Silkie thread!

[Hawkeye95]

Sounds like you made it through another night of storms okay! So glad you got your temperature woes fix. I've definitely been there!!

Yes, it was a mess! I *thought* my temperature was fine since I had bought this really nice therm on Amazon that had great reviews. Well, nearly 3 months went by with no luck. Plus, I really was dealing with infertility with my cockerel not doing his job. I was cracking open the eggs and there were no bullseyes. Someone on another thread suggested I check my therm to be sure it's correct and that never even occurred to me that it might be off. But, indeed it was! I bought 3 more therms (different kinds) and stuck them all in there and low and behold-- they were all pretty much close to each other with left my fancy expensive therm I bought that was 3 degrees too low, which meant I had set my incubator too high. Sheesh, what a mess. Anyway, now pretty much every egg I'm putting in is developing! So exciting! Soon, I'll get to see what my birds are producing. I feel bad, because I also ruined/killed a batch of eggs I had shipped. I just didn't know. I'm using the Brinsea Octagon 20, so it's a great machine, just no accounting for user error.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Thank you! Do silkies need to be penned by color for breeding, or can they be mixed? My daughter has an Isabel, partridge, a grey and another interesting dark brown/black one. This buff is the only one I can tell is a boy right now. They are just for fun for my daughter...

If you are breeding them, I would not mix your colors. But if you aren't breeding or showing, it won't matter.

Have to share my excitement this morning. We got our very first egg on Easter. Today, on my birthday, we got our 2nd!!



Birthday breakfast by Delilah!

Congrats!!! The first eggs are always soooo exciting! I still get excited about gathering the eggs.

 

[hennypenny99]

I was just wondering if anyone has had good luck with a certain ebay seller for ordering eggs? I'm in Michigan and don't want them coming too far. I currently have 11 bantam cochin hens and 1 rooster, and would love to add some good quality silkies to the mix. Plenty of hot cochin butts to incubate right now! There are some silkie chicks at the local farm store, put they don't seem to end up with the head puffiness I love in the SQ ones.

I ordered from dogiftbasket or it might be doggiftbasket. I think it is the first way with only one G. I had an excellent hatch with beautiful babies and one was even cuckoo!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

What is everyones opinion on bearded vs non-bearded silkies as far as showing? I haven't been able to get any straight answers...

Not sure what your questions are? Both bearded and non-bearded are recognised. More people raise bearded, and it is easir to find good bearded than non-bearded, but they are out there.

 

[blessedchick]

What a GREAT picture! Good girl, Marble!

So this is dear Marble with Brandon. Countdown continues, day 9 on the hatching project!
Poor Marble was NOOOT happy at all when we pulled her off her eggs for Brandon's photo shoot. She took it like a champ though, sat in the hat and had her picture taken like a good girl. Then back on the eggs she went.
Gotta love these Silkies!

 

[hennypenny99]

I ordered Showgirls yesterday..egss..my first time. Question.... So, don't laugh..pleeeeze? lol...I'm laughing at myself.
Here's the question. When you hatch these eggs, are you going to get all Showgirls, or are they like some chicks..for example the Frizzles', and you may get some frizzle, some regular. So, would I get some showgirls and some straight Silkies? Or all showgirls? Still learning on these fun birds..best place to come and get the right info. I may be back with oodles more questions.
This lady sends her eggs Fedex..hoping to get them tomorrow!

From what I understand it is alot like the way frizzles work. I read that you don't want to put a showgirl with a showgirl or you get some ugly chicks. I read that you need either a showgirl roo with silkie hens or a silke roo with showgirl hens and you will get a mixture - some showgirls and some silkies. Good Luck! I have showgirl too and I LOVE them!

 

[Sanna]

I LOVE the picture! Beautiful.
And of course very exciting to have those first eggs, especially on such occasions as Easter and your birthday.

Have to share my excitement this morning. We got our very first egg on Easter. Today, on my birthday, we got our 2nd!!



Birthday breakfast by Delilah!

 

[ChickensXOXO]

When someone asks, simply tell them that you have nothing at this time, but they can check back in say 6 months. They are the one wanting birds, let them do the work remembering, and do not feel like you are obligated to provide birds that you do not want to sell. You can be polite, and leave the door open for future sales (if you want) without obligating yourself.

Think of it this way: would you go up to someone and tell them that you like their new sofa so much that you want to buy it from them?

Thanks for your input, and you're exactly right!

 

[Tikkijane]

I know this probably isn't the right place to ask, but since there are people here all the time, I thought I'd take a stab at it.

I've got quite a bit of head shaking going on with these chicks. The oldest ones are 4 weeks and the babies will be 2 weeks on Wednesday. They have not been outside, and I don't see anything in them. They are otherwise eating and drinking and acting fine. Originally, the silkies were the first ones to do this, and they only did it when the air conditioning was on. I'll spend some time sitting and watching today, but they are doing it now while trying to sleep. There is a lot of movment in the room, so maybe it's just drafty? I don't remember any of my others doing this.

Any ideas? I'm thinking they are entirely too young to be wormed, and I don't see any mites or lice?? (and where would they have gotten it from?!)

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

I know this probably isn't the right place to ask, but since there are people here all the time, I thought I'd take a stab at it.

I've got quite a bit of head shaking going on with these chicks. The oldest ones are 4 weeks and the babies will be 2 weeks on Wednesday. They have not been outside, and I don't see anything in them. They are otherwise eating and drinking and acting fine. Originally, the silkies were the first ones to do this, and they only did it when the air conditioning was on. I'll spend some time sitting and watching today, but they are doing it now while trying to sleep. There is a lot of movment in the room, so maybe it's just drafty? I don't remember any of my others doing this.

Any ideas? I'm thinking they are entirely too young to be wormed, and I don't see any mites or lice?? (and where would they have gotten it from?!)

wait so whats the problem? the chicks doing the head shaking? first though would be mites or lice (they can be in the bag of bedding when you buy it - depends on where a store keeps them at) What type of set up do you have them in? enclosed like an aquarium or a tub/tote or something with open sides? If you are keeping them in something like an aquarium or a plastic tote - move them from the aquarium or if its plastic drill holes or cut a hole and ziptie or tape some mesh or screen or something to atleast 1 side (6 inches form teh bottom, on level with the chicks on one side (where you keep food/water maybe not by the lighted/heated side) it could be their own dander and dust from the chicks themselves or the pine bedding is irritating their eyes and nose, I've had this happen in the past before I made sure i had plenty of ventilation.