Silkie thread!

[Hinotori]

I like the black heads. They should breed them as a separate colour. Or do they only occur on the males?

Both males and females can have them. Partridge color by standard shouldn't have black heads but it is striking. I've decided to give up on removing it completely. It seems to be recessive and impossible to totally get rid of.

This boy is a good step in the right direction for my comb issues. I'll take black heads over bad combs any day. He's also a good normal size with none of the giant mutation gene that many of the other cockerels are carrying right now. I need to cull down boys. I have 2 giant roosters and 3 normal. Plus 9 cockerels to sort out, most of which will be heading to camp kenmore.

 

[Hinotori]

Out of 200 sq ft, 40 isn't covered. Guess where the silkies hang out in the rain?

I guess I can't blame Pumice (white) too much. Her crest is so big she's almost blind.

 

[NNYchick]

Mine look like this except it’s frozen. They keep getting their whole crest wet like this in the heated water dish. I had to bring them into the garage to dry out today. They are making me nervous wreck because it can’t be good to walk around with a frozen head. I don’t know what to do with them. I have to have the dish in there because the plastic ones freeze in a couple hours.

 

[Hinotori]

The rain came back today and we warmed up. Forecast is for maybe a week of rain before back to freezing.

The birds all get water in those black rubber livestock bowls. A good kick breaks the ice free then I pop it out. Temps have only been down to 22 so I can get away with only refilling them every other day as daytime was a few degrees above freezing. The well water is pretty dang cold all on it's own. The sun warmed bowls help warm the water.

Hauling 10 gallons from the house each refill day sucks.

 

[FishMtFarm]

Man I have missed a lot. I'm not getting any updates. Our weather here in NY has been frigid. Have eggs due under a hen on Christmas Day so hoping she is a good mama and keeps them warm....

 

[sue25]

Pullets or cockeral they are 4 months old.

 

[FishMtFarm]

Hmm, can you pull the feathers away from the comb and get a better head on shot?

 

[NNYchick]

Pullets or cockeral they are 4 months old.
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I am not an expert but I was told on a silkie breeders group that only cockerals/roosters have leakage in the hackles.

 

[FishMtFarm]

Nope that's not true, I have hens with leakage.

 

[sue25]

Hmm, can you pull the feathers away from the comb and get a better head on shot?

I'll try to get a better shot tomorrow.