Silkie thread!

[peepblessed]

Chicks are here!!!



I will let them settle in for a bit from their trip and then take individual photos. This is 3 blue, 2 black and 2 splash. And hopefully there is a girl or two in here

Beautiful group of chicks!!

 

[jhfamily5]

How sad that a breeder would do that to you! How old is the chick with curled toes?

They are two weeks old. It doesn't seem to bother it at all. It walks just fine and seems otherwise healthy. I don't want to spend a lot of money at the vet getting the extra toe amputated but I also don't want it to suffer down the road either.

 

[jhfamily5]

The breeder might have not really understood that she wanted only SQ/BQ birds and thought that she wanted some merely as pets for the kids; or might not have understood that she needed help in selection. I'd suggest calling back and explaining what you realized later and ask if you can exchange those for other chicks that meet the standard. When you go, leave the kids at home.

For the one with the curled toes, cut out a cardboard "splint" slightly larger than the foot and tape the foot to it with the toes in the correct position. (bandage tape works well) The older the bird is, the longer it will need its foot to remain splinted. For a baby, a few days should be sufficient, for a bird several months old, you may need to keep it splinted for a month or longer. Older tan 6 months and it probably isn't correctable.

I will absolutely try the cardboard idea. Thank you soooo much! I didn't think there would be a way to correct it. At two weeks old though maybe there is hope yet!

 

[Suzierd]

What do you guys think is the most desired color- black, dark blue or light blue. I'm having a hard time deciding what color to pick out my new hen in. I know it's personal preference but what chicks would sell better Down the road?

 

[Debbi]

What do you guys think is the most desired color- black, dark blue or light blue. I'm having a hard time deciding what color to pick out my new hen in. I know it's personal preference but what chicks would sell better Down the road?

I think it all depends on where you are, what kind of colors the people in the area are used to seeing the most, or remember from their Grandma's flock, and personal preferences. Around here, most people ask for Whites. In most cases, they have never seen another color of Silkie! One girl insisted on White until she saw my Buff girl! Several people have seen my Splash girl, and wanted her or one just like her! No one out here has ever even heard of Partridge! My favorites, for right now any way, are Splash, Buff (which I have none of!), Black, White, and Partridge/Blue Partridge. Gees, that's quite a few favs!

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

What do you guys think is the most desired color- black, dark blue or light blue. I'm having a hard time deciding what color to pick out my new hen in. I know it's personal preference but what chicks would sell better Down the road?

Blue of any shade. Blue X blue will give you blue and splash - and will usually give you a variety of shades so it won't matter. Blue X black will yield black and medium to dark blue chicks.

I personally try to stay away from blue X black only because they can become so hard to determine if a black bird is a true black or just a super dark blue.

 

[Hawkeye95]

What do you guys think is the most desired color- black, dark blue or light blue. I'm having a hard time deciding what color to pick out my new hen in. I know it's personal preference but what chicks would sell better Down the road?

First of all, if you are breeding-- then it won't matter if you pick a Black or a Blue. Dark blue and light are kind of moot depending on your rooster and what they will throw together. Blue and Splash are generally penned together, and usually along with Black. They all breed true. Although, I know a lot of breeders are now penning their Blacks separately so that they are a better black. There has been some discussion of penning blacks based on Gold and a separate pen of splash and blues based on silver. The thought is a better truer color, and maybe they are hoping less leakage. My personal favorite color is the Splash and some day I want to work on the Columbian project later on down the road. You should do whatever it is YOU want to do and not try to breed to sell. You should be breeding to better the lines and improve what you have.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Blue of any shade. Blue X blue will give you blue and splash - and will usually give you a variety of shades so it won't matter. Blue X black will yield black and medium to dark blue chicks.

I personally try to stay away from blue X black only because they can become so hard to determine if a black bird is a true black or just a super dark blue.

Exactly!! I have a hen that I do believe is a Black, but the judge listed her as a Blue. She is really, really dark and is not an obvious dark Blue. I was told by the breeder that sold her to me that she is Black and she really does look it. So who knows!

Here she is! Blue or Black?? I say Black...

SO I agree with staying away from a blue and black pairing.

 

[Suzierd]

Thanks everyone, my favorite is splash too. And I'm pretty sure I have a splash Roo and a white Roo. So I should get splash chicks with the splash Roo and blue hen right?

 

[mama2my4]

What do you guys think is the most desired color- black, dark blue or light blue. I'm having a hard time deciding what color to pick out my new hen in. I know it's personal preference but what chicks would sell better Down the road?

I agree with what the others have said. My personal favorite is a light blue, but not so light it is washed out. Although, I do love the splash too. And the paints. I am currently trying to work on paints and blues. And so, I will keep my blacks separate to maintain the "trueness" of the blacks. That way I can also pair them up with a paint.