Silkie thread!

[SilkiesForEver]

Quote: I'm not! lol I have enough trouble keeping the red-tailed hawks off of my property!

 

[Sylvester017]

Lol, I live in Tasmania , plenty of birds of prey here. It's a white goss hawk. We also have kookaburra , nesting sea eagles, swamp harriers and owls just to name a few. These pics are said culprits hangin around my pens.






So as you can see having fluff over your eyes can be a distinct disadvantage around here.
This little sweet heart runs into the wall each side of the door before finally finding the hole.

Because I had Silkies first and figured they were vulnerable bait, I first added an alert White Leghorn to them as a "lookout" alarm. The White is re-homed now but have added a Buff Leghorn and APA Ameraucana to the 2 Silkies. But you know what? Now that the Silkies are the older hens, THEY'RE the ones to sound the alarms to the Cooper's Hawk and Red-tailed now. Those bushy eyes have gotten pretty darn sharp in their old age LOL! As added precaution we have a couple low to the ground shelters for the flock to dive under. I'm thinking of putting up a couple more since we haven't lost a chicken in 3 years now. I don't have babies because I don't breed. When we do occasionally get juvies or a chick, it's kept in-house until 3 or 4 months old and big before joining the larger group outside so chicks aren't a tempting outdoor bait here. So sorry to hear about your losses. It is heartbreaking not just at the loss of the chickens but the brutal way they are caught by predators :-(

 

[Sylvester017]

CUTIES!

 

[bardies]

Quote: That would be a difficult situation - to admire so many wonderful big birds - and at the same time be in a 'them against mine' predator prey situation...

 

[KV Silkies]

Ok, I am going to cry,

one of my silkie chicks has scissor beak... I just noticed it last night and it's very slight, but after reading all the posts on scissor beak it sounds like it's going to get worse. This was the first chick that hatched, always runs right up to me when I open the cage (they were a week old on Tuesday). UGH. I am hoping it does ok, but realistic enough to know it probably is going to get worse.

 

[clankeyes]

Hello All... we are picking up our Silkies next Wed 3/12. We are getting a Black & Splash... I have read until my eyes blur... and we are new to chickens. The goal is to get two pullets. We can't have roosters. I see this breed is very hard to sex.. any advice ? Pullets smaller than Cockerels ? ?????? We will be picking up other pullet breeds at the same time.

 

[WindStep]

I love silkies I have two girls and hopfully getting one boy and another girl in April. Here is Subana...

 

[kmollyhughes]

Hello All... we are picking up our Silkies next Wed 3/12.  We are getting a Black & Splash... I have read until my eyes blur... and we are new to chickens. The goal is to get two pullets. We can't have roosters. I see this breed is very hard to sex.. any advice ? Pullets smaller than Cockerels ? ?????? We will be picking up other pullet breeds at the same time. 

How old are the ones you're getting? Sometimes you literally can't tell until they lay or crow. Sorry. Maybe the best way to go for you is to get older started pullets so you don't get attached to and have to rehome a roo?

 

[clankeyes]

How old are the ones you're getting? Sometimes you literally can't tell until they lay or crow.

Sorry. Maybe the best way to go for you is to get older started pullets so you don't get attached to and have to rehome a roo?

We are getting babies that will be a few days old. Picking them up from a local feed store. My daughters want them as pets.. so if they are Roo's it would be super hard.

 

[bhj123]

How are the silkie roosters behavior compared to other breeds? Do they crow a lot??
I have some OEGB and the rooster is super loud.