Silkie thread!

[Sylvester017]

I had to share my excitement with everyone. I bought a pullet and hen over the summer from a woman in Vermont and am totally in love with these two. I lost the lady's contact info which was a bummer cause I would have bought more from her as they came up for sale. Won't you know it I was surfing eBay for silkie hatching eggs and she had an auction for eggs! I bought em as I am so happy with the two I got from her. So I am now for the first time hatching eggs in the middle of winter and here in NY, winter lasts a long time. My incubator holds 27 eggs so I went ahead and bought some eggs from another nice lady in The Dakotas just so I am not wasting space, lol. There's still room so gonna try a few of my eggs from my hens. Now to figure out where to brood and grow out all these babies, if we have a good successful hatch. Gosh I'm so excited!!

I hope you have lots of warm area to brood your young ones. They grow fast! Sounds like you got a healthy dose of chicken math going on! Enjoy!

 

[Sylvester017]

Growing up on a family ran non commercialized beef farm I get the privilege of seeing how most of these traditional farms raise their animals, we have 50 brood cows most of them were born on the farm and each have their own name and stay here until they die. I wish that we were large enough so that we could whole sell meat, because of what I have heard of most of the slaughter houses I am appalled. This is why I am planning on raising heritage meat birds this spring.

Slaughter houses give me the willy's too. I suppose there can be a place or two that are okay but some central packing houses collect meat from all over the country into one area and grind up meats all together so if there's an e.coli breakout or some other issue it's hard to trace where the offending meat came from. Farm-living is not the easiest life but at least the individual farmer can control his animals' environment unlike huge industrial farming where animals are treated inhumanely. We don't like to think these things happen here but there have been enough underground filming to prove otherwise.

In the 1940's-50's I lived on my folks' farm with cattle, horse, sheep, goats, ducks, geese, and chickens. They had 25 acres but 5 acres was more than enough for a sizeable vegetable garden, an avocado grove, fruit orchard, 6-stall barn, tool/work shed, storage building, and animal pens - plenty of grazing and foraging land. A one-story farmhouse with small front and backyard with all the surrounding land utilized with fruit trees, grazing fields, and avocado trees. Lots of gophers and mice for the cats to catch! Now I live in a small surburban cottage and am grateful for being permitted 5 hens/no roos - where some of our surrounding communities don't allow poultry at all. It makes my current 3 hens all the more precious to me.

 

[Sylvester017]

I know three of my Silkies are very poor Quality. I am not sure about the others though. So I was wondering how the rest of you judge the quality of your birds

Physically the way to judge Silkies is by the SOP. However, my judgment is reserved about a chicken until I determine how good its temperament is. Bearded and Non-Bearded Silkies are allowed in shows but as to quality, the SOP points and an individual subjective judge's opinion are what count in the end. Everyone wants a full fluffy Silkie -- however, my Silkies free-range the yard, the Black has a couple missing toes from injuries (she's OCD when scratching), their "hair" , beard, and toe feathers wear down from dust-bathing, scratching, and foraging, so as pretty as they look after molt, it doesn't take them long to look worn again!

Molting and growing in new feather shafts they begin looking "normal" again!





Some romping in the backyard and Silkies pickup debris in their "hair" and wear down their leg/toe feathers!

 

[PaulaMc]

Physically the way to judge Silkies is by the SOP. However, my judgment is reserved about a chicken until I determine how good its temperament is. Bearded and Non-Bearded Silkies are allowed in shows but as to quality, the SOP points and an individual subjective judge's opinion are what count in the end. Everyone wants a full fluffy Silkie -- however, my Silkies free-range the yard, the Black has a couple missing toes from injuries (she's OCD when scratching), their "hair" , beard, and toe feathers wear down from dust-bathing, scratching, and foraging, so as pretty as they look after molt, it doesn't take them long to look worn again!

Molting and growing in new feather shafts they begin looking "normal" again!





Some romping in the backyard and Silkies pickup debris in their "hair" and wear down their leg/toe feathers!

Love these pics they are gorgeous. Don't feel so bad about my tatty silkies now ha ha. Am sure they will all look better in spring.

What is SOP please? Doh!

