Silkie feathering

[Witchychickens]

Our silkie is about 6 weeks and some change old (picked up 3/23, 1-3 days old) she is definitely getting actual feathers but I cannot tell if she’s “fully feathered” yet. I want to put her outside on Tuesday with the rest of my flock (they’re all around the same age and fully feathered and not silkies). I cannot tell if she is considered fully feathered. she’s been off heat since roughly 3.5 weeks. The room is about 65-68 degrees. I’m in MA, it’s 40+ at night.

 

[Debbie292d]

We just put our silkies outside at 6 weeks old. We have a Cozy Coop radiant heater in their mini coop hutch as nights still get down in the high 30s, low 40s. That's a heater that doesn't heat up the area but it's warm if they get chilled. That's all I'd use if anything. The only trouble is if the others don't accept her, but I would assume they will. Then she can snuggle up with them.

She's a cutie!

 

[Witchychickens]

We just put our silkies outside at 6 weeks old. We have a Cozy Coop radiant heater in their mini coop hutch as nights still get down in the high 30s, low 40s. That's a heater that doesn't heat up the area but it's warm if they get chilled. That's all I'd use if anything. The only trouble is if the others don't accept her, but I would assume they will. Then she can snuggle up with them.

She's a cutie!

Thank you! She’s well bonded with everyone and stands up for herself when they’re playing chicken games. They were raised together. I was really worried about her because we lost her silkie sibling the first week and I worried they’d hurt her without “backup”. They pile up with her in the brooder at night and everything. The other day, she was on the top of the mini roost and my 3 most dominant seeming chickens and one tried to take her spot and she dive bombed them and took back her place. She’s a tough cookie!

I do have a radiant brooder. I think I’m going to acclimate them over the remainder of the week during the day and then take them in at night, it’s going to rain the rest of the week, anyway. I will give them a cardboard “pile up” box in the coop. There is a nook I can put it in under the roosts that stays super warm.