Silkie thread!

[Sanna]

How exciting!! Are you using an Incubator?

I used broody hens, but I doubt that I'll do that again. lol Lost a couple of eggs because I think they were a little too eager to sit..

It's all been a good learning experience though.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hi All,

I have a question. I have three Silkie babies (they are one week and two weeks old) and will be bringing in four Silkie babies from another breeder (they are a few days to a week old). I was going to keep them apart but should I bathe the new Silkie babies?

I will also be getting six Serama's from the breeder of the three Silkie babies. I was planning on keeping them apart but do I need to if they were hatched at the same location as the first three Silkies? Should I bathe them?

Thank you!!

Sheila

I wouldn't wash them since they are so small. But they could have mites, so be sure to check them over and it wouldn't hurt to dust them gently with Sevin (keep away from eyes and nose). Just depends on what they look like and if you see mites. You can certainly hold off if they all look well and you don't see anything on them. Move their fluff apart to check. I'd keep all of them together and keep a close eye on everyone. And congrats on your new babies and welcome to Silkie-dom where you will invariably own at least 20 more by next year!

My eggs were under two broody hens. Hopefully I didn't do any damage to that one egg I took a picture of.

I just ordered assorted colors and got one black egg. Most of them were marked B/S and got lots of white also. One random buff, black and a porcelain. There were the two lavender eggs, two paints and two partridge, I think. As soon as I'm done with my breakfast I'm running outside to see how many chicks hatched over night!
This is probably what I'll look like running to the barn. hahaha

Nah, that's why I asked if you were using a broody-- the egg should be fine. In an incubator, those eggs dry out FAST. But for some reason, under a broody, they do better and taking a quick peek probably wouldn't do anything... I've done it. BUT-- I must say, I did it on accident, because I was checking to see if the egg was still alive and I picked it up just like that, with a pip in it. I would never do that on purpose! LOL!!! Go check on them!!! And don't forget your camera!!!!!

ETA-- however, when I did it, I did go rub the egg down with a warm wet paper towel because I was so worried I messed it up. But it hatched fine.

 

[Lady Chickadee]

Looks to me like she is sun bleached or bronzed from older feathers. Pretty common in blues and blacks.

Is there any way to fix a blue bird from being sun bleached? My blue show silkie hen is sun bleached and looks terrible compared to my other blue silkie pullet.

Wow, really beautiful!!! I am getting two Splash chicks, this week, and hope they turn out as lovely. How old are they?
Sheila

Thank you! The one in the first thing of pictures is around 10 months old and the one in the second thing of pictures is around 7 months old.

 

[fowlsessed]

I need to know anything important that you can tell me about silkies, like I didn't know that cochins needed "help" breeding. I'm thinking about maybe getting some silkies from a breeder nearby.

Thanks,

Nothing? I know how to raise chickens though, if it's all the same. Nothing different with the silkies? Even though they look so different, and are so fluffy and can hardly see?

 

[aoxa]

I wouldn't wash them since they are so small.  But they could have mites, so be sure to check them over and it wouldn't hurt to dust them gently with Sevin (keep away from eyes and nose).  Just depends on what they look like and if you see mites.  You can certainly hold off if they all look well and you don't see anything on them.  Move their fluff apart to check.  I'd keep all of them together and keep a close eye on everyone.  And congrats on your new babies and welcome to Silkie-dom where you will invariably own at least 20 more by next year!  

Nah, that's why I asked if you were using a broody-- the egg should be fine.  In an incubator, those eggs dry out FAST.  But for some reason, under a broody, they do better and taking a quick peek probably wouldn't do anything...  I've done it.  BUT-- I must say, I did it on accident, because I was checking to see if the egg was still alive and I picked it up just like that, with a pip in it.  I would never do that on purpose!  LOL!!!  Go check on them!!!  And don't forget your camera!!!!!

ETA-- however, when I did it, I did go rub the egg down with a warm wet paper towel because I was so worried I messed it up.  But it hatched fine.

I thought they were more in danger if they hadn't already pipped? I've always opened up the incubator after the hatch is on day 22 to remove the babies. Never lost one that had already pipped.

Our room humidity is very high though, so that's my reasoning. It's almost always above 65%. It's been almost 100% humidity. The sheets feel disgusting. I hate humidity!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Is there any way to fix a blue bird from being sun bleached? My blue show silkie hen is sun bleached and looks terrible compared to my other blue silkie pullet.



Thank you! The one in the first thing of pictures is around 10 months old and the one in the second thing of pictures is around 7 months old.