 

[Hinotori]

I still don't fully get the double claws I have show up occasionally. They seem too perfect. I don't breed the individuals that turn up with them. And it's always the inner rear toe. Usually only on one foot, but twice now I've had it show up on both feet.

 

[Sylvester017]

Love these pics they are gorgeous. Don't feel so bad about my tatty silkies now ha ha. Am sure they will all look better in spring.

What is SOP please? Doh!

SOP = Standard of Perfection listed for breeds in the American Bantam Assn and American Poultry Assn. These assn's list breed standards established and accepted as the "perfect" qualities breeders aim for when breeding for show standards. Many Silkies, in fact all chicken breeds, will not always be "perfect" as there is no perfect bird - only birds that come very close to perfection and are considered best by the judgment of subjective judges at shows. Many owners have bred beautiful Silkies but will have 6 toes on one foot and 4 toes on the other -- otherwise gorgeous Silkies but the dears have to be sold as pet quality even if everything else is beautiful on them. Still lovely Silkies as eye candy for the yard or family backyard fluffballs but they'll not be considered SOP. They'll still be sweet Silkies like any other Silkie but just not breed/show quality.

More tattered, faded, molting, dirty, or matted Silkies - I could shampoo them weekly, but why? They just get dirty again!

 

[Sylvester017]

I still don't fully get the double claws I have show up occasionally. They seem too perfect. I don't breed the individuals that turn up with them. And it's always the inner rear toe. Usually only on one foot, but twice now I've had it show up on both feet.

Time to catch whoever the breeding culprit parents are?

 

[FishMtFarm]

Anyone that has Young Silkies for Sale ...we lost most of our flock.
We have one blue, one white, and one splash left.  Any color is
fine.  

We are in Sauquoit, NY about 9 miles south of Utica, New York.
We are elderly, and cannot afford lots of $.  You may have some Silkies
that you need to rehome that we could purchase.  Regards, Aria

Hey there, I will be incubating a bunch of eggs starting at the end of the week. If I get a high hatch rate, I will have some babies for sale. I can let you know in a few weeks if you want. I am a little over an hour east of Utica.

 

[moomoodiddy]

Slaughter houses give me the willy's too. I suppose there can be a place or two that are okay but some central packing houses collect meat from all over the country into one area and grind up meats all together so if there's an e.coli breakout or some other issue it's hard to trace where the offending meat came from. Farm-living is not the easiest life but at least the individual farmer can control his animals' environment unlike huge industrial farming where animals are treated inhumanely. We don't like to think these things happen here but there have been enough underground filming to prove otherwise.

In the 1940's-50's I lived on my folks' farm with cattle, horse, sheep, goats, ducks, geese, and chickens. They had 25 acres but 5 acres was more than enough for a sizeable vegetable garden, an avocado grove, fruit orchard, 6-stall barn, tool/work shed, storage building, and animal pens - plenty of grazing and foraging land. A one-story farmhouse with small front and backyard with all the surrounding land utilized with fruit trees, grazing fields, and avocado trees. Lots of gophers and mice for the cats to catch! Now I live in a small surburban cottage and am grateful for being permitted 5 hens/no roos - where some of our surrounding communities don't allow poultry at all. It makes my current 3 hens all the more precious to me.

I was forced to stay with my mother in the suburbs off and on for a year after my parents split when I was younger, made me appreciate even days like today, below freezing outside and busting water tubs even after being sprayed with water.

 

[Cynthia12]

Physically the way to judge Silkies is by the SOP. However, my judgment is reserved about a chicken until I determine how good its temperament is. Bearded and Non-Bearded Silkies are allowed in shows but as to quality, the SOP points and an individual subjective judge's opinion are what count in the end. Everyone wants a full fluffy Silkie -- however, my Silkies free-range the yard, the Black has a couple missing toes from injuries (she's OCD when scratching), their "hair" , beard, and toe feathers wear down from dust-bathing, scratching, and foraging, so as pretty as they look after molt, it doesn't take them long to look worn again!

Molting and growing in new feather shafts they begin looking "normal" again!





Some romping in the backyard and Silkies pickup debris in their "hair" and wear down their leg/toe feathers!

They are beautiful. I have a lot of blues, and splash babies growing up.