator, at which time she will revert to Rule #1.

 

[SunshineSilkies]

Quote:
You are right on the money with both rules!!!

Happens to me all the time!

 

[L*A*G*]

year of rooster,
that's bad that your silkies haven't gone broody! i got my silkie for incubator that don't get too high or low humidity ect.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

L*A*G* :

year of rooster,
that's bad that your silkies haven't gone broody! i got my silkie for incubator that don't get too high or low humidity ect.

I know I'm so sad

I don't get it.... I still don't have one that is laying yet so maybe she will be my last hope... I have other broody breeds, but if the silkies don't, then I'm not expecting them to go either....

 

[Byrdj]

You are right about hatchery quality silkies being easier to sex earlier. I got some from Ideal hatchery and could tell the boys from girls at six weeks. The boys had smaller topnots with streamers already and the girls had fuller rounder topnots w/o streamers. Also the boys were larger with larger tail feathering.

One question. If a Silkie chick doesn'thave feathering on it's middle toe by 12 weeks, is it likely that it will get any by the time it has it's adult plumage?

 

[LilPeeps]

Quote:
You can tell from hatch how a chick's foot feathering will end up. Unfortunately, if it doesn't have it from day one, it won't get it.

 

[Sharisr32]

I have found the higher Quality the less likely to go broody - True Divas

They lay less but i have had good fertility -

all the ranges are just that Birds have their own schedule I have had them lay at 6 mos or so and some over a year -- which is one of the reasons I remind people buying Sq - that isn't giving breeding a priority. If your lucky ya get both but it is not a given -
and Lilpeeps has some beautiful Silkies for a Duck lady lol
peeps i have a Peking sitting Serama eggs lol think she'll teach them to swim ???

 

[GardienneWings]

Rooster,
This maybe a dumb question but are you leaving the eggs with the hens or collecting them? If you collect the eggs they will often just keep laying trying to fill the nest before sitting. My silkie hens will only go broody IF they have something to sit on....just a thought.

Val

 

[Sharisr32]

we tried that LOL i just have bad luck lol


It's ok i got the incuabtor going LOL not the perfect sub but it works lol

 

[Byrdj]

Thanks LilPeeps. I feel better about selling my non middle toe feathered chicks to someone who just wanted them as pets. I just bought a beautiful 8 month old cockeral with a great topknot, leg and foot feathering, feather fullness and color, and a great walnut comb. The only problem is that his comb could stand to be darker. How hard is it to breed out lighter combs? Unfortunately my best looking hen's comb is also a little to pink. The pullets with the darkest combs have single combs. It's always something isn't it?