You can't fix bleached feathers. Only a molt can do that. Don't let them in the sun from now on if you are going to show them. I had set up a pen and shaded it quite well this summer and still ended up with bleaching! So I'm building new pens in my horse barn, completely out of the sun.

Nothing? I know how to raise chickens though, if it's all the same. Nothing different with the silkies? Even though they look so different, and are so fluffy and can hardly see?

I have to use AI to breed mine. Unless you trim them way down on their rears. But I've been showing the birds I've been breeding and can't trim them. The AI isn't too bad, once you get the hang of it and know what you're doing. I don't let them hang around out in a rain storm-- they get soaked and their feathers don't shed water. They just end up looking like drowned cats. It's pathetic. So no rain, no sun (it bleaches them), and I don't trim beards, unless they aren't going to be shown. If you aren't going to show, you can trim beards-- NOT crests. The crest is not effecting their eye sight, it is the beard directly below and around their beaks. I would never butcher a crest... ever. I would never put them in with my LF birds. They can't see, so if they are going to get picked on, they can't get away or defend themselves. These birds are very laid back and get along with each other. I already have issues with running my Polish with my layer birds. IN fact, my layer birds love to pick at their fluffy crests, so all of my naughty layers are wearing Pinless Peepers. So I keep my silkies separate.

this is one of my layers. They are baaaaaad birds. They don't play nice with birds that have crests. So if you run into that problem-- buy the Pinless Peepers and save yourself a headache. Or just don't run crested breeds with your LF. Of course, I'd never put silkies in there with them, but my polish are standards and can handle themselves now that the LF are restricted.

 

[Hawkeye95]

I thought they were more in danger if they hadn't already pipped? I've always opened up the incubator after the hatch is on day 22 to remove the babies. Never lost one that had already pipped.
Our room humidity is very high though, so that's my reasoning. It's almost always above 65%. It's been almost 100% humidity. The sheets feel disgusting. I hate humidity!

You've just been really lucky, then. Either your humidity has held, or lucky. Once they have pipped, that inner membrane can dry out fast and shrink wrap them. Unfortunately, I've had it happen a few times which is why I now spike my incubator with wet towels to get it above 75% because we are super dry here and everything dries out FAST.

 

[fowlsessed]

You can't fix bleached feathers. Only a molt can do that. Don't let them in the sun from now on if you are going to show them. I had set up a pen and shaded it quite well this summer and still ended up with bleaching! So I'm building new pens in my horse barn, completely out of the sun.

I have to use AI to breed mine. Unless you trim them way down on their rears. But I've been showing the birds I've been breeding and can't trim them. The AI isn't too bad, once you get the hang of it and know what you're doing. I don't let them hang around out in a rain storm-- they get soaked and their feathers don't shed water. They just end up looking like drowned cats. It's pathetic. So no rain, no sun (it bleaches them), and I don't trim beards, unless they aren't going to be shown. If you aren't going to show, you can trim beards-- NOT crests. The crest is not effecting their eye sight, it is the beard directly below and around their beaks. I would never butcher a crest... ever. I would never put them in with my LF birds. They can't see, so if they are going to get picked on, they can't get away or defend themselves. These birds are very laid back and get along with each other. I already have issues with running my Polish with my layer birds. IN fact, my layer birds love to pick at their fluffy crests, so all of my naughty layers are wearing Pinless Peepers. So I keep my silkies separate.

this is one of my layers. They are baaaaaad birds. They don't play nice with birds that have crests. So if you run into that problem-- buy the Pinless Peepers and save yourself a headache. Or just don't run crested breeds with your LF. Of course, I'd never put silkies in there with them, but my polish are standards and can handle themselves now that the LF are restricted.

That's the info I was looking for, silkies are not for me. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR SHARING THAT. I'm sure it saved me lots of trouble and time and money. Thanks again.

 

[aoxa]

You've just been really lucky, then.  Either your humidity has held, or lucky.  Once they have pipped, that inner membrane can dry out fast and shrink wrap them.  Unfortunately, I've had it happen a few times which is why I now spike my incubator with wet towels to get it above 75% because we are super dry here and everything dries out FAST.

I've had shrinkwrapping in unpipped eggs :/ I vowed never to open it until the chicks were mostly hatched. When I opened it, all but two were finished hatching. They came out fine after that. I do wet down the membranes if I open it to be safe, so that could be why.

Broodies are much easier

 

[NovaAman]

And that is why a broody mama does not leave the nest once hatching starts.... I love natures incubators. I have 11 days to go! Then I will have 3 new silkie babies! Mom, snow bunny, is white, Roger is black with gold leakage. So, I do not understand colors... Will the chicks be black or white, or mix of each? Both of the ones from Leila were black, and she was buff. This is why I ask.