Silkie thread!

[rilly10]

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You still get bragging rights too!!!

 

[featherbaby]

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WOW, if I had Amy Piehl that close by there would be no question where my birds would come from!!!!! She has BEAUTIFUL Silkies!!!!! What do you mean she'd only be hatching throughout Feb? I thought she had birds for sale year round? What colors do you want to 'specialize' in? Or do you want some of each?

As far as having birds in the house, while they're babies it's not a big deal if you do it right. On my (unused) dining table I have a large rubbermaid tote with 6 babies about 4 weeks old now. I have a heat lamp on the tote which has shorter sides and it keeps the younger ones warm at night. Next to it is a larger sturdy appliance box laid on it's side with the top open occupied by 6 babies about 3 months old now. I use a piece of foam core board the size of the bottom of the box, covered it with heavy plastic (secured underneath with duct tape) and put it under pine shavings. It's easy to clean, I just scoop out the old shavings with a dustpan and put in a trash can to take outside and use as mulch under my shrubs. Then bring in a plastic bag with clean shavings to replace it. I never take the babies out while changing it. It takes 5-10 minutes.....longer if you pick each one up and talk to it while you're cleaning. I use a water bottle hung on the inside of the box and a small feeder on the bottom. They have lots of room to move around and I'll put them out when the weather gets better in a couple of months. I only clean it out once a week but there is very little odor since I stir the shavings each day to make sure their feet stay clean (and anything smelly gets buried). One good thing about having them inside, You get to watch them more and take one at a time out to sit on your lap on a towel and pet them while you watch tv. They are so used to being handled they will be tame and sweet later on. I enjoy them so much more by having them inside right now.

I know everyone is different, and this method might not be for you. But I wanted to tell you how I did it just in case you change your mind and can use some of my ideas to make life easier for yourself. Us Silkie folks have to stick together.

 

[roocrazy]

thank you i hope it changed my moms mind. Amy will be having a baby around march or april i believe so she will not be hatching. When i do get show potential silkies i would like to perfect blues and whites, the blues id like to breed because you get three colors in one with blue genetics

. and id like to breed whites because i do like the clean white birds.

 

[featherbaby]

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Oooohhh, so she's going to hatch one of her own, is she???? HA! I didn't know that. In that case, I hope you get your babies before hers arrives.

Good choice on the blues and whites. My blues seem to be more hardy and showy than the other colors. Here's a photo of my Roo, "Thunder". He is a beauty and has great showing potential. I can't wait to breed him to some of my hens.

Whites are just stunning! Their feet are a little hard to keep clean, though. Every bit of dirt shows up on their feet so I end up washing their feet about once a month in warm weather. It takes 3 dishpans with warm water and a soft toothbrush. First pan has baby shampoo in the water, the second is a rinse water, third is a rinse water with a bit of glycerine in it. They used to hate standing in ankle deep water but now they're so used to it they hardly struggle. Now washing their butts when they get stained is another issue entirely. They are NOT fond of that. Oh well. In the end they are worth the trouble. Whites outsell all the other standard colors around here so they are definitely in demand.

 

[destiny_56085]

Hey guys.... I was off watching round 10 of the National Finals Rodeo. Wow thank you Featherbaby! What a compliment.... Yeah I'm due for my first lil munchkin the first week of March. Not sure how well I'll be feeling for a few weeks and incubator will be off for a while. I'm not so much scared of going into labor and stuff, but of my family and friends taking care of all my critters in the meantime. When you have a set way of doing things, its hard to just turn over the reins. Right now I'm hatching a few for my own show string first and then will be selling once I have enough for myself. The only ones I'm letting go of for a month or so will be the ones with wrong toes and such. Its mighty cold up here in MN right now and the gals aren't laying much. The few eggs I am getting are mostly froze too. I'm working with 29 whites in my breeding pens that are pretty awesome. I have the 4 best black pullets and the splash cockerel from my show string this year together for hopefully some good blues. I also have a blue/splash pen that is kicking out alot of eggs right now too. Lots of people already on a waiting list for chicks, but the cold weather is going to stop shipping for quite some time yet.
Amy

 

[destiny_56085]

I raise all my babies in the house too. I live in town so have to keep things clean to prevent any complaints from the neighbors. I have a room in the basement all set up with the incubator and brooders. I use whatever I can get my hands on.... the huge dog carriers, big cardboard boxes, rubbermaid totes, etc. I try to keep them all in there and use an air filter to keep dust to a minimum. Brooders are cleaned at least once daily. Up here in MN, temps are currently at 0 with -20 windchills. It will dip about 20-30 degrees colder yet before spring. Once the babies are feathered out, I can move them out to the bigger brooders I have built in the garage. Its not heated out there, so right now only the 3+ month olds will survive with heat lamps too. In the summer, I can move chicks out there asap because temps are pushing 90 during the day. Its ALOT of work raising them in this fashion, but well worth it to have birds ready for the fall shows.

This is what some of the indoor brooders look like:

This is what I have setup in the garage. 2 of the pens are 4x8' and the one end pen is 8x8'. Works good for separating off sale birds to 1 section and still keeping age groups fairly separate too.

It doesn't have to be anything majorly fancy. Just keep it functional and easy to keep clean.

 

[Mrs. Turbo]

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I saw all the Lavender silkies at the show....I might have to get some. I love the color......and Congrats to you!!!!

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

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That rooster is just beautiful! WOW!

 

[featherbaby]

Thanks Polish Princess, he is from Bobbi Porto's line and he's got great features. I have him in with whites, splashes and another blue hen. I haven't hatched any eggs from him as yet, but maybe in the spring I will. He's still young, just over a year old and the hens are younger than he. Spring ought to be just about right for fertile eggs. Of course he'll get a run for his money with my dominate white hen. She's the queen of the coop. I thought roosters were the head of the house but she clearly out ranks him. Good luck with that one, Thunder.

Hey Destiny, I like your indoor set up! I wish I had a basement like that. In Florida if you have a basement, you're under water! HA! I know just what you mean about trusting your feathered children to the care of others. I have certain things all worked out and it's very hard for me to let someone else care for them. I wish I lived closer, I'd be happy to help out while you're recovering. Oh well. BUT.....you'll be plenty busy with the new baby. Do you know if it's a girl or boy? Do you have names chosen yet?

How are you doing with your "dilutes/pastels/oddwads"? That's the ones I'm very interested in. I'd love to have some Porcelains and Lavenders someday.

Keep us posted....

 

[mom2to]

i was wondering where showgirls orgins are from? do you (breeders) of showgirls keep them seperate or in the same pen as the silkies? i do not have any showgirls and at this point am not looking for more breeds but was wondering where or what was breed to create them.