Silkie thread!

[FishMtFarm]

And FishMt Farm....YOU HAVE BEAUTIFUL BIRDS.

Thank you

 

[eep0100]

Ugg, so on day 13 I found my broody in the wrong nest box tonight the eggs are ice cold and have no movement just a dark blob on the center. I pretty sure I saw saw movement when I candled this weekend. I think my other pullet must have got in there and layed while broody was out eating because there were 8 tonight and she only had 7.

I always use a marker on the eggs the broody is sitting on, and then remove the new eggs every day. I try to mark all sides of the eggs, so I don't have to move them much.

 

[Hinotori]

I had finally gave up and have a little coop just for moving broodies into so there is no issues.

 

[eep0100]

I had finally gave up and have a little coop just for moving broodies into so there is no issues.

That'll work! For silkies especially, because they are so gentle, you shouldn't have any issues reintegrating. I don't do that anymore because I'm too lazy.

 

[Hinotori]

Its egg thieves that forced me to separate them. Ended up with eggs getting too cold. Once the chicks are a week old, I can move them back with their pen of birds. The babies can't be stolen by other hens by that point.

I always move a pair of broodies into the isolation coop. I've found that mine do very well raising chicks in pairs or groups. That also lets me put extra eggs in the bator due at the same time.

 

[Hinotori]

First time on grass. They were a bit freaked out

 

[eep0100]

Hinotori, What color do you call these silkies?

 

[Hinotori]

Hinotori, What color do you call these silkies?

Those are black cockerels I just got. About 3 months old.

They come from good bloodline with great combs. I'm going to cross them into my partridge to help fix that problem in my birds. Couple generations I'll be back to partridge. It should also help darken up my partridge roosters as well.

 

[JudysMuscovy]

@Hinotori i have a question, I hope you don't mind answering. I have a male and female silkie about a year old, I incubated some of their eggs and they are 5-6 weeks old, I have them in a smaller coop inside the bigger pen so they see each other daily. The small coop has it's own run but they can't get to each other. My question is I have silkie's eggs in my incubator again and due December 7. When those chicks are big enough to go in that small coop and run I want to integrate the three I already spoke about with the older ones do I have to wait until they are the same size or do you think I can do it before.

 

[Hinotori]

@Hinotori i have a question, I hope you don't mind answering. I have a male and female silkie about a year old, I incubated some of their eggs and they are 5-6 weeks old, I have them in a smaller coop inside the bigger pen so they see each other daily. The small coop has it's own run but they can't get to each other. My question is I have silkie's eggs in my incubator again and due December 7. When those chicks are big enough to go in that small coop and run I want to integrate the three I already spoke about with the older ones do I have to wait until they are the same size or do you think I can do it before.

I do best integrating into the silkie flock when they are younger. Younger birds seem to defer to older birds and not fight. A few light pecks from the adult hens reinforces their place.

Immature cockerels aren't seen as competition by the adult roosters. Makes it easy to add boys to the bachelor pen. Ive never had success getting mature males to not fight.

My birds are generally calm and accepting, so I don't have much in the way of fights.