Silkie thread!

[Mumsy]

Bantam RIRs! Those are fancy

I love bantam birds. Much more bang for your buck if you ask me. In terms of eggs.. Definitely not meatwise. How much does a bantam RIR weigh? I can't imagine eating one of my bantam Ameraucanas. They are super tiny.

Way back in the day I used to breed and show many varieties of bantams with my small children at the small local county fair in open class We sure had a lot of fun and took home our share of premiums. One of our favorite bantam breeds was the bantam RIR.
Cocks should weigh 34 oz and hens 30. Well..That was according to the American Bantam Standard of Perfection for 1992 any way. My little girl then nine, took best bantam and best of show at the fair that year with a little RIR roo named Cabby.
The hens are great layers of little buff brown eggs and culls dress out the size of those game hens they sell in the grocery store. Maybe smaller. I usually just process the breast meat on my bantam culls. Faster, easier, and no scalding or plucking required. I put them in a freezer bag until it's full then vacuum pack the whole lot when there is enough for a meal or two.

 

[shadow rabbit10]

I got some of my really good birds from a hen that looks just like yours.

She's the one out front.
Her kids:

They are cute and gorgeous!

 

[aoxa]

Way back in the day I used to breed and show many varieties of bantams with my small children at the small local county fair in open class We sure had a lot of fun and took home our share of premiums. One of our favorite bantam breeds was the bantam RIR.
Cocks should weigh 34 oz and hens 30. Well..That was according to the American Bantam Standard of Perfection for 1992 any way. My little girl then nine, took best bantam and best of show at the fair that year with a little RIR roo named Cabby.
The hens are great layers of   little buff brown eggs and culls dress out the size of those game hens they sell in the grocery store. Maybe smaller. I usually just process the breast meat on my bantam culls. Faster, easier, and no scalding or plucking required. I put them in a freezer bag until it's full then vacuum pack the whole lot when there is enough for a meal or two.

Two eggs make a jumbo egg for my Ameraucana bantams. Though 2 hens eat way less than 1 standard sized hen. A whopping 8 pounds total for all my 7 birds. That's the size of one of my cochin pullets. So 7 birds eat as much as 1 standard bird a day. With that much more egg output. Though 3 of my 7 are boys. I keep the two extra boys in with the general population and not in the breeding pen with the good breeding birds.

Always important to have a backup rooster! Remember that everyone!!

 

[aoxa]

They are cute and gorgeous!

Thanks!

 

[ajdeitz]

Hi All...I have a 7 month old silkie that just started laying last week. The first 4 days she laid everyday then she skipped Friday, layed Saturday and hasn't laid since...my concern is that last night she didn't sleep in the silkie pile like she always does..she slept alone and this morning when I took their meal worm treats out to them...she was just randomly pecking the air instead of getting the treats like she always does from my hand and yesterday she didn't come out at all for treats...it concerns me because she has never acted that way...none of this started happening until she started laying. Is this normal behavior? Just concerned about her!! Let me know your thoughts!!

 

[aoxa]

Hi All...I have a 7 month old silkie that just started laying last week. The first 4 days she laid everyday then she skipped Friday, layed Saturday and hasn't laid since...my concern is that last night she didn't sleep in the silkie pile like she always does..she slept alone and this morning when I took their meal worm treats out to them...she was just randomly pecking the air instead of getting the treats like she always does from my hand and yesterday she didn't come out at all for treats...it concerns me because she has never acted that way...none of this started happening until she started laying. Is this normal behavior? Just concerned about her!! Let me know your thoughts!!

How is her vision?

Yes it's normal for silkies. Especially those with big crests.

 

[ajdeitz]

Her vision is good normally...she does have a big crest...but she normally doesn't have a problem finding her treats or knowing where I am. Just seems like she is a little disoriented since she didn't sleep with the pile either. Didn't know if it had something to do with her starting to lay....or if she could be sick or something.

 

[aoxa]

Her vision is good normally...she does have a big crest...but she normally doesn't have a problem finding her treats or knowing where I am. Just seems like she is a little disoriented since she didn't sleep with the pile either. Didn't know if it had something to do with her starting to lay....or if she could be sick or something.

I don't think she's sick. I've seem many crested birds do this. My hen Lorraine did it a lot this summer, but doesn't do it anymore (she's molting).

Do you plan to show her soon? If not, give her a little trim around her muffs so she can see better. It should help.

She's beautiful by the way!

 

[ajdeitz]

I don't plan on showing her at all so maybe I will give her a trim! Thanks for your help

 

[aoxa]

I don't plan on showing her at all so maybe I will give her a trim! Thanks for your help

She'll thank you for it!