Silkie thread!

[Osburnsa]

We got our first Silkie the other day. I'm completely in love! She chirps a LOT, though. Even in her sleep. Is that normal? He/she's about 5-6 days old.

 

[silkiecuddles]

It's so cute! It may be cold

 

[taffee50]

I keep my humidity at 30% which is often a dry incubation since I live in the PNW. I slowly bring it up to 60% only at pipping with silkie eggs. Silkie chicks die easily during incubation by drowning in the shell  if humidity is too high too soon. Especially if there are a high percentage of vaulted skulled chicks. I use a Genesis 1588 using this method and have gotten better hatch rates over all. Also, silkie eggs only if you can. Hatch rates with silkie eggs go down when they are in a mixed batch with LF eggs generally speaking. Handle silkie eggs with utmost care. Try not to handle or  candle too often once they are set. These tips work for me. Good luck.

 

[taffee50]

I am wondering about my silkie chicken.

 

[taffee50]

I am wondering about my silkie chicken.

my silkie chicken is changing. she was doing great laying 6 eggs a week. now she weighs every other day and does not come down from the nesting boxes. she sits in the same nesting box everyday. she even sits on other chickens eggs. she did not used to be this broody before. this is very sudden. she still eats and drinks and loves it when I cuddle her. please help me. I am confused. she has been sitting in the same nesting box all by herself for 3 days only coming down occasionally for scratch

 

[taffee50]

my silkie chicken is changing. she was doing great laying 6 eggs a week. now she weighs every other day and does not come down from the nesting boxes. she sits in the same nesting box everyday. she even sits on other chickens eggs. she did not used to be this broody before. this is very sudden. she still eats and drinks and loves it when I cuddle her. please help me. I am confused. she has been sitting in the same nesting box all by herself for 3 days only coming down occasionally for scratch

I meant she lays every other day

 

[Fancychooklady]

We got our first Silkie the other day. I'm completely in love! She chirps a LOT, though. Even in her sleep. Is that normal? He/she's about 5-6 days old.

What temp is the brooder ? If it is too hot or cold chicks will peep constantly. Does she have any siblings, loneliness will also stress them.
For the first week the temp needs to be between 90-95 . This article may help. with some of your questions.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/03/baby-chick-basics-what-you-need-to-know.html

 

[Sylvester017]

We got our first Silkie the other day. I'm completely in love! She chirps a LOT, though. Even in her sleep. Is that normal? He/she's about 5-6 days old.

How cute! Our Dom chick would chirp to us while she was nestled in her bed box and blankie in a dim room and if we said "You ok?" she'd chirp 3x. If we said "Ok baby?" she'd chirp 4x (one chirp for every one of our syllables when we spoke to her.) Chicks are the cutest!

 

[Sylvester017]

my silkie chicken is changing. she was doing great laying 6 eggs a week. now she weighs every other day and does not come down from the nesting boxes. she sits in the same nesting box everyday. she even sits on other chickens eggs. she did not used to be this broody before. this is very sudden. she still eats and drinks and loves it when I cuddle her. please help me. I am confused. she has been sitting in the same nesting box all by herself for 3 days only coming down occasionally for scratch

My Silkies use the nestboxes to seclude themselves when they are molting. My chickens get lethargic and have less appetite and don't want to be handled while losing feathers with new quills growing in - it's very uncomfortable for them and they just want to be undisturbed. Of course they are not laying eggs during this time and at first we mistook it for broodiness until we realized they were molting. This time of year however in the USA is the season for brooding and that may well be what your girl is doing. When Silkies are heavy layers and then stop and are broody I let them sit an empty next for 3 or 4 weeks to give their bodies a rest. We just make sure to give them vitamins, take them out of the nest for exercise and dust baths and to eat/drink before they go scurrying back to their empty nest to brood every day. All our girls like the exact same nestbox to brood in. Silly girls!

 

[Fancychooklady]

This little one is feathering out interestingly.