Silkie thread!

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: I'd be concerned about impaction. When they bite off a piece of grass, it is usually not that long. While .5" for an adult is short, for a baby it seems very long.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: It might be, but I would recommend watching her closely; could be that the chick is just getting used to its new surroundings. Don't give vitamins and corrid at the same time; they counteract each other, so you would be nullifying the corrid.

 

[NOLA Chicks]

My 11-month old cockerel, Elvis (my avatar), is having issues with his balance. I examined him and he seems to be normal and in good shape. He's acting normal, eating and drinking well and still chases the other Silkies around the yard every morning to make sure they know who's boss (lol).
He can be walking along and begin to fall but is able to catch himself before falling down. Same when he jumps up on a perch or the like. This has been going on for a few days now. Any ideas what might be going on with him?

 

[PaintedFeathers]

My 11-month old cockerel, Elvis (my avatar), is having issues with his balance. I examined him and he seems to be normal and in good shape. He's acting normal, eating and drinking well and still chases the other Silkies around the yard every morning to make sure they know who's boss (lol).
He can be walking along and begin to fall but is able to catch himself before falling down. Same when he jumps up on a perch or the like. This has been going on for a few days now. Any ideas what might be going on with him?

No clue =/ I would bring him in and keep an eye on him. He may have gotten a wack on the head?

 

[TiaRC]

Aww =) His comb and face are too red to be show quality, but he's still adorable =D Does he have gold on him or is that just yellowing?

Just yellowing. Lol any idea what to breed him too it potentially get show quality birds?

 

[PaintedFeathers]

Just yellowing. Lol any idea what to breed him too it potentially get show quality birds?

A white hen with a very dark comb =) If your looking to breed for show quality you should invest in a "standard of perfection" it would really help you know what is good and what is bad

 

[TiaRC]

A white hen with a very dark comb =) If your looking to breed for show quality you should invest in a "standard of perfection" it would really help you know what is good and what is bad

Oh ok. Yea his is perfect other than that darn red comb.

 

[jajeanpierre]

Oh ok. Yea his is perfect other than that darn red comb.

Can someone (or many) paint me a picture of what a perfect Silkie looks like. Yes, I have an SOP, but a picture is worth a thousand words. I would love to see pictures of really good quality Silkies and a critique of those birds. Thanks.

 

[TiaRC]

Can someone (or many) paint me a picture of what a perfect Silkie looks like. Yes, I have an SOP, but a picture is worth a thousand words.  I would love to see pictures of really good quality Silkies and a critique of those birds. Thanks.

I don't not have a picture of a perfect silkie. But as I've learned from here. Has to be the right color, good 5th toe placement, nice crest, fluffy lol, walnut comb, dark skin and comb, and posture ( wings dont sag, chest isn't too low and not too straight up)

 

[PaintedFeathers]

It's hard to really say what a "perfect" silkie looks like, but a lot of top breeders like this guy I have. Only problem with him is his comb is wrong. It has horns and is very bumpy.





Then I also have Kringle, he is also pretty nice, but I would like his tail to grow in more full. He has a nice comb, no horns and much smoother than Snowmiser's. LOVE this picture, he makes a perfect heart

There are good (and bad) qualities in both of them. A "perfect" Silkies "type" should be even in the front and back ends (drawing a line down the middle they should have equal amounts of bird on both sides), and have a nice short back so that their head and tail come in towards each other but not so much that they look like they are going to tip over. Other than that you want the full crest and tail, full foot feathering with the middle toe well feathered, black skin, nice deep blue ears, 5 toes with no extra or missing nails, a dark mulberry colored walnut comb with no horns, and nice tight wings with no slipping ( It's more difficult in males because they lower their wings to show off). You can see Snowmiser has nice tight wings in the top picture, but is holding them looser in the bottom one. Kringle has tight wings but holds them low to show off. Hope this helps!

If I forgot anything people feel free to add!