Silkie thread!

[ChickNmamma]

For a year now, we have enjoyed the two retired Seramas my husband so desperately wanted. They are lovely little ladies with so much personality and occasionally give us the cutest little eggs.... but I've wanted Silkies for over a year now.... and.....

Here they are!!!!



A fellow teacher ordered Silkie eggs for a life cycle lesson we shared. Out of 11, only four hatched but that gave her two and me two. I am beside myself with excitement! They are now, respectively, 5 days (buff... ish) and 6 days (blonde/white) old and I'm carefully alternating brooder time and handling time.... Now if I could just talk them both into being hens....

Awwwww, so CUTE!

I am glad you finally got what you really wanted. I don't think you will be disappointed with them, I love mine. Do you know what the parents were? I think they are probably both white too - I had one that was completely white, and one that was buff/cream colored - and both of them are white now.

P.S. - if the talking thing works can you come over the hill and talk to a few of mine? I think they need a GOOD talking to!

 

[ChickNmamma]

My little chicks are a month old now. They love to roam around the yard and pick at things.


Spot, the mixed breed chick, is always leading the gang. Here she (I hope!) is leading the Silkies to investigate the stairs.

Spot, so photogenic.

Love your cuties - about two weeks behind mine.

Oh, that picture - should have been "The End"..

Cute little heart there!

 

[LV Chicks]

@ ChickNmama: If it works, I'll talk to yours and one other for free... then I'll start charging.

I'd imagine that sort of power would be worth quite a bit! I have no idea what the parents are. These were sort of a 'back up and punt' sort of case. We first ordered a number of eggs, none of which hatched. We had 50 students who were devastated so we ordered some more and, two days before the last day of school, the first one hatched. One day before the last, three more hatched.... I know the teacher who ordered them did ask for all white. I would really appreciate some color though. Heck, though, I'll be thrilled if they are just girls..... Now, off to correct the pink bows and tiaras

@ Sanna: Your chicks are beautiful! I especially like the picture of Spot and the other two on the stairs. Very dramatic!

 

[countrygirl74]

I looked through several breeding pages and couldn't find an answer - my little girl wants to know what kind of chicks she could get if she let some hatch with our blue silkie roo and our white silkie hen????

 

[Jharper]

Will a 9'/8' 6' tall pen be ok for 4 silkies? I'm going into breeding blues, whites, and splashes in one pen.

 

[Brie6895]

Well my chicken breeder finally hatched a silkie today!! It's a blue/silver? I need to know if I can keep her with a 2 25 day old chicks and 1 18 day old chick? They are all very nice chicks so I don't see it being a problem but I don't know!
I plan on picking out a another baby chick so she can have a buddy, will this help? If need be I have an extra brooder I can set up.
I have never raised a silkie so any tips would be great!

 

[OohLaLa]

For a year now, we have enjoyed the two retired Seramas my husband so desperately wanted. They are lovely little ladies with so much personality and occasionally give us the cutest little eggs.... but I've wanted Silkies for over a year now.... and..... Here they are!!!! A fellow teacher ordered Silkie eggs for a life cycle lesson we shared. Out of 11, only four hatched but that gave her two and me two. I am beside myself with excitement! They are now, respectively, 5 days (buff... ish) and 6 days (blonde/white) old and I'm carefully alternating brooder time and handling time.... Now if I could just talk them both into being hens....

Adorable

 

[ChickNmamma]

If I'm talking too much - just tell me... Its too dang hot out there to do anything else!

I looked through several breeding pages and couldn't find an answer - my little girl wants to know what kind of chicks she could get if she let some hatch with our blue silkie roo and our white silkie hen????

You would get Silkie chicks.. I hope...

The reason you don't see that answer is it is not an easy answer. You don't usually use a White in any other pen except a White pen. You need one copy from both parents to get White - because most Silkies are recessive white. If you outcross to a Blue - you will get Blue/Black plus whatever genes are hiding under that White once you take one copy of Recessive White off. Who knows what that is.... You can get almost anything, except possibly Buff or Mottled/Calico, and it will carry one copy of recessive white for future breedings.

I have a Black/Red Partridge Rooster that I just found out carries recessive white. So now half of my blue/partridge/black/etc chicks could produce white... and I do have a White from him (which carries Partridge and maybe blue). Because one of my Blue hens also carries Recessive White..

Will a 9'/8' 6' tall pen be ok for 4 silkies? I'm going into breeding blues, whites, and splashes in one pen.

They don't need it 6' tall - but you might. Otherwise that is plenty of room for 4 birds - they are bantams.. you might get up to 10 comfortably. You won't be able to breed Blue and Splash with White - those are not compatible - see above.

Well my chicken breeder finally hatched a silkie today!! It's a blue/silver? I need to know if I can keep her with a 2 25 day old chicks and 1 18 day old chick? They are all very nice chicks so I don't see it being a problem but I don't know!
I plan on picking out a another baby chick so she can have a buddy, will this help? If need be I have an extra brooder I can set up.
I have never raised a silkie so any tips would be great!

What breed are the older chicks? If they are Silkies it might work, maybe. If they are other breeds it depends on their temperament. I have some 8 and 6 week old chicks together, they get along fine. I also have some 4 week old chicks with some newborns, and I think I am going to have to move some of those over to the 8 & 6 week old pens.. those poor littles get bowled over and stepped on a lot. Good thing they are cross breeds and very hearty. I would not do that with newborn Silkies - I have a separate place for them.

 

[Brie6895]

The other birds are 2 Cochins and 1 austrolorp. The austrolorp is a little scared of me but the Cochins are very sweet. Depending on if any more silkies hatch in the next few days I would get a new born cochin to go with her.

 

[ChickNmamma]

The other birds are 2 Cochins and 1 austrolorp. The austrolorp is a little scared of me but the Cochins are very sweet. Depending on if any more silkies hatch in the next few days I would get a new born cochin to go with her.

The other concern is will the big guys pick on the little guys? If they peck a Silkie on its head (if valuted) they could cause brain damage. Maybe put them together and watch them? If not - put the babies in a smaller blocked off area by the heat until they get big enough to run around (couple of days) but where the other birds can see them (introduced).. then you can try putting them together. Since Cochins are the other good mothering breed they just might adopt the littles...