Silkie thread!

[ChicksNherps]

SUCCESS! I have been doing some physical therapy with my pullet who had what looked like slipped wing, just looked at her and they are folded normal all by themselves

 

[mama2my4]

Four weeks??? How can you tell the boys from the girls? I'd love to have some tips for my babies to hatch Thursday

I was wondering the same thing....

 

[Adoravachick]

SUCCESS! I have been doing some physical therapy with my pullet who had what looked like slipped wing, just looked at her and they are folded normal all by themselves

Congrats! It will be interesting if slipped wings pop up in her chicks one day. You know how some people say its genetic, some say that it can be from too much protein as a chick, and I have also heard that it can happen when the chicks don't use their wings enough like other breeds. I am very happy for you, please keep us posted on her progress.

 

[ChicksNherps]

Congrats! It will be interesting if slipped wings pop up in her chicks one day. You know how some people say its genetic, some say that it can be from too much protein as a chick, and I have also heard that it can happen when the chicks don't use their wings enough like other breeds. I am very happy for you, please keep us posted on her progress.

She never really used her wings. so I was doing daily exercises, tossing her in the air so she would fly, and catching her. Then doing it over again, maybe 10 times. I was also fixing them when they would twist outward.

 

[Mumsy]

Four weeks??? How can you tell the boys from the girls? I'd love to have some tips for my babies to hatch Thursday

I take lots of pictures of the chicks. When you have lots of pictures of your chicks as they age, the differences start to really show up. To identify my chicks I use tiny little colored zip ties. I check them often for snugness. I don't reccomend them if you tend to forget about them. They can damage a chicks leg quickly. You can also use food color dye and put just a drop on a babies tummy where it doesn't show much. Some people toe punch. Others use those spiral leg bands. I hate those.

Anyway. Knowing your chicks is key. Female babies seem to have shorter beaks, a smaller softer eye. Shorter middle toe. Shorter legs. At four weeks Little Miss Peggy has a girly face. She is slower to fluff out on her head. Though these traits certainly can differ in different strains of Silkies. The three Silkies I think are male have hawkish beaks, longer middle toes, longer legs, head fluff coming in sooner. They already have wider combs than Miss Peggy. The three boys like to chest bump, run around like maniacs, and seem to be more aware of their surroundings. Miss Peggy is content to eat, sleep, and peck around. She ALWAYS backs away from the crazy boys. These are traits I've noticed in these four chicks since they were three days old. I'm making assumptions on sex based on observation only. Time will tell. If I'm wrong about these four chicks I will be the first to post when the day comes in a few more months when it should be obvious to the world.

 

[Sanna]

Yup, she is the chick on the left. And I almost sold her too! She looked really ugly as a teenager, no head poof and just scraggly looking. Decided to hold onto her just because she was frizzled and overnight she filled out. And now she is my best broody, so you really never know! And now I have a chick from her and my Cuckoo rooster and it has hatched out all white. Just when I thought I was starting to understand genetics

Isn't it amazing how it all works. You get surprises you didn't know about. They both had to have the white gene to the chick to turn out white.

So aside from having a porcelain project when I get a house, I want to also try putting the silver lacing of my polish onto a silkie, like a reverse paint. I think it will be a fun project.

Now that sounds like fun, exciting and a lot of work all in one.

I'd love to see pictures and hear about your progress with this project.

Here are the pictures of mine at hatch and 10 days and then 4 months. It's the chick on the left.






She is over a year now and has gotten a little brown in her hackles. I'm using her to raise blue partridge.

A bird like this, that hatches looking like a partridge baby but turns out blue must carry the partridge gene?
Beautiful hen. Just the kind I need for my splash cockerel.

SUCCESS! I have been doing some physical therapy with my pullet who had what looked like slipped wing, just looked at her and they are folded normal all by themselves

Awesome!

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I take lots of pictures of the chicks. When you have lots of pictures of your chicks as they age, the differences start to really show up. To identify my chicks I use tiny little colored zip ties. I check them often for snugness. I don't reccomend them if you tend to forget about them. They can damage a chicks leg quickly. You can also use food color dye and put just a drop on a babies tummy where it doesn't show much. Some people toe punch. Others use those spiral leg bands. I hate those.

Anyway. Knowing your chicks is key. Female babies seem to have shorter beaks, a smaller softer eye. Shorter middle toe. Shorter legs. At four weeks Little Miss Peggy has a girly face. She is slower to fluff out on her head. Though these traits certainly can differ in different strains of Silkies. The three Silkies I think are male have hawkish beaks, longer middle toes, longer legs, head fluff coming in sooner. They already have wider combs than Miss Peggy. The three boys like to chest bump, run around like maniacs, and seem to be more aware of their surroundings. Miss Peggy is content to eat, sleep, and peck around. She ALWAYS backs away from the crazy boys. These are traits I've noticed in these four chicks since they were three days old. I'm making assumptions on sex based on observation only. Time will tell. If I'm wrong about these four chicks I will be the first to post when the day comes in a few more months when it should be obvious to the world.

Is another indicator a squared off broad chest? I know our Black Silkie(Kung Pow) that we and several of you think is a cockerel has a very square broad chest, all the others have a more rounded even chest. Our Blue one is still confusing us. I guess we will just have to wait a few months to know for sure on that one. Pretty sure on the other 3 being pullets with the soft eyes and more docile nature, although the Buff will engage in the chest bumping(but I know that is not just a boy thing with chicks and more of a pecking order thing). The LF orphan tries to stay out of the way of the Silkies when they are doing the chest bumping stuff, he is very docile as well. He will be a replacement rooster in my laying flock in a year or so.

 

[peepblessed]

When is it ok to put the younger silkies in with the older? The younger ones have quit chirping like biddies and sound like a adult chicken now. The reason I am using this as reference is bc I don't know their age.

I put them together at any age with a wire or plastic mesh fence between them. Leave the fence for a few days and then remove it. They some times squabble a bit so watch for a while to make sure nothing serious is going to happen. This will not likely work if there are mature roos on both sides of the fence. That requires more work.

 

[peepblessed]

SUCCESS! I have been doing some physical therapy with my pullet who had what looked like slipped wing, just looked at her and they are folded normal all by themselves

That's great news!!

Isn't it amazing how it all works. You get surprises you didn't know about. They both had to have the white gene to the chick to turn out white.


Now that sounds like fun, exciting and a lot of work all in one.

I'd love to see pictures and hear about your progress with this project.


A bird like this, that hatches looking like a partridge baby but turns out blue must carry the partridge gene?
Beautiful hen. Just the kind I need for my splash cockerel.

Awesome!

Yes, she definitely carries partridge. She wouldn't be the best choice for a BBS pen as she has some brown tones in her hackles but she perfect for my blue partridge project.

 

[Sanna]

That's great news!!
Yes, she definitely carries partridge. She wouldn't be the best choice for a BBS pen as she has some brown tones in her hackles but she perfect for my blue partridge project.

Blue partridge makes sense.