Silkie thread!

[atrueb00]

My First-Aid/Supplies Box:

* Poultry Protector - organic OMRI lice/mite preventative treatment for coops and directly on birds (directions on spray bottle - not cheap but works for prevention) use 1x/month ea bird and coop -- we don't use DE because of all the warnings to protect from eyes or inhaling into lungs when using it - if it's that dangerous to humans wearing a mask what does it do to little chicken eyes and lungs? We gave away our food grade white DE unopened after researching all the snake oil treatments the product supposedly covered plus it is not effective - our egg seller friend says she still has lice after using it - anything that unsafe/unpredictable has no place around our family or pets
* Vitamin E oil - $4 small bottle from Walmart - treatment for scaly leg mite prevention plus vitamin is used for dry skin health treatment for legs/toes/nails/beak/comb/wattles - use 1x/month ea bird - treated after birds go to roost and are calm to handle then put back on roost - we no longer use vaseline or olive oil as these are so greasy as to cause stained feathers that hold onto dirt from dust-baths
* Poly-Vi-Sol no iron children's liquid vitamins - ONE drop only on the side of chicken's beak away from nostril and let it drip onto chicken's tongue - don't force beak open as liquid could go down into lungs - 1 to 2x per week ea bird - 3x week for broody hens
* Ivermectin equine paste in a tube - for worming chickens externally - recommended by our avian vet as an excellent product properly dosaged - one Q-tip drop per pound of bird's weight applied to SKIN under wings - 2 drop equivalent for 2 lb bird - 4 drop equivalent for 4 lb bird etc - or use worming product of your choice at feed stores (we like an exact dose w/Ivermectin as the drinking water worming method isn't good with our birds as some drink a lot of water and some not so much). We worm 3x a year on a schedule. Large flocks worm 4x a year. Wild birds continually bring lice, mites & worms to your property
* Baby Shampoo - good to use on gunked/caked vents or feathers where warm water baths alone are not effective enough - for storage convenience we keep the small sample-size bottle
* Pet Silver Wound Spray - recommended by a BYC flock owner who is also a nurse and has used this external antiseptic like an antibiotic for preventing infections of external wounds.
* Small syringe for liquid administering
* Name and phone number for vet
* Powder-crushed dry feed supplements in tight-lid containers - i.e. Brewers Yeast, pumpkin seeds, chia seeds, quinoa seeds, whole oats, whole wheat, dried mealworms, shelled raw sunflower seeds, no-SOY high protein dry kitten food, canned no-SOY kitten food, sardines in olive oil, or whatever of your choosing for dry supplements to add to your fermented feed
* Soft tape roll - not the thick heavy first-aid white tape but the softer stuff ( I had to use it when our Silkie ripped a couple nails off so she wouldn't keep pecking at her bloody toes ) This tape stays on the Silkie toes protectively for up to 4 days for us - the tape also secured infant socks over the Silkie's injured feet for a couple days in-house recuperating - great tape!
* Scissors
* Toe nail clippers
* Electric Dremel polisher or electric toenail trimmer
* Septic pencil - stop bleeding of the quick in toenail if nicked during trimming
* Antiseptic liquid wash
* Alcohol - for sterilizing instruments
* Triple antibiotic ointment
* Band-Aids - have many uses - for hobbling splayed leg chicks - we don't raise chicks but many is the time I had cut my finger or got scratched by a chicken's toenails while holding her

A lot of the contents seem mundane but it's surprising in an emergency you can't find most of that stuff around the house so having it all in one box is convenient. We have a big handled box that has French chicken designs on it so we know exactly how to recognize it when we're looking for it. We keep adding things to the box as our chicken education progresses. Unfortunately the Poultry Protector stands too tall to put inside the box so we made an external strap for it on the outside of the box. I suppose we could put the liquid in a smaller spray bottle but I like having the directions at hand right on the Poultry Protector bottle. Eventually we'll have to get a bigger box and I'm looking for one with chickens or eggs on the design.

This is super helpful! Thank you for the list and for posting the uses!

 

[mshuey1]

Color opinions???????

this has nice coloring!

 

[mshuey1]

Can't wait till my English Chocolate Orpington hatch 3 more days!!!

 

[mketchum826]

My 6 week old silkie has big spur spots. My adult hens never had ones this big and another silkie same age doesn't have any. Does that mean it's a rooster?

 

[MamasSilkies]

My chickies are at the age of brooding and my roo isn't "getting it on" with any of the hens. I adopting 5 babies and also took in a brooding hen who pecks at all my chicks now grrr. I know she is establishing that she is the ruler on the coop. We named her Queen Madea. Lol
Anyway I have a few questions that need answers to.. Why won't my only semi adult roo mate? Also Madea was very broody when we first got her. We gave her some eggs to sit on and she wouldn't stay with them. Mind you she was sitting on eggs she stole from other hens the day we got her.
Now I found 3 eggs that she hasn't been sitting on at all!
And the other hens.... Well they haven't laid their first egg yet so I don't think they would know what to do with them. Frustrated here. Hate to see these eggs go to waste.

 

[themadchicken]

thanks for the help on this little chicks color.


I looked up partridge and i think your right on the color. I ended up with 6 chicks on this hatch and nobody looks alike. Her is a group photo, sorry about the poor picture.


Any guess on this color?

 

[Cynthia12]

I had one hatch similar to this only it's wings are lighter, I posted a pic and didn't get any answer on what color it might be. It's about a week old and looks like it's growing partridge-y feathers.

Jean, that is what we are thinking, Partridge..do you have any photos of late?

 

[Cynthia12]

I got 3 new boys Saturday This one is a black/silver that I'm going to put with my Paint pullet (she is hatching eggs at this very moment!) Not his, tho.

Very nice!

 

[Cynthia12]

I think the combs typically do get bigger faster on the boys, However, I had a trio of chicks last December, and I sold the one with the comb getting bigger at 3-4 weeks (a LOT bigger!) and the two that I kept ended up boys, and the one sold ended up a girl. So I am skeptical now. That hen turned out gorgeous, I was so mad at myself for giving her up. It was a beautiful bearded bowtied paint showgirl.

That's the hard part, trying to decide which ones to keep. Well, I have eggs in lock down right now, and this time, I am keeping all of the colors I want..I want another white, as you know, and a splash..as you know..lol..and..a paint now if any of the three in there hatch. So, if I get three paints, I'm keeping them until I know, if I get three whites, I'm keeping them until I know..and.....if i get three splash, I'm keeping them until I know. LOL...best way. Plus, with having some of the best known eggs out there in my bator, I just may keep all of those, but one, and that's the black that Iluv has been waiting on. Of curse, with all of the BBS in there, there could be more blacks, I am not really wanting a black. We'll see, can't count my chicks before they hatch, but I have two pipped right now from one set. My others from the gal I got Cotton and Dixie from are in lock down as of today. Woot, two days apart..here we go.

I have a white out there, was so hoping it was a girl, because I could tell it's going to have a nice body type and fluff..it is the other one that hatched from the same gal I got your black from that you got from me. How is that one doing anyway..still crowing? Anyway, this white is starting to look like it's getting a big boys comb.

 

[Cynthia12]

For SOME breeds this works. SIlkies are not one of those breeds. It is a sex-linked trait, and the gene has to be bred in.

This I know very well now. And, do you sell eggs?

You have some beautiful birds. Are you a judge by chance..my first time seeing you.