Silkie thread!

[roostercantrell]

my chickens are ready to get out of the coop in the morning but when it is time to go in for the night they wont go in the coop by themselves i have to put them inside what can i do if anything

When my RIR get stubborn, I grab a handful of scratch and walk into the run and drop it while they're watching. They usually come running all by themselves

i have tried the feed thing it didnt work. they dont freerange i have them in a 8x10 run attached to the coop they just dont seem to want to go in for the night

 

[roostercantrell]

yesterday i was outside working in the yard and heard a godawefull noise that i thought something had gotten in the coop i went over and checked on my chickens they were ok but i found an egg in the nestbox i was soo relived i guess that was their egg song

 

[JONNIEGIRL]

What a wonderful old picture! Made me smile and chuckle.

 

[workinnanie]

Hey Cynthia, that picture reminds me of my grandmother as well. She and my grand dad ran a 1200acre farm in Wisconsin. She had chickens as well. We lived in a small river town in Wisconsin & when I was naughty I was sent to the farm to follow the hay loader! I really loved the farm. I was there when the thrashing took place and all the neighbors helped each other. We fed them. Couldn't believe how much the guys could eat! Fun memories!

 

[BuckNBark Farm]

The first generation crossbreeding will not look very good. It will take several generations to get nice looking showgirls. The first generation looks mottly-feathered and actually quite unattractive. Sweet but unattractive. See if you can find a Show Girl thread or website to get better genetic counselling.

And they will have wattles from Hades, the ones that I've seen.

 

[Sylvester017]

We get a kick out of hearing the second one.
It'll sort itself out one way or the other in time.
We enjoy having them and as long as everyone is getting along enough to where no one suffers and the neighbors don't blow a fuse, then we can be patient.

I was looking closer at their feet as I put them up this evening and it is a funny sight.
I wish we could let them free range in our big back yard, but the presence of many hawks would make that a bad idea.

Silkies have got to be the most adorable chicken in the world. My next favourite is a tie between the Blue Wheaten Ameraucana and Buff Leghorn - guess you know what I have LOL Next Spring we are adding two gentle-tempered Breda pullets for new egg layers - then I'll be maxxed out for my chicken limit.

Without a roo my girls are predator savvy. It took us 3 years to realize how smart these girls are.

Of course we use common sense and provide them with ample places to take cover. Hawks like to fly in the air to catch their prey or swoop down on them in an open area (easy chicks are their favourite). Chickens have excellent eyesight and are aware of aerial predators and know how to immediately take cover under or into things. Aerial predators will not hassle that kind of environment to pick off adult chickens. Hawks are looking for open areas. We have a popup canopy and several lean-to's and a doghouse and the coop for the chickens to hide and as I said it took us 3 years to realize how savvy these hens are without a roo in the flock. It just takes a lot of bushes, lean-to's, doghouse, etc to provide plenty of hiding places. Chickens love hiding. Sometimes we think we've lost our girls only to find all 4 of them hanging out in the doghouse for an afternoon snooze.

 

[Sylvester017]

yesterday i was outside working in the yard and heard a godawefull noise that i thought something had gotten in the coop i went over and checked on my chickens they were ok but i found an egg in the nestbox i was soo relived i guess that was their egg song

I have one Silkie that is so quiet that we never know when she lays an egg. The second Silkie is to noisy that the whole neighborhood can hear her. Hens are noisy usually because someone else is in their favourite nestbox.

Our noisy Silkie has started to come to our sliding door to enter the house and go lay her egg in the indoor chicken pen box and then she'll go outside again. She gets tired of waiting for the coop nestbox to come available!

 

[Sylvester017]

i have tried the feed thing it didnt work. they dont freerange i have them in a 8x10 run attached to the coop they just dont seem to want to go in for the night

Is your ramp wide with 3-inch steps and NOT painted? Silkies like sure-footing so it may be the ramp is either too steep, too narrow, or step cleats are not close enough or too slippery from being painted. My Silkies like a lot of coop ventilation. Just throwing some ideas out there.

One chickeneer solved the Silkie pile up on the coop floor by setting up a large covered cat litter box with bedding/straw/shavings to entice them off the coop floor.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hey Cynthia, that picture reminds me of my grandmother as well. She and my grand dad ran a 1200acre farm in Wisconsin. She had chickens as well. We lived in a small river town in Wisconsin & when I was naughty I was sent to the farm to follow the hay loader! I really loved the farm. I was there when the thrashing took place and all the neighbors helped each other. We fed them. Couldn't believe how much the guys could eat! Fun memories!

"Thrashing"? They beat you up?
Or did you mean "Threshing" LOL

 

[Cynthia12]

I have one Silkie that is so quiet that we never know when she lays an egg. The second Silkie is to noisy that the whole neighborhood can hear her. Hens are noisy usually because someone else is in their favourite nestbox.

Our noisy Silkie has started to come to our sliding door to enter the house and go lay her egg in the indoor chicken pen box and then she'll go outside again. She gets tired of waiting for the coop nestbox to come available!

I have a bantam cochin that just goes and lays, no announcing. But, when she is outside the coop, and you are out there, she talks to you the whole time. I have a white silkie that is looking boyish. He has started talking to me too. They make the cutest little noises when they talk.