Silkie thread!

[dandymandie]

I wish one of mine would take the leap and try it. I mean, I guess it really doesn't make a difference that much, I just don't like that they are sleeping In their poop! I try to keep the bedding fresh all the time, so it's kinda a pain.
That's actually exactly the info I was hoping to find out. I do love the color but I heard that with buff you need to cull hardcore. I'm just getting slightly thicker skin now and wasn't up for that challenge yet. Plus, I'll only be set up for about 3 breeding coops and I wanted to keep more then one single color. That's a big reason I choose paint because I can have certain blacks and whites. Kinda like breeding bbs. I understand now why my buff have the grey. It's not super bad but I noticed it as soon as they started feathering in. I love them but you only breed buff to buff, right? Or to partridge, I guess? I'll post a couple pics of mine. And thank you for the info on paints. I'm not planning on showing for at least a few years, maybe even longer. I wonder how long it will take for paint to be accepted? Do you think it ever will? I just enjoy the color and I love black and white silkies too, so I'm looking forward to trying to figure this all out in the next couple years. Thanks for all of info, I appreciate you sharing your knowledge.
The girls:

The boy:

I'm sorry I had to quote everything, I don't know how to just quote one part yet But I was wondering if you had your chicks in a brooder and if they had something to roost on while there? At about a week old with my silkies we put a stick in their brooder, drilled in on the sides for them to jump on and they slept side by side roosting. As they got older we put bigger sticks in and they seemed to love it.

 

[RubyNala97]

I too am trying to determine the sex of some of my babies. These will be 10 weeks old on Friday. Does the size or shape of the crest give any clues? I feel like the paint in the pic is a pullet and the blue smooth sizzle and frizzled sizzle may both be roos?

The paint definitely looks like a girl! The others are a little boyish but I'm not sure. They can surprise you!

I'm sorry I had to quote everything, I don't know how to just quote one part yet But I was wondering if you had your chicks in a brooder and if they had something to roost on while there? At about a week old with my silkies we put a stick in their brooder, drilled in on the sides for them to jump on and they slept side by side roosting. As they got older we put bigger sticks in and they seemed to love it.

Funny you say that because the first two groups I hatched, I did! I used a wide board too and would put treats on it and everything! After they moved outside at 12 weeks and wouldn't go near the roost, I gave up on the rest of the hatches I did this year. Maybe I will try again inspiring when I start hatching again!

 

[Banaynaychicken]

Does,anyone know a remedy for mosquitos in your co-op.

Fly tape, (buckets of water would be a good remedy for other bugs, and packrats, but mosquitoes reproduce in water, so trying to drown them out wont work......) Giving them something other than the chickens to eat? I really don't know XD i've never had the problem with mosquitoes before.

 

[Naliez]

Does,anyone know a remedy for mosquitos in your co-op.

I have mosquito plants (citronella plant) hanging in pots all around my coop. I got them at Walmart for $3 each. Or...

 

[Frindizzle]

 

[QueenMisha]

First of all you need a clean chicken , or the grease on the feathers causes the coloring to run off. We diluted food coloring in tubs of warm water and dipped the chickens in to make different combinations. This is our ' equality ' rainbow.

Love the rainbow idea! I... I may now need to come up with an excuse to bathe my white hens...

 

[chickiebaby1]

I don't mean to interrupt this thread, but I have a strange problem with my silkies, and I posted somewhere else but didn't get much of a response...looking to see if anyone else has had an issue like this.

I have a year old silkie who has had foamy eyes over the past few months off and on. Each time I see it, I get scared it's something contagious and I run her into our garage to separate her from the flock. Only to find that it clears up and goes away in a few hours. This has happened at least 3 times! My husband noticed that she has a weird habit of sticking her whole beak in the dirt (and sometimes even water), and she might be getting her nostrils clogged with debris, then she can't breathe well and her eyes start to foam. It also seems like her nostrils are smaller and more narrow than my other chickens are.

After it rained here recently this happened again, and it was so bad both eyes were foaming and she started breathing heavy when she got scared, causing them to foam more. So.. Here we go back into the garage for some vet rx and TLC. We were thinking it wasn't contagious, due to the fact that this was only occasionally, and there has NEVER been any nasal discharge or sneezing, activity level is good, but now I just saw my silkie Roo with a foamy eye. Now what? He looked like he had dirt in his nostril too, but I don't know. I have my hen still in the garage on Tylan 50, just to be sure, and because I think it's possible she got so much junk in her respiratory system, that she may have an infection. But now she has had clear eyes since last night.

Do I treat them all with Tylan? I read it's not good for laying hens though. I'm so lost right now I don't know what to do. Has anyone else had nostril and/or eye problems with their silkies. Any advice is hugely appreciated right now.... Please and thanks!!!

~Sara

I'm sorry to hear that you are having problems with your silkies. I have also had this issue in the past, but my issue was a little worse, mine had some wheezing and nasal drainage. I went on a massive research to find out what the problem was and what could help. The one thing that I found that has helped my birds tremendously is something called Denegard. It is a medicine that you can put in the water and treat for a few days. Since I started using this I haven't lost a bird, their ailments clear up in a few days. With this medicine you can also use it once a month to help prevent these issues from occurring. It has really helped my flock keep healthy. The only bad thing is this medicine can only be bought on the internet. If you think this is something you would like to try pm me and I will send you the address of the person I get mine from. I get at the poultry shows I go to.

 

[mom of silkies]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to encourage silkies to not brood? because my silkies keep trying to brood and they've lost weight because they won't leave the nest. And it's too late in the year to hatch chicks.

 

[Adorkable]

Does anyone have any ideas on how to encourage silkies to not brood? because my silkies keep trying to brood and they've lost weight because they won't leave the nest. And it's too late in the year to hatch chicks.

I have one sitting on nothing for over 6 weeks now. At least she gets out every morning to eat, drink and dust bathe... then back in she goes. I wish I had a couple of fertile eggs to give her to be honest so that she snaps out of it after they hatch... or some day olds. Something!

 

[RubyNala97]

I have one sitting on nothing for over 6 weeks now. At least she gets out every morning to eat, drink and dust bathe... then back in she goes. I wish I had a couple of fertile eggs to give her to be honest so that she snaps out of it after they hatch... or some day olds. Something!

I've never had a broody yet, but this is what I'm worried about! I know once i get one I won't want to "waste" her broodiness. And it's to cold for chicks!!