Silkie thread!

[NNYchick]

Now I’m totally confused. I had a second egg this morning. I only have one that I have seen anywhere near the nest. Is there a way to tell with out seeing them in the nest box if someone else is laying? Or is it possible for her to lay two in one day?

 

[Junochick]

Congratulations you have a 2nd new layer, they should be a little difference in shape and tint. My silkie Lucy laid her first egg yesterday and everybody was making all kinds clucking I believe they were celebrating.

 

[Birblady]

Hey guys! I'd love some opinions about my silkies's sexes. They're supposedly 10 weeks, but I think one is a week or two younger as he/she has very few adult feathers and the other is almost fully feathered. They both seem to have the same posture, but I'm not sure if those "streamers" are just the beginning of the younger ones tuft or if they truly are streamers. The younger one does seem more dominant.

 

[Hinotori]

I have 2 questions at the moment.

1.) how long do breeders grow out their birds typically?

2.) do any of you ship silkie eggs? And what do you charge?

I’m trying to get everything figured out before spring time.

I grow them out until about 6 months to see if they have the looks I want. I do cull out obvious issues, like toes, around 10 weeks when sex is positive so females can be sold. I raise partridge so this is easy by color, not looks. Even then holding and looking at the few whites I have I can sex those quite well.

I don't sell eggs, only cull pullets locally. I'm trying to improve male color and comb issues. I also have a mutant strain I'm working on that's twice the size.

 

[Hinotori]

OK I have some questions I would greatly love help with!
1.Is a mommy silkie enough to keep this baby alive in the harsh winter?
2. I tarped my whole covered run so my chickens have more run in the winter should I block off the uncovered untarped area? or will it be ok for my silkies to go in the snow if they choose to?


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Hen will keep the chick happy just fine. I've had silkies hatch babies in the middle of winter. 22° out and the chicks are running in and out from under the hen.

 

[Hinotori]

This morning my hen that started laying last week was staying in the nest box after she layed, I was surprised she layed again today because she has been laying every other day. So I took her out and put her over by the food. While she was eating I took her egg and the plastic ones that I had been leaving in there, training her to use the nest box. I don’t want to hatch chicks in the winter. When she was done eating she went back to the empty nest and is digging around and wandering around the outside of the nest box making a call, seems like she is looking for the eggs. Should I put the fake eggs back or will she get over it?

The things that have to come together just right for a hen to lay twice in one day is extremely uncommon. So you probably have another new layer.

Sometimes you can tell eggs apart by shape and color. Most of my related hens lay similar eggs so it's hard for me to tell. Some have very different eggs though.

 

[Hinotori]

Hey guys! I'd love some opinions about my silkies's sexes. They're supposedly 10 weeks, but I think one is a week or two younger as he/she has very few adult feathers and the other is almost fully feathered. They both seem to have the same posture, but I'm not sure if those "streamers" are just the beginning of the younger ones tuft or if they truly are streamers. The younger one does seem more dominant.

By second picture, I'd say one in front is female and one in back is male. Side view and comb view to sex. Pictures taken close up with sunlight behind you shining on them make for better pictures. I can't tell exactly what color yours are. They look partridge. If I can see the color better that helps on sexing as well for partridge.

 

[Sublight]

Video Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxCPhJJjdhTtdFpYa2xsaUxBbm8/view?usp=sharing

Hey guys, im basically moving this from my thread to here to pick your brains a little. Thanks to @NNYchick for suggesting I ask in here.

I have a silkie that I've had since mid June and still no eggs/broodiness.
Her sister has already layed eggs, and more.

Her sis laid eggs for 2 weeks,
Went broody and sat on fake eggs for 1 week,
Sat on real eggs for 3 weeks,
now has ran around with her baby chicks for 2 weeks.
--
So in total the other hen started laying 8 weeks ago, and her sister(?) has not laid the first egg.
They weren't babies when we got them, but they had not started laying at the time.
I also took a short video of her/him. Gandy has started to become a little more aggressive towards my hen, so im starting to wonder if Gandy is a dude.

 

[sue25]

Hinotori I have Silkie question. This chick hatched two days ago is this a Partridge or a buff? I think it may be a Blue Partridge. What's your first impression.

 

[MrsChicky55]

By second picture, I'd say one in front is female and one in back is male. Side view and comb view to sex. Pictures taken close up with sunlight behind you shining on them make for better pictures. I can't tell exactly what color yours are. They look partridge. If I can see the color better that helps on sexing as well for partridge.

How do you sex based on coloring for partridge? This is the first I’d heard of it. And I think I hatched out a partridge. Could you explain how that works and take a guess of sex of this chick?- Thanks