Silkie thread!

[PaintedFeathers]

Well, i've got a little turkey poult now

momma was walking around with the babies in the yard and she got spooked. One got left behind and momma is nowhere to be seen. Well, we'll see how it does. I've always wanted a turkey anyway haha. Anyone else have turkeys? Is it similar to caring for chickens?

 

[Momma 2 silkies]

How would it be possible to get grey/grey partridge out of paint to blue?


White is recessive, correct? Does it become dominant in the paint breeding?

I haven't hatched and chicks from this pen yet. I hvae had the new roo for a month and just put the black girls in with him. He is from Martha Light and he came from a paint Catdance roo over Martha's black hens. I haven't added the blue girl to the pen and I'm just starting to learn how all the genetics work. This is my ony color pen right now, the rest of my colors run together for now. I have only had silkies for a year.

 

[K Epp]

Well, i've got a little turkey poult now

momma was walking around with the babies in the yard and she got spooked. One got left behind and momma is nowhere to be seen. Well, we'll see how it does. I've always wanted a turkey anyway haha. Anyone else have turkeys? Is it similar to caring for chickens?

They need to stay warmer, but everything else is about the same. I have two that I'm raising with my chicks. They out grow the chicks pretty quickly though. So be prepaired to seperate them. I moved mine to barn with grown chickens as soon as they got feathered out. They are kinda clumsey and at feeding time last week my big 3 month old 15lb stepped on my 3mth old blue partridge Silkie chick and she died the next day. Now I don't open the grow out coop until after feeding time. I read somewhere that they should be fed game bird feed, but mine are doing fine on layer pellets and free ranging.

 

[sheeshshe]

I ordered hatching eggs from ebay. they're on day 8 now! yeah! they're so active in the shell it is so sweet. I hope they all make it to the end. Only one wasn't growing, the air sack was damaged. Hopefully all the other air sacks are going to hold up to the end, I heard that many times shipped eggs won't hold till the end if they weren't shipped right. So we'll see! so that is 7 I have growing. they are B/B/S. we're leaving for 6 days, so hopefully they'll all be fine when gone. whew!

 

[RockerHen]

Well, i've got a little turkey poult now

momma was walking around with the babies in the yard and she got spooked. One got left behind and momma is nowhere to be seen. Well, we'll see how it does. I've always wanted a turkey anyway haha. Anyone else have turkeys? Is it similar to caring for chickens?

Well, if it's an eastern wild, I'm pretty sure in NH you technically have to have a permit to keep it. Most east coast states require it. However, you could probably pass it off as a bronze if anyone asked, the two are quite similar, most people don't know the difference. I have a red bronze tom and people are forever asking me if he's a wild turkey..
On care, they need a relatively high protein feed, as they grow very fast. I feed my entire flock purina flock raiser, in addition to what they forage while free ranging. How old is it? Turkey poults are generally more fragile than chickens when babies and can be quicker to get diseases. Since it's wild, it's probably smarter than domestic ones, but just be aware that they often will not eat or drink from a feeder or waterer until you literally show them how to do it as poults. They fly extremely well and prefer high roosts. They can be aggressive to chickens, and if lonely, a tom will try to mount chickens, which can injure or kill them due to their size. Hens are generally calmer, but aren't afraid to throw their weight around to get what they want. My hen isn't afraid to go after the dogs if they come too close to her haha.
Check to see if blackhead is a problem in your area. This is important, as it will determine if your chickens and turkey can be kept together. It's a rather nasty disease that doesn't affect chickens normally, but they can give it to turkeys, who are much more susceptible.

 

[Sanna]

We have nine silkies. Two of them are almost 4 months old now, but they are not related. We've been thinking they are both boys. One of them has been crowing for a least a month now but the other is not crowing yet. It's comb is bigger than the other pullets but smaller than the cockerel of the same age that is crowing, and it's "fluff" is not as round as the other pullets. I've read that some lines mature most slowly than others. This one is hatched from eggs that came from Catdance.

What do you think - slow maturing cockerel or pullet?

He reminded me of my cockerel when he was 4 months. My splash is also from a Catdance egg. I don't remember when he started to crow, but he was at least 5 months old. And then all of a sudden he just filled in and seemed like over night he turned into a rooster.

Here's Ace with his hatch mates and my old Cochin hen.


Feeling a little macho, I'd say. lol

 

[workinnanie]

This is my first silkie hatched last year. My first purebred silkie ever. He is a big boy now & starting to crow! He is dirty but thought I would post his pic & see what you all thought. His name is Ozzie. He is kinda of a quirky little guy probably because he resides at the bottom of the pecking order! Thanks

 

[workinnanie]

They are all nice.

Love the splash!

 

[PaintedFeathers]

They need to stay warmer, but everything else is about the same. I have two that I'm raising with my chicks. They out grow the chicks pretty quickly though. So be prepaired to seperate them. I moved mine to barn with grown chickens as soon as they got feathered out. They are kinda clumsey and at feeding time last week my big 3 month old 15lb stepped on my 3mth old blue partridge Silkie chick and she died the next day. Now I don't open the grow out coop until after feeding time. I read somewhere that they should be fed game bird feed, but mine are doing fine on layer pellets and free ranging.

Well, if it's an eastern wild, I'm pretty sure in NH you technically have to have a permit to keep it. Most east coast states require it. However, you could probably pass it off as a bronze if anyone asked, the two are quite similar, most people don't know the difference. I have a red bronze tom and people are forever asking me if he's a wild turkey..
On care, they need a relatively high protein feed, as they grow very fast. I feed my entire flock purina flock raiser, in addition to what they forage while free ranging. How old is it? Turkey poults are generally more fragile than chickens when babies and can be quicker to get diseases. Since it's wild, it's probably smarter than domestic ones, but just be aware that they often will not eat or drink from a feeder or waterer until you literally show them how to do it as poults. They fly extremely well and prefer high roosts. They can be aggressive to chickens, and if lonely, a tom will try to mount chickens, which can injure or kill them due to their size. Hens are generally calmer, but aren't afraid to throw their weight around to get what they want. My hen isn't afraid to go after the dogs if they come too close to her haha.
Check to see if blackhead is a problem in your area. This is important, as it will determine if your chickens and turkey can be kept together. It's a rather nasty disease that doesn't affect chickens normally, but they can give it to turkeys, who are much more susceptible.

Thanks

I feed all of my birds a high protein feed as it is so I don't think that would be a problem. I am hoping she learns how to use the feeder and waterer, I dipped her beak in the water but not sure how to teach her how to eat. I will probably move her to the outdoor pen once I feel she is big enough to not get picked on too bad. She is still pretty small and only her wing feathers have grown in so far. I don't think blackhead is a problem here, I've never heard of an outbreak.

 

[Suzierd]

Thanks

I feed all of my birds a high protein feed as it is so I don't think that would be a problem. I am hoping she learns how to use the feeder and waterer, I dipped her beak in the water but not sure how to teach her how to eat. I will probably move her to the outdoor pen once I feel she is big enough to not get picked on too bad. She is still pretty small and only her wing feathers have grown in so far. I don't think blackhead is a problem here, I've never heard of an outbreak.

The mother turkey might come back for it.