Silkie thread!

[NYREDS]

Mine are always way smaller than the others that I see. I've tried many feeding combos to build them up. Mine seem to get stunted growing up, even tho I use starter and grower.

Pam

What do they weigh? Many of the Silkies I see being shown are way too big.


ETA: if you're no weighing your breeders you should-everyone should.

 

[Sylvester017]

Sylvester,

Maybe you saw the LF vs bantam from this site http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Silkies/BRKSilkies.html?

Could be. Maybe the reason I didn't go with Silkies at that time was the gross looking LF male. I just don't like big wattles or combs like the U.K. and Australian SOPs. I like little or no combs and wattles. I also like the beards even though non-bearded is also accepted. Just a personal preference on my part. Either way Silkies are sweeties.

 

[Sylvester017]

Mine are always way smaller than the others that I see. I've tried many feeding combos to build them up. Mine seem to get stunted growing up, even tho I use starter and grower.

Pam

When I got my juvies from the show breeder, she said to give them lots of protein like hard-boiled eggs because they needed it to supply nutrients to their new feathers and growing muscles. But she never told me how MUCH protein so what I did was give them crumbled cooked egg yolk and whites til they were full (which was NEVER). But I limited the juvies to one egg a piece each morning. Then they got live culture Greek yogurt, no-soy dry kitten food ground up in their chick starter and as they got a little older canned no-soy kitten food (expensive at the feed store) but I had no idea what I was doing. For all my chickens young and old I give one drop of Poly-Vi-Sol no iron children's vitamin drop a couple X/week and 3X/week or more to a broody. Both my protein supplemented juvies are the biggest in my flock today. Could be coincidence. Dunno. Just guessed at the time.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Mine are always way smaller than the others that I see.  I've tried many feeding combos to build them up.  Mine seem to get stunted growing up, even tho I use starter and grower.

Pam

Pam, once a week I give mine generic sardines in olive oil mixed with cooked macaroni and raw egg. Only once a week as they are high in salt . Regular dry cat food is also too high in salt to feed on a daily basis. We have a micro pellet here called show bird finisher, it is 22 % protein and as the name suggests quite small and more palatable for smaller birds. Chia seed is also very high in protein and there are several chia products available in yoghurt type tubs that can be fed straight to the bird. Just check the calcium level in some of these products it can be way too high. That being said your birds protein levels may be just fine .
Your birds certainly look healthy enough. I only give the micro pellet when the egg production drops and at molting time.

 

[subhanalah]

Has anyone tried duckweed for their chickens? Apparently it is higher in protein than roasted soybeans.

 

[PeckPeckChick]

Help my 7 week old silkie is still very tiny and can fit in to my hand. She is very playful but has not grown much since we got her. I have her on vitamins
And chick starter.

 

[kendradillon]

this is our ellie! we got her on Friday night. she 4 months old

 

[daphneysmamma]

she is cute!

 

[kendradillon]

thx!!! shes fun! I have an indoor chicken too but a d'anver.I have 5 total chickens soon to be 6! 3 d'anvers, ellie the silkie, pearkl the idk what the hell you are lol and I will be getting a naked neck baby soon

 

[subhanalah]

Help my 7 week old silkie is still very tiny and can fit in to my hand. She is very playful but has not grown much since we got her. I have her on vitamins
And chick starter.

you can feed her mashed up eggs to try to get her to grow more. (Maybe one a day)
Do you have a scale? You should weigh her every day to see if she's growing. Does she have food available to her at all times?