Silkie thread!

[MumsyIII]

should I still put her in the aquarium it will fit in the tub with the others so they could see but not touch.

If she is eating, drinking, and able to to get around freely, then no. I use the aquarium as an intensive care brooder only. I keep it in the house where my

incubator's are. Temperature is extremely important. I watch it carefully with good thermometers. This is my setup. It is for emergency situations only.


The top image is the emergency brooder tub I use for injured chicks. The aquarium is for day old emergency's for those chicks having trouble after hatching.



Keeping silkie chicks separate from large fowl chicks or more robust active types is the best advice.

 

[saltandpepper2]

Gender guess on this 6 week old chick??

 

[tjo804]

Quote: That is very cool! I have always just brooded in my garden bath tub in Texas it is easier to cut off DH's A/C vents than to regulate the temps in an outside shed. but I an very curious is that that rubberie shelf paper you put the food and water on ? if so does that keep the pine shavings out of the dishes? I am changing water at least 5 times a day! Right now in the tub I have 2Blue Silkies, 2 Buff Silkies, 2 bantam frizzle Cochin, 2 self blue bantam cochin, 2 standard Blue Cochin and 2 gold lace standard Cochin. the roos have found a home and are out of my brooder!

 

[tjo804]

Gender guess on this 6 week old chick??

Only a guess with what i have been reading so far! I am wanting to see if I get it close. I would guess hen, because of the way the head feathers grow straight up and not in a slicked back motion. That is only a guess and a first one at that. Does anyone agree or disagree and why? please.

 

[MumsyIII]

That is very cool! I have always just brooded in my garden bath tub in Texas it is easier to cut off DH's A/C vents than to regulate the temps in an outside shed. but I an very curious is that that rubberie shelf paper you put the food and water on ? if so does that keep the pine shavings out of the dishes? I am changing water at least 5 times a day! Right now in the tub I have 2Blue Silkies, 2 Buff Silkies, 2 bantam frizzle Cochin, 2 self blue bantam cochin, 2 standard Blue Cochin and 2 gold lace standard Cochin. the roos have found a home and are out of my brooder!

Thank you. Yes. That is the rubber type shelf paper stuff. I buy it by the roll at the dollar store. I use it inside my incubator too over the top of the wire rack. It gives hatching chicks and day old's better footing than newspaper or paper towels. After a few days I just brood on pine shavings. Have for decades without issues. But they still do get the water messy. I have elevated feed and water dishes and that helps a great deal from the scratching litter in it.

I have a large pet cage that I brood in for the first four days of life in my house. I like to observe them eating and drinking well before putting them out in my cabinet brooders in the chick houses.


I use small dishes to support the waterer.

When they are out in the cabinet brooder I will use tuna cans or what ever keeps the dishes an inch above the litter. Down below, I have the larger water dish elevated on an upturned dog dish. It works. I buy those at the dollar store too. The older chicks under the cabinet brooder have access to a pop door to an outside run.
I've hatched and started ninety silkie chicks in two set ups like this over the last three months.

 

[tjo804]

Wow I am amazed by your set up MumsyIII!
I may have to have my DH add to my new Chicken space. the Standard Cochins will all go with my currant flock of 12 hens and 1 bantam roo This group may be split into a smaller group since it has some crazy skitso leg horns that changed the dynamic of my flock to almost unlikeable. but the others I've not decided if I will split the bantam cochins and the silkies into separate housing or the same. Opinions Please. I will be using my prefab brooding coop and an 8 x 10 Dog kennel wrapped with chicken wire as grow out pens. the final pen is not yet decided as I am now thinking I will need a completely covered coop for the silkies we have had the wettest May on record this year it has been awful with the rain. we need it but I lost my 3 yr old silkie to a respiratory infection 2 days before his future ladies arrived home.

I think I may have said that before but it makes me sad still. Any way if you have any pointers or tips I would love to hear them and I am also wondering about roosts How high and do they need ramps if I put the coop up off the ground for easy human access for feeding and cleaning.? Hairy liked to roost about 4.5 ft off the ground but he jumped roost to roost until he got up there. I moved him to the coop with the big ladies where he soon took over as the alpha and roosted with my Brahma at about 2.5 ft off the ground. I know with hard landings there is a risk of leg injury is there a standard bantam or silkie roost height?

Thanks for letting me babble
jo

 

[saltandpepper2]

Only a guess with what i have been reading so far! I am wanting to see if I get it close. I would guess hen, because of the way the head feathers grow straight up and not in a slicked back motion. That is only a guess and a first one at that. Does anyone agree or disagree and why? please.

Oh I hope you're right! The reason why I wanted a silkie was for hatching eggs, and it being a rooster would kind of defeat the purpose!

 

[silkiecuddles]

Your brooder is amazing, @Mumsyll!!!! I want!

My BO broody hatched 2 silkies this morning! I was worried they wouldn't hatch because she kept getting off the eggs because other chickens wanted to lay in that box, but they hatched! 2 out of 3. The 3rd may still hatch

 

[tjo804]

Quote:
Agreed but the Silkie Roos are very fun and have their own styles as well. Mine was Good with my ladies and my Granddaughter! that is very important in my house.

 

[saltandpepper2]

Agreed but the Silkie Roos are very fun and have their own styles as well. Mine was Good with my ladies and my Granddaughter! that is very important in my house.

It wouldn't be a problem if I didn't already have 12 roosters