Silkie thread!

[Suzierd]

I just may not be cut out for this chicken thing ...... The latch on the run must not have been totally latched and we lost 2 chickens last night. I am so sad I don't know what to do. Buddy was a sweet roo and will be missed. Eve was a sweet amaracana and will be missed as well.

Oh no! So sorry to hear.

 

[narwhal master]

should my 3 month old silkie be growing her large amount of head feathers soon?

 

[Suzierd]

should my 3 month old silkie be growing her large amount of head feathers soon?

Should already have crest feathers, here's mine at about a month old.

Maybe she's a cross? Still a very cute girl.

 

[narwhal master]

Quote: that she is thanks for the suggestion. i will look at some silkie mixes

 

[Suzierd]

Would like opinions please! I have two one month old chicks with Moma hens and would like to start letting them go out of the coop into the run. But I have Three juveniles out there. Do you think the juveniles will be ok around them? Should I let them out yet?

 

[Viollettt]

Oh dear, that does not sound good, poor little munchkins.
We are in Spring at the moment with warmish evenings, I couldn't imagine having 'cold' thrown into the mix also. I wonder what Aussie chickens would think if there saw snow! lol

My oldest chickens are two and a half years old and have never seen snow either. I would love to see them seeing it. We are having strange weather with it going down to -4C (24F) at night a couple of times and this week it will be highs of 54C and lows of 9C (75F to 40F) ish. It's not usual for this time of year. We get our cold in January and February usually but sometimes it's very mild with just a couple of weeks here and there of kind of cold. So that first night Momma decided to go to roost instead of in the box, it was going down to the -4C suddenly. It was 16C (60F) that day. I went out to lock them up and the silkie babies were down on the ground hollering up at Momma. So I took Momma and put her and the babies back in the box for that night. Then last night thought I would try to just put them all up on the roost. My chickens are all outside to roost in a chicken run with the roost having a roof and side walls (no drafts). Just the front is open to the run. They do well with that and seem to really like being outside all year. They do have a hen house for laying. They seem to be more miserable in the heat than they ever are in the cold. I think the babies were just really warm last night in the box when I moved them to the roost. If it was warmer I don't think it would have been such a problem. Maybe next week when it's warmer at night I can try it again. Haha. Maybe they will all just sleep in that old plastic tree planter lined with paper and straw I used so I could get them all together in one run. To make a long story even longer

I have the main run, a broody run with a box, and a bigger broody or grown out pen. They also have a different part of my city yard to use for the broody pens. That's me, the crazy chicken lady with her yard all partitioned off so I can rotate my chickens around the yard. Right now they are in the garden doing the work of tilling and turning all winter so I don't have to do it. Yes! Crazy like a fox. Anyway, I need them to all be together in the winter so I can give the other yard a rest. (And me, too.)

 

[Viollettt]

Cilla has cut the cord! Just like that ... It is kind of sad

At least she solved the previously posted roosting problem. I didn't see all of it but when I went outside she was still in the run and wanted to go and roost in her old digs with Dusty. The bubbies had gone to bed!
It was getting dark and they came out a couple of times to see what she was doing and then went straight back in without her.
I opened the dividing door and she went straight to her old roost. I guess I can leave it open now.
She seemed a little impatient with them tonight and pecked one of them a little harder than normal.
So I now have Dusty and Cilla sleeping in the Chateau and a pile of silkies sleeping in the Ranch without their mumma. I know they have each other to cuddle but it is still a bit sad!
So much for the new high perch I put in the Ranch for her! lol

Aww it is sad but they will be fine. This is my broody's second hatch this year. I watched her, what seemed like agonize over, leaving her first set of chicks for three days and then she waited a few weeks and wanted more so that's when I got her the silkie eggs to sit. I knew it was late in the year but she is such a good momma I just let her. She stayed with the chicks for just almost exactly 6 weeks last time. They were regular size chickens. She's gone above and beyond for this hatch since it's now nine weeks tomorrow. I'm not going to interfere anymore. If she leaves and they want to follow I will help them. Otherwise I'm hands off now. I did build some little steps for them all the way up the roost.
WARNING GRAPHIC! lol Sorry it's not all pretty but we mostly use recycled type items if possible.

 

[Viollettt]

I just may not be cut out for this chicken thing ...... The latch on the run must not have been totally latched and we lost 2 chickens last night. I am so sad I don't know what to do. Buddy was a sweet roo and will be missed. Eve was a sweet amaracana and will be missed as well.

I'm so sorry. I have made some mistakes as well that I wish I could take back. It is the hardest part of chicken keeping.

 

[Viollettt]

Would like opinions please! I have two one month old chicks with Moma hens and would like to start letting them go out of the coop into the run. But I have Three juveniles out there. Do you think the juveniles will be ok around them? Should I let them out yet?

I usually let mine go together at about four weeks. The momma hens will guard the chicks. My opinion is that the younger chickens don't have a problem with the chicks. I usually sit with them the first couple of times until I see that the other chickens aren't paying much attention to the little ones. What I noticed is that my flock learns from their experiences and it gets better and easier each time.

I usually let them go together late in the afternoon/evening about an hour before they go to roost or however much time I have to spend with them. I do that a couple of days and see how it goes. Then maybe I'll let them together for a few hours later in the evening before roost. I go by when the sun sets. That way the chickens are tired and not hungry. One hour before sunset is when they start going to roost. I start with that first hour before bedtime and then add more time each day.

Edited to add:

I start at the 4 week mark because my broody hens start at anywhere from 5 to 6 weeks (usually) to leave the chicks on their own. This gives the chicks time to be with the flock while the momma can guard them.

 

[SilkieMom8875]

Oh no! So sorry to hear.

And in all the confusion and sadness we didn't know we had also lost our roo Brainy