Silkie thread!

[BerrytangleFarm]

Snowman is doing his duty! Fertilizing eggs left and right!

Come on, who wants the big, beautiful boy??

 

[4hchickmama]

Snowman is doing his duty! Fertilizing eggs left and right!

Come on, who wants the big, beautiful boy??

He is a beautiful boy! If only I could have roosters!

 

[BuckNBark Farm]

Wish I was closer!! Beauty! -Pam

 

[peepblessed]

No, that would be great! Where are you located anyway? You can probably find breeders near by that are culling out some of their silkies that have faults. Usually toes or wings, etc. But still beautiful birds! In fact, I'm lining up homes for a few of my culls right now. Some will be pullets. Don't expect hatchery prices though even for breeder's culls. I doubt they will be crazy expensive, but I'd guess they'd be right around $10-35 per bird. It would probably be just as well to have silkies that are a bit older than your large breed birds, anyway. Give them a leg up since they are going to have a hard time seeing and responding to bigger birds. If you're putting silkies in with silkies, they may duke it out a bit and then get over it. Mine do some chest bumping and then go back to scratching around. They don't get too upset with new birds. If you get a cull from a breeder, you may end up with a really beautiful bird! Here is one of my culls that did not make the cut into my breeding program:

She's beautiful! Growing a nice big crest and so far has excellent wings! But I'm not liking her toes. I think I have lined up a new mama for her already out of state. BUT when she really fills in, she's going to have a hard time seeing. So this is the kind of bird I would not put with large fowl birds unless they grew up together. I wouldn't want her getting pecked on the head, and she has a vaulted skull on her-- meaning part of her brain is exposed through the skull.

Picture Below: Here you can see one of my chicks with a "vaulted" skull. The bump off the top of the head. These are more prone to brain damage if they are hit on the head.

So just have an idea of what and where you are going to put them and do with them ahead of time. Admittedly, the hatchery chicks are a lot hardier-- they have barely any crest on them and they can see well and seem to be more fiesty. They just aren't as fluffy.

I'm sorry to hear you are selling your pullet as a cull just for a missing toe nail, or is it something else. No silkie is perfect and that particular problem would not keep her from winning at a show or breeding awesome babies. I love her color!

 

[Hawkeye95]

I'm sorry to hear you are selling your pullet as a cull just for a missing toe nail, or is it something else. No silkie is perfect and that particular problem would not keep her from winning at a show or breeding awesome babies. I love her color!

She is really pretty! I love her, but she is missing a knuckle and the toe nail. I'm worried it is a genetic defect. I don't know. If the deal falls through, I'll probably just keep her and she how she finishes. Her wings are amazing, too. But those toes pry on my mind.

 

[peepblessed]

She is really pretty! I love her, but she is missing a knuckle and the toe nail. I'm worried it is a genetic defect. I don't know. If the deal falls through, I'll probably just keep her and she how she finishes. Her wings are amazing, too. But those toes pry on my mind.

My understanding is that it is not a DQ and can be bred out.

 

[Hawkeye95]

My understanding is that it is not a DQ and can be bred out.

Well, then.... I hope I'm not making a big mistake! LOL I already told someone they could buy her, but it's not a solid deal yet. Hmmm... Well, I won't pursue trying to get rid of her then. She is the one that was under my broody and my broody kicked that egg out twice and it cooled. I marked it. I was reading where the outside toes can be absorbed if the egg cools, but that was a university study and it wasn't really confirmed, just something they were trying to prove. Ugh, now I'm worried!

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Thought I'd share some pics of my chicks playing in the grass. It was their first time in the green stuff, and they were super excited! These pictures are from a week or so ago, they've changed alot since I took them

 

[peepblessed]

Thought I'd share some pics of my chicks playing in the grass. It was their first time in the green stuff, and they were super excited! These pictures are from a week or so ago, they've changed alot since I took them

Beautiful!!! Are they porcelain and self-blue?

 

[RawrOsaur200]

aww cute!