Silkie thread!

[chooketychook]

As long as she is in a nice dry wind-proof coop with a little box for her to huddle in to maintain warmth she'd be fine. She would be sitting there anyways...being broody and all. Give her babies (eggs to hatch) to make her happy (and end the broodiness) is my advice. They DO get depressed if you take their chicks away. But if you are just collecting eggs then some broodies attack and peck, and others don't. (If you don't want a hen to be broody some people have success with putting them in a cage with a wire bottom for 24 hours with food and water, but that hasn't worked for me the couple of times I have tried it.)

Thanks which have you found most benifical allowing the hen to hatch babys or raising them yourself?

 

[ChickNmamma]

Hi im from the uk,where we have really bad winters or really bad weather in general lol, My question is if my silkie was to go broody during really cold weather -0 (if that happens =\) would it still be ok for her to sit and hatch her own eggs and raise the babys or would it be best I hand reared them? And if I did have to take the eggs would the hen attack me or get depressed or anything? Im new all my silkies are young still but its just something I wondered,thanks in advance for any advice x

Hi and Welcome to the Silkies thread, and Welcome to BYC

Silkies were breed to be broodies. I had a Silkie go broody in December, and hatch and raise her chicks. They are capable of hatching in really cold weather - and they will raise the babies very well. If the babies get cold they go hide under mommy. They won't do so well in a snowstorm - but if they are in a coop they will be fine.

Sometimes the younger broodies make mistakes - so you could loose some chicks. If that concerns you then you can bring both mommy and the babies inside after they are hatched - or bring her inside while she is setting (dog crates work great for this) and let her hatch and brood inside. There temperament makes them easier to move than some other breeds, and if you handle the mommies while they are growing up and they aren't afraid of you - the babies wont be afraid of you either.

If you do decide you don't want her to hatch her eggs - you can take them away. She will puff up, and probably pick at you. She won't get "depressed" as we understand it - but she will stay broody for a long time - sitting on nothing if you take her eggs. Just make sure you collect them once or twice a day or you will have partially developed embryos in there - ick. I have eaten some that were brooded for two days - but those were borderline and I wouldn't eat any past three days... blood rings develop and it looks icky. Make sure she has food and water, because sometimes they get so fixated they don't go and eat or drink - and if you don't let her hatch the eggs she may sit for months - without eating or drinking she would die. I wouldn't suggest throwing her off the nest if she is brooding - but if you want to break her you can do that.

 

[388chick]

Good morning! I am hoping there are a few of you silkie gender experts out there that could give us a clue as to this little cutie! Just a little 14-15 week old hatchery pet/love of my 6 year old daughter's life...and we're just so curious! We've been told boy by some, girl by others...behavior of this little cutie is super timid and shy. We'll often find it snuggled up with it's head under a buddy's wing.

 

[ChickensAreSweet]

Good morning! I am hoping there are a few of you silkie gender experts out there that could give us a clue as to this little cutie! Just a little 14-15 week old hatchery pet/love of my 6 year old daughter's life...and we're just so curious! We've been told boy by some, girl by others...behavior of this little cutie is super timid and shy. We'll often find it snuggled up with it's head under a buddy's wing.

Looks like a pullet to me so far but really too early to tell for sure.

 

[OohLaLa]

Poor little Thunderhead is still sick. He acts like a normal chicken, but isn't eating much. I've been handfeeding him (which he fights something terrible) and he's on antibiotics. But he has everyone stumped. His poop is clean -- no cocci or worms and the first round of antibiotics didn't do anything, so we're on to something stronger. But after his initial weight drop, it's now steady. I'm trying to get him to gain. If he's going to recover, I think it's going to be a slow, long one. Here's a picture of the little guy resting in the sun in the back yard. I thought maybe a change of scenery might help him. I so hope he makes it.



Then there's Pinto. The tiny eight-week-old silkie who I swear hasn't grown since I got it, but is happy and healthy. It's convinced it's one of "the big chickens." The other silkies have formed little groups in the flock -- the six-week-olds hang out together, and Cottonball and Professor Fluffles have their own clique (Thunderhead used to hang around them, too before he got sick), but Pinto prefers being with the egg layers. I caught it sitting in between two gold stars on the roost one day, but it hopped down before I could get my camera. It was so funny to see that little chicken perched between these huge hens.

I hope your little Thunderhead gets better soon.

 

[OohLaLa]

That was actually one of my considerations in choosing this breed (their future nurse maid abilities) and They are so darn FLUFFFFYYYY and cute

 

[Sanna]

sizzle or feathered silkie

Those are definitely not regular silkie feathers, so I'm assuming that makes it a sizzle. I'm still not clear with all these frizzle/sizzle terms, but what I can tell you that it's not a silkie. Cute a s a button! I just got myself a frizzled Cochin today AND I have 3 frizzled Cochin chicks growing. They're great! Silkies are still my favorite, but I love them frizzles too!

Any volunteers yet?

I just had my Buff girl decide the chicks she hatched earlier this year were fine on their own - and she is going to hatch out some more... I keep telling her its too darn hot but she won't listen.

Those girls never listen!

Three of mine just went broody a few weeks back, all at the same time too, of course. One started, then they all thought they needed to cram theirselves in the same corner. And it's been pretty hot here too. Good thing I had those little frizzled cochin chicks that just hatched. I was going to raise them in the house, but I figured it'll be better for all of them if I gave the chicks to the hens. The three girls are doing a fantastic job taking care of the babies and everyone is happy! Even the roosters are having a blast feeding the chicks. Such a family event having chicks in a silkie pen.

First we got a 16 week old silky and once she started laying she was soon broody; she's just a buff silkie with no fluffy feet. A few months after we got another at 5 weeks and gave it to her; a white silkie with fluffy feet. They are bonded really well.

That's great! Looks like they are getting along VERY well!

 

[388chick]

Looks like a pullet to me so far but really too early to tell for sure.

Thanks for the guess! What is a typical age for a silkie to lay an egg...or cockadoodle?

 

[JenS9]

So my older silkies don't have any combs or wattles, and they are over 3 months old. Is it safe to say they are girlies?

My younger ones will be 3 months the middle of this month, some are starting to get small combs, but I haven't noticed anything else yet.

 

[AussieHens96]

Those are definitely not regular silkie feathers, so I'm assuming that makes it a sizzle. I'm still not clear with all these frizzle/sizzle terms, but what I can tell you that it's not a silkie. Cute a s a button! I just got myself a frizzled Cochin today AND I have 3 frizzled Cochin chicks growing. They're great! Silkies are still my favorite, but I love them frizzles too!

Those girls never listen!

Three of mine just went broody a few weeks back, all at the same time too, of course. One started, then they all thought they needed to cram theirselves in the same corner. And it's been pretty hot here too. Good thing I had those little frizzled cochin chicks that just hatched. I was going to raise them in the house, but I figured it'll be better for all of them if I gave the chicks to the hens. The three girls are doing a fantastic job taking care of the babies and everyone is happy! Even the roosters are having a blast feeding the chicks. Such a family event having chicks in a silkie pen.

That's great! Looks like they are getting along VERY well!

Considering it was like one day we gave her (after being broody for AGES) a five week old baby. Some people were like, no, that's not going to work but it did and she's such a good mommy! Heck, at 16 weeks she was even mothering two 8 week old isa browns - that's why she's the boss. She's practically mothered all of the other chooks.