Silkie thread!

[PaintedFeathers]

I covered the door of the coop up and put hay down for them to walk on anf give the boys a nice fluffy pile to sleep in. Luckily their coop didn't flood today when it rained. No lights fo them. I wouldn't worry so much about them if it wasn't 46* today, but I guess its time for some winter weather for at least a few days.

I would cal that a heat wave now LOL! You think that's bad, it's going to be a high of 2 degrees for the next two days and lows down to -20! Also we're in the middle of a blizzard at the moment

Just what we need... more snow!

 

[K Epp]

It's dropping from 46* to 16* after heavy rains. We might get snow just maybe... Most likely what we will have is black ice and power outages. Which will be tragic because I have eggs incubating in day 15. They are bantam, but I dont have room for a dozen in my bra.

 

[PaintedFeathers]

It's dropping from 46* to 16* after heavy rains. We might get snow just maybe... Most likely what we will have is black ice and power outages. Which will be tragic because I have eggs incubating in day 15. They are bantam, but I dont have room for a dozen in my bra.

Try getting some hand warmers, if you loose power put the hand warmers in the incubator until they reach the right temp. But you have to keep replacing them because even though they say 10 hrs or so they only last about 1 =P

 

[Teila]

Wow .. it is weird to read about snow and cold chickens when we have had a run of hot days and I am battling to keep my girls cool.

I am stuck at work today with a predicted 37C (98.6F). Unfortunately I will not be home tomorrow either and it is predicted to be 42-43C (107-109F). No free range because it is not safe if we are not home.

#1 son has been given instructions on keeping them cool tomorrow and as hubby is not working today, I have just rung him to ask him to damp down the run and find out how they are doing.

He is a bit cranky cos he is out and about shopping and he dislikes shopping so much. Further chatting reveals that he is just picking up the batteries for the timer which is going on the run misting system he has apparently nearly finished!

So, so sweet!! Guess who loves our little girls just as much as I do

 

[ottbjumper06]

Ok silkie experts... I picked up a porcelain pair of silkies after researching the breed for quite a while and locating a reputable breeder. Now I've caught the fluffy chicken bug and would like to breed porcelains and partridges. I am a little confused about a couple things still though.
I hope I'm not bogging down the thread with my questions!
I see some people are mixing varieties in their silkie pens. This is a no no with my Ameraucanas, is this acceptable with Silkies?
I also have LF birds and in the off season I let my breeders run together. Should I be concerned with letting these little cotton balls run loose with the big boys? I've heard some of them can be quite fragile.
What is a vaulted skull?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Ok silkie experts... I picked up a porcelain pair of silkies after researching the breed for quite a while and locating a reputable breeder. Now I've caught the fluffy chicken bug and would like to breed porcelains and partridges. I am a little confused about a couple things still though.
I hope I'm not bogging down the thread with my questions!
I see some people are mixing varieties in their silkie pens. This is a no no with my Ameraucanas, is this acceptable with Silkies?
I also have LF birds and in the off season I let my breeders run together. Should I be concerned with letting these little cotton balls run loose with the big boys? I've heard some of them can be quite fragile.
What is a vaulted skull?

There are certain varieties that can be paired together (BBS, black and lavender, black and paint, etc.), but in most cases you don;t want to mix varieties or you will get mutt colouring.

My silkies and LF are together without problems; in general, my silkies run the show, keeping the LF birds in line.

 

[cxs918]

Do you often bring them in during the cold or is this because they are young? I have 3 in Rhode Island and we are getting the blizzard tonight. I added extra hay and shavings and have a water heater but not a heat lamp. Have a great coop and checked on them and they are all huddled together and seem fine. Am I better off bringing them in ? The run is also protected as we have roof and boards around it to prevent snow from getting in so they can walk around during the day.

 

[ottbjumper06]

There are certain varieties that can be paired together (BBS, black and lavender, black and paint, etc.), but in most cases you don;t want to mix varieties or you will get mutt colouring.

My silkies and LF are together without problems; in general, my silkies run the show, keeping the LF birds in line.

Thanks! Would you be able to tell me what a vaulted skull is by chance?

 

[Suzierd]

Thanks! Would you be able to tell me what a vaulted skull is by chance?

A vaulted skull is where the skull is raised up there's a soft spot and if pecked in that area it can cause brain damage or death. It gets better as they get older. I keep mine separate from the large fowl, it can go either way, I've read about many deaths to silkies from LF.

 

[kabhyper1]

So my friend on another thread posted this picture under my Lily, because of the resmblance... I'm still laughing!

Lily...