Silkie thread!

[LynnaePB]

Thats interesting with the vaults. I dont care for the vaulted skulls. Maybe why I get a lot of the boys! Then again, I think I just have a rooster magnet on me. Maybe life is telling me to add a bachelor pad!

Avoiding the vaulted ones definitely might lead you to picking out lots of boys!

Out of over 30 grow outs I'm pretty sure I've only had around 3 boys with vaults and 3 girls without.

I'm sure breeding the vaults out will be a long process since they are so prevalent in the girls! Even though they help me guess sex at hatch the fact their little brains aren't well protected bothers me too much to not at least try to breed away from it.

 

[Sammy1122]

So when do you guys think the bird will lay?

 

[Hinotori]

Depends on when hatched and the bloodline. Mine will lay at around 9 months if spring hatched. Around 8 months if fall hatched. I have had pullets go broody without even laying.

 

[Ilovesilkiechickens1]

This spring, I got ten Silkie chicks. (All survived) I have 4 hens and 6 roosters. I know that that is too many roosters. A few of the roosters are kinda aggressive to the hens and other roosters. Is there anyway to fix this behavior other than re homing. I’ve grown quite attached to my feathered angels.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

You can keep the roosters in their own bachelor pad. Probably should only have one rooster with the four hens that you have. The rest can live quite happily without hens! good luck!

 

[skyhawktroll]

Wow those are pretty amazing. We just have two White Silkies, but they haven't had their first molt yet so not sure if they are true Whites yet. Thank you for sharing your beautiful pics.

 

[LynnaePB]

This spring, I got ten Silkie chicks. (All survived) I have 4 hens and 6 roosters. I know that that is too many roosters. A few of the roosters are kinda aggressive to the hens and other roosters. Is there anyway to fix this behavior other than re homing. I’ve grown quite attached to my feathered angels.

I've heard of bachelor pads working really well. Sometimes they don't though. For me it worked for a while the first 6-8 months wasn't bad. After 8 months my boys got more and more rowdy and stopped getting along.

I've heard of others with more experience with bachelor pads mentioning often it can work but sometimes certain roosters just won't adjust to it.

Good luck, I hope you find a solution that works well for you and your boys!

 

[Hinotori]

Ive never had luck with adding in adult bachelors, but juveniles could be added just fine without the adults taking offense.

If the boys grew up together and weren't ever separated, putting just them in a bachelor pen where they can't see hens worked just fine for me.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

11 week old Jane (roo), Laila (pullet) and Zelda (pullet) (standing) today.

 

[LynnaePB]

11 week old Jane (roo), Laila (pullet) and Zelda (pullet) (standing) today.View attachment 2285474

Beautiful!