Silkie thread!

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I have some Silkie eggs hatching today- I'm SO eggcited!! I've never hatched Silkies before, so here's hoping for the best!

 

[peepblessed]

I love how fast this board moves! Just wanted to let ya'll know that my chicks are pipping, 4 so far. I am hoping that they will wait to hatch until morning so my daughter can see her babies hatch. I will post pics once they hatch and dry.

 

[peepblessed]

Thanks. Yes, I feel a tad guilty posting pretty well the ugliest pictures I have of him/her! He/she is really sweet actually [of course] and runs to my hand when I put it in their enclosure. He/she leans his/her little chest into my palm to be picked up and is so relaxed. Loves to be held and petted. Little sweetie.

So, here he/she is in a cuter picture. Thanks for all your help. Can't wait for his/her head and neck to fluff out more.

[PS--regarding sex, the beak angle looks female, and the chick walks 90% low in the chest. The below pix is an oddity-- standing a bit upright (something startled him/her hence my being able to take a clear photo!). Recently however, he/she got a bump on the middle of his/ her comb area which might signal male. ? I remember recently someone spoke of females having the little round bump there, not wide, but bumped out. ??? Any guesses??? ]

Yout chick has quite a large comb for it's age. I think you likely have a boy.

 

[peepblessed]

Here is pic of my new babies!


Not sure if these are blue or splash. They are much lighter than my first blue I hatched a few weeks ago. Any ideas?

Awwwww! Your chicks are beautiful!!! They look splash to me but I have had at least one this color that turned light blue. Either way you'll have some beauties!!

 

[peepblessed]

I have some Silkie eggs hatching today- I'm SO eggcited!! I've never hatched Silkies before, so here's hoping for the best!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Sonoran-- or anyone who knows about beaks! I have a problem. I was going thru my chicks this morning (getting ready to sell off obvious faults) and I came across this chick. The beak has bent sideways. I don't remember this bird looking like this. In fact, I banded it to keep because it has great toes! So between the time I banded it and now.... THIS happened. Is this cross beak... or what the heck happened to this bird? Can't be from an injury, I don't believe. At least... I don't know?? Ideas on this bird??

This baby is 5 weeks old now:

 

[Basel]

Their combs should stay a dark color-- almost black. You don't want them to be red. At two months, it still could be okay for being a girl. Just keep watching it.

Yes. Thanks. I know they shouldn't be any shade of Red, but I guess some coloring could occur if it goes towards mulberry???... What age would that be?

 

[anbsmom]

Sonoran-- or anyone who knows about beaks! I have a problem. I was going thru my chicks this morning (getting ready to sell off obvious faults) and I came across this chick. The beak has bent sideways. I don't remember this bird looking like this. In fact, I banded it to keep because it has great toes! So between the time I banded it and now.... THIS happened. Is this cross beak... or what the heck happened to this bird? Can't be from an injury, I don't believe. At least... I don't know?? Ideas on this bird??

This baby is 5 weeks old now:

I know next to nothing about this particular problem, but could it be that one side of the beak grew faster than the other?

 

[Basel]

Yout chick has quite a large comb for it's age. I think you likely have a boy.

Thanks! I can see that.... I just hope his new home loves him as he is soooo sweet.

 

[chitown chicks]

I don't have any silkies to show off *totally jealous* but rather hoping to have a couple questions answered regarding silkies and other hens.
We've been thinking about chickens for years and have finally found a house in a town that allows backyard birds so I'm running before my feet even hit the ground. lol
We'd hoped to start with a few silkies, something more like a pet for the kids. Silkies have been recommended by many as a first chicken for us although, after reading about breeds here I'm not sure as there are so many sweet breeds. We definitely want to add laying hens so I'm wondering now if it's a good idea to get the silkies first and then add laying hens later. Should we skip the silkies altogether? Get everything at once? I'm hoping to have 2-4 laying hens that are docile, calm, friendly, quiet, something that won't be a bother to our new neighbors.
We like the idea of a tractor, it seems so easy, you don't have to clean out the bottom. Just move them to a new, clean space. I'm not against a stationary coop but would want a tractor to allow the hens to free range at least a little bit, especially when I'm running errands. The chickens could be out in the tractor/s with the dog in the yard to protect them. (see the anatolian to the left;-)

My goals in having chickens are to have pets to love, educate my children, provide eggs for my family, control the feed content, control insect population in my yard, and fertilize my yard and garden.

Advice?