Silkie thread!

[Sonoran Silkies]

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He is pure silkie who is in full molt and has been fighting. His comb, wattle and face colour could be darker, but is withing the range of "mulberry." The brownish you see is from old feathers. Once he growns in his new feather coat, there should be no brown. If you do, he has leakage, but from your description of its location, I really doubt that will be the case. Hackles are the most common place to se leakage, but even they brown as the feathers get old and sunburned. He is blue. Once his feathers fully grow back, you will be amazed at how much better looking he will be.

Make sure he is getting a high protein feed and lots of oil. I recommend gamebird feed (at least 21% protein, and up to 30% is fine) plus black oil sunflower and safflower seeds and a bit of calf manna. Once his feather regrowth is complete, you can drop the protein to 18-21%. Keep up the oil seeds and calf manna, though.

 

[aubreynoramarie]

Thanks so much for the advice and info, it really helps!

 

[The Lisser]

I have a question about silkie toes (I read what was written on this thread about toes about 10 or 15 pages back but didn't see my exact question).

I am hoping to breed some black silkies (which I may use in a lavender program). I currently have three 3-month olds and one-6 week old. The three month old pullet is awesome, as far as I can tell. Good wings, good type, good toes. The other two from the same hatch - one is definitely a cockerel (he has crowed) but he has a weird tail and his comb isn't very good yet - I know, it's early still. He has awesome color and perfect feet. The other one - who I think is male, but I haven't seen him crow, has awesome type, awesome comb, awesome cushion - and 4 toes on each foot. Which male should I use?

(I bred a silkie mix with 4 toes on one foot and 5 toes on the other to a RIR/GLW mix and ended up with a pullet with 5 toes on each foot. So I know that a bird with 4 toes can produce a bird with 5 toes.)

To make this saga even longer, the one black from my last hatch has 6 toes on one foot and 5 toes with an extra toenail on the other foot. I think this bird is a pullet. If she ends up with nice type, and I breed her to my 4 toed male, would the toes cancel each other out?

Sorry I know this is complicated.

I know it would be easier to cull the "misfits" and buy better birds, but I am emotionally attached to all these chicks, and it's kind of fun to experiment!

TIA

 

[Funky Feathers]

Oh aubreynoramarie, that poor guy!! His hens should be arrested for domestic violence! I've never seen a Roo abused that bad. Poor thing. Glad you got him away from those evil hens.

 

[ninny]

Okay nobody kill me for this. I would love to someday breed silkies for show but what to do with the extra males? Do they make okay meat birds? I know the skin and meat is dark. Anyone try one?

 

[roocrazy]

yes you could eat them or you could try to sell or give them away

 

[muddyhorse]

If I have extra boys I can not sell I give them to 4-h kids for project birds. I also put them with frizzle cochins for cute frizzle sizzle things,

 

[mahoney]

Hi ALL

I have three silkies two black and one partridge.I think they are pullets,they are six months old and have a flat comb.Does anyone have pictures of young pullets head shots or how to sex them.


Thanks Danny

 

[PepsNick]

Anyone here have any pictures of Silkie feathered Ameraucanas?

 

[roocrazy]

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