silkie has wet puff, help!

[mshuey1]

Hi I have several silkies w nice and big puffs that get wet when they drink water. How do I stop this I don't want to cut there puff down.

 

[Pyncheon guy]

Two things that I'm aware of.....(1).....Use pop bottle waterers....the birds can't get their crests in them..... and (2)......some crested breeders use hair ties and tie the crests back like a pony tail......hope this helps?

 

[Shayna]

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I've been having the same problem and considered the hair ties, but doesn't anyone worry that it'll fall out and get eaten??

 

[Donna McCormick]

Hair ties don't stay in very well, there fine for a day or so before the show to keep crests clean. First good scratch and they are on the ground.
I used pink hair tape on them a few times and on my polish as well.
The best thing to do is use pop bottle waterer's. Keep in mind they will freeze in the winter though, unless you have heat lamps running close to them.
I don't know what you are presently using to water them. I use a lot of the plastic gallon waters with the red bottoms, there is not much space for them to get the crests wet unless you have a few of the "duck" silkies like I do. The red bottom gallon waterer's I use in the outside runs.
I have attached a photo of a pop bottle waterer, these are the ones that hold a lot more water and are made for larger bottles. I don't know if you can still buy the large ones are not, these are about 10 years old. I use these in all my coops and houses, these are galvanized steel but I also use the plastic ones in the smaller houses, but the plastic ones don't hold up as long, these last for years.
Large steel bottle water's to left. No wet crests here. But I would like to add, there are some silkies who just love to play in the water and no matter what kind of waterer you use, they manage to get the crests wet, I have a few of those too.

 

[mshuey1]

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YOu have just beautiful silkies!

How long have u been raising silkies? Am going to look into putting some of those in my coops.

 

[mshuey1]

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Am using bandaids right now for gentle skin and it's working well

 

[Donna McCormick]

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YOu have just beautiful silkies!

How long have u been raising silkies? Am going to look into putting some of those in my coops.

Thank you very much. I have had poultry of one kind or another for twenty years. Been breeding and raising silkies for fifteen. After that length of time you learn what works and what doesn't with large crested birds. Polish are just as bad but their crests are easier to maintain because they don't have the soft feathers.