Silkie thread!

[BonRae67]

I'd lean toward cockerel on the second one, but it's really far too early to tell on any of them (at least for someone of my limited expertise).  They're certainly adorable.

Thank you. I am pretty sure #2 is a boy. He stands tall and protects everyone else. He is the sweetest of the bunch.

 

[judy mclean]

When did they hatch? 

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/41693/spraddle-leg-splay-leg-treatment-instructions

yesterday evening

 

[BonRae67]

Is there anyone out there working with the color calico in silkies?

I am not working with the color, but I did get one this hatch. Pics right above your post.

 

[18angovem]

Because of Silkie fluff they really can't handle their feathers getting soaked. A normal feathered chicken can sometimes float/swim in a shallow pond or kiddie pool but Silkies don't have that kind of feather protection. I am so desperately sorry your roo is gone. It's so horrible to think how helpless he was feeling and how tired he got struggling in the water - oh I hurt! Chickens aren't ducks - an open/filled pond can be covered w/a plywood plank or even pin-clip a tarp over and around it. Not seeing where they're going is a Silkie myth I'm convinced. Mine have had a lot of fluff and see predators, etc, no problem. But chickens spook at noises, shadows, etc, and the roo might've startled and just jumped the wrong way and couldn't get out. I have an Ameraucana that's always shrieking at flapping tarp, shadows from overhead aircraft, the sliding door opening or closing, a dog bark next door, etc. and we'll see her jump several feet in the air when startled. At least she can fly to get out of a situation but Silkies can't fly - they jump high but they can't fly.

Thanks! He seemed ok around it but I was worried about it... I was going to start building a bigger coop this week so the silkies had to come out and the aviary was the only option. I feel so bad for him. And he was such a sweet heart too! Sweetest rooster I have ever known. He actually took over a group of chicks when their mom silkie died He raised them to adulthood.

 

[dandymandie]

Scary Spice and Napkin



I'm having so much fun watching my chicks change! Their feathers look different everyday. Their first day home I thought I had two buffs two blacks and a white. But I think I'm very wrong about that? One of the chicks that I thought was buff has black sort of stripes on her wings now and the other does not. Interesting! Thought I had little twinsies. They asked what colors I would like when I picked them up but I realize through reading the forums that they can turn out different. Very neat!

 

[cpegram]

I am not working with the color, but I did get one this hatch. Pics right above your post.

I did see it. Pretty chick

 

[Fancychooklady]

So my white silkie rooster died today... He drowned. I moved my flock into my aviary last week and everything seemed fine until today. There is a 1000 gallon pond in there that I found him in and dead. No signs of anything other than drowning.. He has feathers that cover his eye so maybe he just fell in? 

Sorry for your loss. I have lost a few chicks to drowning and sometimes it's very difficult to protect them from all danger. I now put house bricks in any of the bigger water troughs or cover them with steel mesh.

 

[emvickrey]

Birds don't simply outgrow their legs. Larger breeds can be susceptible to cage layer fatigue , where they sit on their hocks but this is usually due to improper calcium /phosphate ratio. Check her over for lice and mites and inspect inside the ear. I have had a hen go off balance with an ear infection. I found a smelly plug of puss in the ear.
Wryneck occurs when their is a thiamine B1 deficiency. The symptoms will normally begin in the legs with ataxia and then move up into the neck, the effects vary from a mild twisted neck to the more drastic ' star gazing ' stance. Silkies are predisposed to this condition .
with tube feeding, it's hard to know whether or not she is getting enough nutrition or vitamin supplement. Have you weighed her ?
I would PM @Casportpony and ask her for advice on feeding. She's the guru.

I've been giving her vitamins everyday and the food I give her is chick starter. I grind it up to powder then add water to make it just thick enough to go thru the tube. I keep checking the size of her crop. When it is an appropriate size I stop. She usually starts protesting close to being full. When her crop is empty I feed her again. I give her water before I feed her. I give her about a table spoon of water before I give the food. She had lost some weight by the time I discovered something was wrong. She was always sitting somewhere when I went out to feed and water. I moved her out of the pen she was in because I had a feeling somebody in that pen wasn't being very nice to her. I never witnessed any abuse but by the way she acted I thought that was the case. When I set her down in the trough I have in the carport room where she could be warmer and away from the other chickens she wobbled and went down on her side. I brought her in and sat her on the floor and she was walking backwards and in a circle. I was told it sounded like a brain injury. So I started treating her for that. Then as advice came in on what it could be I treated her. We had a set back when I gave her corrid but lesson learned on that.

So what I"m doing for her now and it seems to be working is tube feeding her and giving her vitamins every day. She is now eating and drinking a little on her own but I still make sure she gets enough to eat by tube feeding. She now has food and water available to her in her cage. She is in the living room so I can watch her and she has been doing pretty good. She gets around the cage but not the regular way by walking. She flaps her wings to get where she wants to go.

 

[CandJFarm]

My 2 silkies 5 days old enjoying the yard....anyone no the colors of these little one im thinking grey n partridge

 

[Fancychooklady]

I've been giving her vitamins everyday and the food I give her is chick starter. I grind it up to powder then add water to make it just thick enough to go thru the tube. I keep checking the size of her crop. When it is an appropriate size I stop. She usually starts protesting close to being full. When her crop is empty I feed her again. I give her water before I feed her. I give her about a table spoon of water before I give the food. She had lost some weight by the time I discovered something was wrong. She was always sitting somewhere when I went out to feed and water. I moved her out of the pen she was in because I had a feeling somebody in that pen wasn't being very nice to her. I never witnessed any abuse but by the way she acted I thought that was the case. When I set her down in the trough I have in the carport room where she could be warmer and away from the other chickens she wobbled and went down on her side. I brought her in and sat her on the floor and she was walking backwards and in a circle. I was told it sounded like a brain injury. So I started treating her for that. Then as advice came in on what it could be I treated her. We had a set back when I gave her corrid but lesson learned on that.

So what I"m doing for her now and it seems to be working is tube feeding her and giving her vitamins every day. She is now eating and drinking a little on her own but I still make sure she gets enough to eat by tube feeding. She now has food and water available to her in her cage. She is in the living room so I can watch her and she has been doing pretty good. She gets around the cage but not the regular way by walking. She flaps her wings to get where she wants to go.

It could be a brain injury from a peck but it could also be a number of things that cause neurological symptoms. The vitamins seem to be helping so keep giving them to her . I would still talk to @casportpony Cathy can give an idea of how much you should be feeding. I use a product called poly aid plus, it contains everything they need including probiotics. Here's the link.

http://www.thebirdcottage.com/s-poly-aidplus.asp