Silkie thread!

[PaintedFeathers]

Maybe you guys can help me, I'm new with all this stuff. My silkie was brooding last week and we finally got her to stop; now all her feathers are coming out of her chest. To me it seems like her temperature is higher than the other girls just by holding her.She is eating and drinking normally. Is she molting? Or does molting happen in a different season? Please look at the attached picture. Also, is there any suggestions on vets you can take chickens to?

Thank you for any help!

Yes as stated broodies will pluck out their feathers, they will also molt right after brooding.

I FOUND SAND!!!!

I never knew I'd be so excited to find sand! lol We had a big mountain of nice sand right here on the farm. I knew there was gravel and wood chips, didn't think we had sand but surprise! I lugged 3 wheelbarrows, half filled, to my little Cochins. Omg, I almost died.

That stuff is really heavy when it's wet and pushing a heavy wheelbarrow up hill isn't fun. Next time I'll have someone take the tractor out for me and scoop up some sand. I'll just shovel it into the pen. Save me a lot of hours and work. lol
But I have sand!! I think I'll take some out for the Silkies also if this works out well.

Happy chicken dance!

 

[ChickNmamma]

Although they won't be joining the big flock for some time, I put the three four-week-old silkies out to free range with the six-to-ten-week-old birds under supervision. The older birds just looked at them and sometimes got too close for the chicks' comfort. Those brave little chicks pecked at the older pullets, but the older pullets just walked off again. I have in the coop three six-week-old silkies (Thunderhead, Cottonball and Pinto) and one ten-week old one (Professor Fluffles). Pinto and Cottonball ignored the chicks as completely as most of the egg laying pullets, Thunderhead pecked one of them on the head, but got pecked back. The Professor hung around them, followed them as they foraged by the chicken yard and always stayed within a foot of them. The four of them seemed to enjoy each other's company. It was so cute.

Cheddar photobombed this one.

The temporary fence there keeps them from wandering into the garden. One less direction that needs to be guarded.



Jazz following Professor Fluffles. White Flame and Lou are in the front.



The Professor just watching as the chicks foraged. He's a sweetheart of a chicken. Loves to be held. "He" is used loosely since we don't know for sure yet.

The Professor looks like he is taking care of them. Both the males and the females will take care of the babies - but the males are better at taking them in when they are older.

My German Shepherd named Birdi her own little chick, whether she likes it or not

This chick is so fascinated by Birdi. For the last 3 weeks or so she has been following her around and frequently walking up to inspect her. At first Birdi was a little freaked or by it. Now she ignores it.

The chick's name is Birdi's Birdie.

That's cute - you have a Birdi dog and her bird.

I FOUND SAND!!!!

I never knew I'd be so excited to find sand! lol We had a big mountain of nice sand right here on the farm. I knew there was gravel and wood chips, didn't think we had sand but surprise! I lugged 3 wheelbarrows, half filled, to my little Cochins. Omg, I almost died.

That stuff is really heavy when it's wet and pushing a heavy wheelbarrow up hill isn't fun. Next time I'll have someone take the tractor out for me and scoop up some sand. I'll just shovel it into the pen. Save me a lot of hours and work. lol
But I have sand!! I think I'll take some out for the Silkies also if this works out well.

Isn't it amazing what little things can make people happy? If somebody had told you a year ago you would be so excited about sand.. you wouldn't believe them.

I am glad you found it! And yes, get somebody with some machinery to help.

I have decomposed gravel on my hill I want to put under the coops - but I can't get in there with anything except a shovel.. and its a hillside

Move a little - wait and see what moves... wish I could get a tractor in there.

 

[Jharper]

Yes as stated broodies will pluck out their feathers, they will also molt right after brooding. Happy chicken dance!

YESSS!!! Awesome I know you weren't replying to me though but I needed to know that b/c my cochin bantam has some feathers that were lost and came back with some whitish tint to the tips to them and she needs them to be gone before show! Hahaha. She came from a well known breeder she meet the criteria. Hahahaha! Thanks anyways. She is black by the way.

