Silkie thread!

[frannyglass]

Depends largely on genetics as to size. I wouldn't rely on it for sexing, the old tried and true method of ' crow or egg ' is the only truly accurate way of sexing unless you are prepared to pay for DNA testing.

That's really good to know. I've actually considering DNA testing for Beatrix at the least, to just get it over with. It's just so expensive.

 

[katzbantams]

Hi I need some help (I'm sorry this isn't a silkie) but I have a rhode island red hen that isnt doing well. About a week before this a dog came and killed 7 of our chickens. I had 5 rhode island Reds that were raised together and very close. 1 was killed and one was severely injured but is recovering. I thought at first she was really tramatized but it's getting worse. So this hen is turning her head and acting confused. I don't know how to explain it. I have a vid but I can't upload it. I thought maybe it was some kind of wry neck or star gazing ?? I've never delt with anything like this before is there anything I give to her to help ?

She will put her head into the hen's feahers that is recovering and she usually stays by her.

 

[silkiecuddles]

She is probably depressed and will very likely stop laying for a spell. Make sure she's getting food and water. Just keep an eye on her

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hi I need some help (I'm sorry this isn't a silkie) but I have a rhode island red hen that isnt doing well. About a week before this a dog came and killed 7 of our chickens. I had 5 rhode island Reds that were raised together and very close. 1 was killed and one was severely injured but is recovering. I thought at first she was really tramatized but it's getting worse. So this hen is turning her head and acting confused. I don't know how to explain it. I have a vid but I can't upload it. I thought maybe it was some kind of wry neck or star gazing ?? I've never delt with anything like this before is there anything I give to her to help ?

She will put her head into the hen's feahers that is recovering and she usually stays by her.

When you say severely injured , what were her injuries ? Did they involve her head or neck area ? It would be helpful if you could upload the video.
Did she exhibit any upper respiratory symptoms after the attack ?

 

[emvickrey]

I have had NO luck with DE, but veggie oil works well.

I heard WD40 works well

 

[motherofazoo]

You betcha! Post pictures just to be sure.

Here's a couple pictures, but haven't heard anything since the one time and I'm starting to wonder if it was one of my other breeds.

My silkie got a leaf stuck to her face this morning. It was so cute!

 

[Fancychooklady]

I have had NO luck with DE, but veggie oil works well.

Any kind of viscous oil will do the job. I use Vicks chest rub , castor oil with a few drops of peppermint oil is great alternative , it's messy but very effective. The perches and coop need to be cleaned out and sprayed with an insecticide also. Spinosad products or a pyrethrum surface spray works well.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I heard WD40 works well

WD40 contains petroleum distillate and I would not recommend using on anyone's skin, especially if you are collecting eggs from them.

 

[blackrose211]

I have 8 pullets right now. 2 BA, 2 EE, 2 White Marans, and 2 Salmon Faverolles. I want to get a rooster next spring and thinking about silkies because I heard they are a more docile, quieter rooster. Any truth to that?

Generally, as a breed, silkies are very docile regardless of gender. My roo is sweet. He isn't aggresive but he also won't let the girls push him around (4 out of the 5 are full size breeds so my head hen is still fighting with him a bit). It's really funny watching 4 full sized hens and my silkie hen following around a silkie roo. My cuckoo muran (my head hen) tried to pick a fight with him and he was not having it. He really only puts them in their place when he has to. I don't suppose you live in Arizona? I love my silkie roo but I can't have a roo where I live. He's only 4 months old and just started crowing this morning. I'm so disappointed. And now I don't know where to start looking for a home for my boy. I really don't want him to end up on a dinner plate and he would lose a cock fight in 2 seconds flat (not that I would let any roo I got go to a home that was cock fighting their Roos). I'm hoping that because he's a silkie someone will want him.

 

[Sylvester017]

Generally, as a breed, silkies are very docile regardless of gender. My roo is sweet. He isn't aggresive but he also won't let the girls push him around (4 out of the 5 are full size breeds so my head hen is still fighting with him a bit). It's really funny watching 4 full sized hens and my silkie hen following around a silkie roo. My cuckoo muran (my head hen) tried to pick a fight with him and he was not having it. He really only puts them in their place when he has to. I don't suppose you live in Arizona? I love my silkie roo but I can't have a roo where I live. He's only 4 months old and just started crowing this morning. I'm so disappointed. And now I don't know where to start looking for a home for my boy. I really don't want him to end up on a dinner plate and he would lose a cock fight in 2 seconds flat (not that I would let any roo I got go to a home that was cock fighting their Roos). I'm hoping that because he's a silkie someone will want him.

I had to re-home a cockerel that was accidentally shipped to me as a pullet and luckily found a home for him on a friend's farm but it took weeks. But he was very rare and too nice tempered to be processed! Lucky guy is with a vegetarian family! She sends us photos of his antics from time to time!

An acquaintance had a cockerel that lost part of one wing and had a wee bit of trouble balancing and he is the same breed as our cockerel and she doesn't want to process him because he is so sweet. I suggested to her that he would probably be a great therapy bird in amputee hospital wards or children's recovery wards if she could be pro-active to find rescue or therapy animal organizations who could use him -- via hospital, senior citizen, pre-school, or community registers or even thru a Google search. Some people will supply grade school classrooms with incubator eggs for classroom science. Ask the school for a reference name to see if that person can recommend or steer you in some way. Just a few thoughts.

No one is going to walk up to you and just ask you for your boy. The key is to be pro-active in your search.