Silkie thread!

[Suzierd]

Ella laid her first egg. e She's the pullet who's housed with Thunderhead, the convalescing cockerel and is very attached to him. She squawks whenever he's out of her sight. Since she's seven months old, I was figuring it was time to make her a nest box, but we were busy this weekend. Today she spent the day shredding the newspaper we line the "coop" part of their pen in the mudroom with. The pen is sand (wood chips just get all over the house and break my vacuum), but they claimed a built-in shelf where I set up their pen, too. That's their "coop," where they sleep every night. Anyway, today Ella was squawking up a storm right after I got home, but I just thought she lost track of Thunderhead again. My son found the egg in the sand when he got Thunderhead out for his supplemental feeding. The picture is rotated in Picasa, why not here? Ella and Thunderhead. Ella needs a bath--her crest is dirty from eating a grape, then foraging outside yesterday.

Congrats on the first egg! Ella and Thunderhead look great. Has he gained weight?

 

[minihorse927]

I'm used to seeing a lot more red on them...is it a young bird?

He was young. He was probably 4-5months old there.

 

[sheeshshe]

Soooo.... a few months ago, I tried hatching out some chicks under my 2 broodies hens. none of them hatched out, they all died. One hen started laying a few eggs a couple of weeks ago, then went broody. So, she didn't lay eggs for a few months. I got a rooster and that broke her broodiness. Still no eggs. The other hen still hasn't laid any since the non hatched broodies months ago! Any idea what gives?

 

[moomoodiddy]

Soooo.... a few months ago, I tried hatching out some chicks under my 2 broodies hens.  none of them hatched out, they all died.  One hen started laying a few eggs a couple of weeks ago, then went broody.  So, she didn't lay eggs for a few months.  I got a rooster and that broke her broodiness.  Still no eggs.  The other hen still hasn't laid any since the non hatched broodies months ago!  Any idea what gives?

be pacient grasshopper! theyre just takinga break they always stop laying when u want eggs

 

[Urchin]

Congrats on the first egg! Ella and Thunderhead look great. Has he gained weight?

He weighs 1 lb. 2 oz. right now. When I brought him home after his surgery, he was 10 oz. He drinks just fine and is just starting to eat, so hopefully he's on the way to recovery. I doubt I'll ever be able to return these two to the flock, but they're happy together. I also doubt Thunderhead will ever be strong enough to breed, so I might have to sneak a rooster in for an hour or two to make with Ella if we decide to breed her.

 

[BelleFarm]

I

In order to get a variety of colored chicks, I have decided to get a black hen, a partridge hen, and a white hen and a buff rooster. I am going to get one more rooster and two more hens, but I am unsure of what colors to get. Mainly, I think of splash, blue, and paint. But to me, all of those colors seem so similar. The only other colors I can think of are porcelain or lavender which I don't fully understand what they look like. If I were to get two more hens and one rooster, what colors would you suggest they be to create the most variety in colored chicks? I just don't want duplicated colors because I want a colorful flock with each chicken being differently colored. I would really love to hear what other people's opinions are. Thank you.

I would love to hear what colors your flock yields. It sounds like alot of fun, and I'm not very good at the genetics behind it, but grays are very pretty.

 

[Jharper]

What color do y'all think this is?

Also what do y'all think of it?

 

[sheeshshe]

be pacient grasshopper! theyre just takinga break they always stop laying when u want eggs

so you're saying it is normal for them to take a 3 month break from laying after going broody?

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Quote: x2 The hens lay when they want. You never know when they'll take a break. It is good to have more hens than you technically need.

It is good to balance out your "broody banties" with some youngish sex links or leghorns in your flock to give you that egg a day.

 

[sheeshshe]

x2 The hens lay when they want. You never know when they'll take a break. It is good to have more hens than you technically need.

It is good to balance out your "broody banties" with some youngish sex links or leghorns in your flock to give you that egg a day.

thanks! I guess I was getting worried that there was something wrong with her. I don't count on eggs for eating from the silkies, they're just not good egg layers, IMO. I was just worried about her is all.