Silkie thread!

[LaPetiteFarmer]

One of my broody has been raising two chicks for the past month. She has been laying twice this week and seems to be (almost) over being a mama. My issue is those chicks are still too young to be on their own. What would you recommend?

 

[chickendales]

One of my broody has been raising two chicks for the past month. She has been laying twice this week and seems to be (almost) over being a mama. My issue is those chicks are still too young to be on their own. What would you recommend?

the chicks should be ok with her or you put them in a brooder

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

I am hoping she will continue raising them because I am running out of space. I read somewhere that once they start laying, that means they are done being moms.
Thank you.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The vaulted skull is actually a hole in the skull according to Catdance Silkies. I am devastated to have hatched a chick with it. It is my first since I was a teen and I had no idea breeders had done this to a wonderful breed of bird. Catdance says that they prefer to get a large topnot by breeding for feather. If I get more Silkies. I will look to them.

A chick with a vaulted skull starts out with a hole in its skull, through which its brain protrudes, creating the cerebral hernia (the vault's technical name). As the bird ages, bone grows over all or most of the hole, enclosing the brain. This is not all that different than a human baby who is born with a fairly large hole in its skull, and as the baby grows, the three plates grow together, completely encompassing the brain.

Many breeders pay little attention to whether the chicks have vaults or not; it is not something that was "done" to the breed. You can get decent crests on birds without the vault, and in most cases the vault poses little problem. I've probably had as many non-vaulted chicks develop neurological problems as vaulted skull chicks, and in both cases only a small percent.

 

[PaintedFeathers]

I have kind of an odd question about one of my Silkie hens. She is an absolutely gorgeous little white Silkie. I had planned on taking her and the two equally gorgeous hens I hatched from her eggs to a couple of shows this year. Then we had an odd turn of events this winter. She started acting funny, I thought she might be sick but I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I brought her inside and kept her confined in my old brooder box and she acted totally normal so I put her back out with her flock. She acted weird again, brought her in and she was totally normal. After doing this a few times and then keeping a close eye on her it finally dawned on me that she was acting as if she couldn't see. It's been a couple of months and the more I watch her the more I'm positive this is the cause of her sometimes odd behavior. I don't know if this is a genetic thing or if one of the roosters got too rough - she has a vaulted skull and I've now been told that they are more vulnerable. Neither of her offspring have any issues to date. In any case, she eats and drinks fine and has a fabulous calm demeanor. Her blindness hasn't slowed her down a bit - she just has to look reeeeaaaally close before she dives into her food

I've thought about whether or not the show atmosphere will be too much stress but she's super mellow about everything so I don't think it will be a big deal... I will continue to turn that over in my mind before I decide to take her though. What I'm *really* curious about is if this will affect how she is judged at shows. Anyone know if that would count against her? You really can't tell anything is wrong by looking at her or her eyes.

For good measure here's a kind of goofy post-bath picture, she's the one in the back on the left. This is a fairly young picture, she's actually fluffed out even more since then!

I doubt she is "blind", just BLINDED lol My cockerel has the same issue. He really does not want to come out of his coop unless his girlfriend is there to comfort him, he can't see the food or water until he is showed it and then has to search around for a few seconds before he finds it. I have also had problems with all my silkies with live treats, it's kind of funny to watch them, it's like watching a pig run played with blind people

I would wait, show her at the show you want, and then trim her crest and muff feathers after the show so she can see better.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:

Quote: A vaulted skull was not bred into silkies; it has always been present in the breed, and is not a requirement in the standard. Do some breeders breed for it? Yes, Do some breed away from it? Yes. Do most breeders pretty much ignore whether a bird has a vault when selecting birds to breed? YES. Decent crests can come without a vault, and poor crests with one. And breeders do select for decent crests (as well as all the other standard traits).

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Wow, I don;t think I have ever had a hen abandon chicks after a month. I had one hen whose chicks refused to let her abandon them, and she raised them until they were almost grown (she was a tiny thing, and they were all larger than she by then).

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Are you sure it's not cheek feathers blocking her sight? I have this problem a lot.
I agree, it is likely feathers that are blocking vision. Trim them a bit and she should see much better.

 

[wiegfive]

Hello fellow Silkie Parents!
I need HELP with my eight month old white silkie chicken. She has some trouble with her lower half region. She has clear liquid dripping out of her vent, its not happing everyday but it comes and go. I have given her baths and made sure everything is extra clean in the coop. Please help me get her better! Here are some picture below to see the problem.

 

[SilkieBaby81]

I'm new to silkies, and I have to say I fell in love! They are adorable, and so docile. I recently got a rooster from a chicken swap. I was so excited that my hubby actually let me get him that I forgot to ask how old he was.... I also have two white babies, and a black, unsure of sex yet. Looking to expand in the near future, they are kinda hard to find around here. But my local feed store ordered some and they are getting them in on the 25th so I will be parked waiting for them to open that day ha ha. And I have to agree those splashes are gorgeous! as well as the other fluffies.