Silkie thread!

I will take some better pictures today. I just need to find a way to tell them apart.
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Legbands..If you only have two birds, get some brightly coloured zip ties, and put a different colour on each bird. Tight enough not to fall off, but other than that as loose as possible.
 
My coop is built! I painted all day yesterday, photos to come. Just a few finishing touches and we plan to have them in this weekend. Marbles the Silkie is 5 weeks old today and the big girls are 6 weeks old. Is this an ok age for Marbles to go out? Or is it still too early. It is in the low 50's at night, and the weather channel just said a cold front is due next week.

I am using sand as bedding.

1. Do I inculde the heat lamp? And for how long should I have that in there?
2. I read that I need to lock them in there for a week! They have been spending the days in their pen for 2 weeks now... So is this true? Totally in their coop, no turn out into the pen at all for a week?
First week is 95 degrees, 2nd is 90 degrees, third is 85, etc. Keep providing that amount of heat until the needed degree of heat matches the ambient temperature. So yes, they still need heat.

The purpose of locking them in their coop is to teach them that that is where they are supposed to sleep. As you explain it, you can let them out during the day, but make sure to put them in their coop when it starts getting dark.
 
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Our broody Surprised us!!! I had her on 3 decoy eggs until I could find fertile eggs for her( Roo was gone for 2wks.) to hatch......it had been 13 days or so when I found fertile eggs and removed the decoy eggs and set them aside in the house. I gave her the fertile eggs at 10:00 am and she hunkered down like a boss. The next morning, before I discarded the decoys I thought I'd candle them( my first time for all of this) and to my surprise and instant heartbreak they had been fertile and developing!!!! I'm a Murderer, how can this beeee?? We had sent our Roo away to Silkie Camp weeks before for Kung Foo fighting with me in the yard. So I panicked and was told to give them back, ya never know!?! So That's what I did.....and she hatched identical twins of herself and my Partridge Silkie!!!
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The top photo is of the Momma (Scott) and the other egg belonged to Nugget the Partridge. The bottom photo is the new chicklets Poppy and Pinch!!! Eeeee....I'm not a murderer!!! Haa
 

Our broody Surprised us!!! I had her on 3 decoy eggs until I could find fertile eggs for her( Roo was gone for 2wks.) to hatch......it had been 13 days or so when I found fertile eggs and removed the decoy eggs and set them aside in the house. I gave her the fertile eggs at 10:00 am and she hunkered down like a boss. The next morning, before I discarded the decoys I thought I'd candle them( my first time for all of this) and to my surprise and instant heartbreak they had been fertile and developing!!!! I'm a Murderer, how can this beeee?? We had sent our Roo away to Silkie Camp weeks before for Kung Foo fighting with me in the yard. So I panicked and was told to give them back, ya never know!?! So That's what I did.....and she hatched identical twins of herself and my Partridge Silkie!!!

The top photo is of the Momma (Scott) and the other egg belonged to Nugget the Partridge. The bottom photo is the new chicklets Poppy and Pinch!!! Eeeee....I'm not a murderer!!! Haa
Cute =D Yeah I have heard they can stay fertile for up to a month depending on the fertility of the roo
 
My teacher was talking about how he wished we had more time to hatch quail and each of his students would have their own chick to carry around school and care for to demenstrate imprinting but there isnt enough time for that so I volunteered the 30 silkie chicks i have hatching in a few days :) so after they hatch I bring them to school and my classmates will have them for a week or so. Can't wait!
 
30 students carrying around 30 chicks sounds rather scary to me...they need to be kept warm, they need access to food and water, they need gentle treatment. I hope I am wrong, but it seems so very likely that a fair number of them will not get the proper care. I would especially worry about temperature and gentle handling.
 
I have so many questions on my growing chicks! I have four. I have one that has a really shiny blue 'ear'. I also have 3including the blue ear one, tht have what I would ASSUME to be waddles? And one of my black ones is I'm guessing the only girl? Because she is always by herself while the other three play and run and flap around. She dosent have waddles and is the smallest. So if I have three guys and one girl what age do I start getting eggs? Anything will help!!:) ill upload pic ASAP
 
30 students carrying around 30 chicks sounds rather scary to me...they need to be kept warm, they need access to food and water, they need gentle treatment. I hope I am wrong, but it seems so very likely that a fair number of them will not get the proper care. I would especially worry about temperature and gentle handling.
Hopefully it is only for a small amount of time =/ Like they take around the school for a half hour or so and then come back.
 
I have so many questions on my growing chicks! I have four. I have one that has a really shiny blue 'ear'. I also have 3including the blue ear one, tht have what I would ASSUME to be waddles? And one of my black ones is I'm guessing the only girl? Because she is always by herself while the other three play and run and flap around. She dosent have waddles and is the smallest. So if I have three guys and one girl what age do I start getting eggs? Anything will help!!:) ill upload pic ASAP
All silkies should have turquoise earlobes. Behavior in youngsters has no bearing on gender. Ducks waddle; chickens have/can have wattles. In other breeds, the size of wattles can indicate gender; in silkies it rarely does. Non-bearded silkies all have wattles; bearded silkies all have very small or non-existent wattles. How old are your birds? Most silkies start laying about 8-10 months; it can be later or earlier. Crowing is similar, but more likely to be earlier than laying.
 

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