Silkie thread!

[Fur N Feathers]

I love the look on her face, it's like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth.

I know that SUPER innocent look, right?

 

[kabhyper1]

Since you all hatch frequently I have a question. I have a 6 month old standard cochin who decided to go broody. I have two areas for chickens, the large fowl coop with 9 hens including her and 2 roos, and a silkie coop with a roo and 5 hens. I am being told by cochin people to break her broodiness because she is young. Yet others are saying let nature take its course and give her some eggs. My large fowl girls lay fertile backyard mixes everyday, but I really didnt plan on hatching them. If Its best to break her I have no where to put her to keep her out of her chosen box, but with the silkies. She isn't a huge pullet. I have 8 fertile silkie eggs to go into the incubator. I was thinking about letting her try to hatch a few. I am out with them several times a day, so in an emergency, like if she stops sitting, I can pop them into the incubator. I just wasn't sure about a large fowl momma with silkie babies in a large fowl coop. Any advice?

 

[newbie32]

I've only ever had silkies, so I don't know how they compare to tending other chickens. Their fluffy feet can get gunky fast though, depending on your yard and such, so you may have to wash them every once in a while. LOL.

The earliest I've been told to try for sexing is 3 months, unless they get some very obvious combs before that. I've also heard of them taking 7+ months before they're sexed.

7 months! Oh NO! I don't want cock fights or mixed breed birds! I only want one rooster and it has to be a Buff Orp! I got 2 white silkies and their run is sand cause I live in the desert haha, yeah I will need to bath lots!

 

[ChickNmamma]

Hi all! I just got my first 2 silkies last Wednesday. They are 2 weeks old and adorable. I don't know much about silkies except that they are beautiful and that their skin is black. I got both bearded because I plan on showing them eventually. Any advice about things I need to know? Is there anything different about these lovely fluffy chickens that is unique compared to other chickens? Food, ect.......

Is there anything I can do at this early stage to sex them?

Food - you will want to feed them Flock Raiser their entire lives, with calcium free choice. They do better on this because they don't lay as many eggs (they are great layers until they go broody though) and the boys will not want any calcium.

If you plan on showing them you will want to make sure they don't break their foot feathers outside having fun. Some people keep their show birds inside on unscented unclumping kitty litter.

Sorry - no way to sex them at 2 weeks - or even at 2 months - probably closer to 6 months we can guess.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have got 2 x silkies and a Wyandotte broody ATM , so I popped eggs under all of them. She will probably stay broody no matter what you do, so why not have her working for you. Save yourself the power bill.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Someone is trying to steal some silkie babies, can you guess who?

She knows exactly what she is doing too. She will sleep in there with them and cluck to them and get her scent familiar. Miss Goldie, my tiny little Serama hen, AKA silkie baby thief!!!

Oooh, she is sooo sneaky! And smart too - she doesn't have to sit for 21 days to play with the kids! Does she foster mom them or does she steal them completely? I have one hen who foster moms the chicks - anybody's chicks with her own.

Since you all hatch frequently I have a question. I have a 6 month old standard cochin who decided to go broody. I have two areas for chickens, the large fowl coop with 9 hens including her and 2 roos, and a silkie coop with a roo and 5 hens. I am being told by cochin people to break her broodiness because she is young. Yet others are saying let nature take its course and give her some eggs. My large fowl girls lay fertile backyard mixes everyday, but I really didnt plan on hatching them. If Its best to break her I have no where to put her to keep her out of her chosen box, but with the silkies. She isn't a huge pullet. I have 8 fertile silkie eggs to go into the incubator. I was thinking about letting her try to hatch a few. I am out with them several times a day, so in an emergency, like if she stops sitting, I can pop them into the incubator. I just wasn't sure about a large fowl momma with silkie babies in a large fowl coop. Any advice?

If your Cochin doesn't pick on the Silkies you could put her in the Silkie coop? Or, if she is determined and you have a dog crate you can set her up in that - keep her protected until hatch time and then let her out and she will protect the babies - if she is a good mommy.

Let us know what you decide, I have heard Cochins make good mommies too.

 

[kabhyper1]

I have got 2 x silkies and a Wyandotte broody ATM , so I popped eggs under all of them. She will probably stay broody no matter what you do, so why not have her working for you. Save yourself the power bill.

Were you responding to me? If so will silkie babies be okay with a large fowl momma in a large fowl coop?

 

[kabhyper1]

Oooh, she is sooo sneaky! And smart too - she doesn't have to sit for 21 days to play with the kids! Does she foster mom them or does she steal them completely? I have one hen who foster moms the chicks - anybody's chicks with her own.

If your Cochin doesn't pick on the Silkies you could put her in the Silkie coop? Or, if she is determined and you have a dog crate you can set her up in that - keep her protected until hatch time and then let her out and she will protect the babies - if she is a good mommy.

Let us know what you decide, I have heard Cochins make good mommies too.

I do have a 2x4 hardware cloth chicken tractor I could put her in, but I didn't want to separate her and stress her out. I would put the tractor in the barn. Not out in the open. She really isn't a whole lot bigger than the silkies. So you don't think 6 months is too young?

Her with my blue pair before we built the silkie coop and got out white silkie hens.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Were you responding to me? If so will silkie babies be okay with a large fowl momma in a large fowl coop?

Sorry I should have quoted. Yes, my last lot of silkies were raised by a full sized Wyandotte in a mixed pen. One of the silkies still thinks she is a Wyandotte though. This is her and her surrogate mother.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote: Put her in the tractor - she is already separating herself from the rest of the birds by going broody. If she stays in visual and audio contact with the rest of them the re-integration will go more smoothly. You might have a bit of resistance to moving though - make sure to give her fake eggs for the first few days in the "new" nest until she sits tight or changes her mind. That way you won't risk the eggs you want to hatch.

Nope, that is an instinct, not a learned action. Its hardwired into their brain. My first Silkie laid 4 eggs and went broody and she was and is a great momma.

You might have to help her learn the rest of the ropes though - leave her on the nest for the first 3 days, but if she doesn't come off once a day after that encourage it by picking her up and putting her outside - she should run around (hilarious), poop (ugh smelly), eat, drink, sometimes dust bathe and go right back to the nest. I think I only had to do that once with mine - break her concentration and remind her to take care of necessities. After that she was off once a day like clockwork - and back on the nest for the rest of the time.