This is her and her brood. You can tell that some feathers are shorter than the others out there back on her tail.

 

[blipit007]

Hahaha! Your funny! Im glad you found some though!

I FOUND SAND!!!!

I never knew I'd be so excited to find sand! lol We had a big mountain of nice sand right here on the farm. I knew there was gravel and wood chips, didn't think we had sand but surprise! I lugged 3 wheelbarrows, half filled, to my little Cochins. Omg, I almost died.

That stuff is really heavy when it's wet and pushing a heavy wheelbarrow up hill isn't fun. Next time I'll have someone take the tractor out for me and scoop up some sand. I'll just shovel it into the pen. Save me a lot of hours and work. lol
But I have sand!! I think I'll take some out for the Silkies also if this works out well.

Thanks for the info... I'm not a genetics guru yet... so it is confusing to me when you say two copies. And do you get a paint from a white? Where do paints come from?

Lavender is a completely different gene - it is recessive and only shows up with two copies. Not the same as Blue, and a chicken can carry both. I am not sure which one is dominant over the other..

Its like the difference between a Paint bird and a White bird.

This confusion is why I don't like the term "Self-Blue" - but it has been used with the OEG for years so we got stuck with it.

 

[blipit007]

I mean, I understand two copies... one copy for each parent. But what is that copy carried in? A white bird? Or any bird?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

What do you guys use for sand in your pens? I'm thinking of adding sand to one of my pens, maybe two, if it's not an expensive project.
Is there a type of sand I should NOT use for chickens?

Play sand (remains loose) is better than builders sand (compacts). Always make sure it is screened and cleaned.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: ALL sand is silica (quartz).

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Oooh! Count me in!
Quote: Play sand is THE CORRECT type to use. You do not want sand that easily compacts (builder/construction sand). All sand is predominantly silica. (I have a BA in Earth Science (as well as in English)).

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Ok dont laugh! I've been doing research online about silkies and now I'm worried I have psyched myself out of getting one. I've read that they have holes in their skull even into adult hood and that they are prone to brain Injuries because of this. That they need a slowly slanting walk way to the coop that isnt far from the ground, but we've already built our coop and id say it is 2 to 2 1/2 ft off the ground. I also read that they could even hurt themselves just by trying to get onto the bigger perch with the rest of the birds. I'm also worried about only having 1 of them with 4 other LF birds that will be using a higher perch. I know I could have 2 perches but I don't want her to feel left out

I'm worried I will come home one day after growing so attached to her and seeing her hurt and not being able to help her! Can someone please tell me this is rare or that I am over reacting. I've been so excited to finally find one for sale and now I'm worried it would cause me more stress to own one.

IFF they have a vaulted skull, it will have holes in it during chick-hood, but most holes should close by adulthood. Just like with human babies! I have had very few with brain injuries due to the vaulted skull. If they get encephalitis, that may be a different story, but I have had encephalitis with other breeds as often as with silkies. Crookneck, to some extent, but less common with other breeds. My silkies tend to terrorize my largefowl birds. THEY are at the top of the pecking order, not the largefowl. When I checked them for the evening a half hour ago, there were 4 or 5 birds on a floor that is two feet above ground level with no ramp. And in a different coop at least 4 or 5 that were on shelves 2' and 4' above the floor level (no ramps) (which is a foot above ground level). I used to have a silkie who roosted atop a 4' tall wire fence. Given a choice, most of my silkies do not choose ground level unless they are broody on a ground level next. However, most do not choose a tall roost. They do like to be near their flockmates.

I see a lot of misinformation and "scary" stories out there that just do not match my experiences.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: A winter pile is small diameter and "taller." A summer pile is large diameter and one silkie deep (unless there is a hen brooding babies. Top hen position is bottom center of the pile (although babies will spread underneath the adult pile). Lower ranking hens are farther out, and the whole pile is surrounded by the boys.