Silkie thread!

[austinbndr28]

There is nothing sadder looking than a drowned Silkie but they sure fluff up nicely afterwards!

He is always out in the rain for some reason he loves it. But I have to watch him when temperatures get low and it's raining because I'm afraid he will freeze.

 

[kabhyper1]

perhaps they see each other as "brothers" or some other sort of "two heads are better than one" relationship, where they both feel the need for another male to help fulfill all of the manly roles for the flock. The see each other as equals, they share the power and the responsibilities. And maybe they are both just that type of rooster, not really the biggest boss in town, but teamwork.

Thats how my three big boys are. They share the responsibility of watching over the flock. Last year a hawk attacked. My Big Cochin boy fought it off, while my Sl/wyandotte sounded the alarm and ushered the hens into the coop. Now we have My slw roos son helping in the mix. Although he is a bit of an outcast, he stays in the back and finds food for the girls. It's a really neat dynamic to watch. I just added 7 pullets that will go into the flock to prevent over breeding. A few of my big ladies have aprons on because they are the chosen ones, and get bred all the time. In our silkie flock, they are all family. I have my main roo and his 3 sons with the hens. They understand he is dad and boss and follow his lead. They don't challenge him. Time will tell, but at 6 months almost, they still respect his authority. He lets them mount hens, but they don't push his patience. So far we have been fortunate enough to have a peaceful farm with the boys. We also only breed the sweet roos. If they show aggression at all, they get rehabbed, and we won't hatch eggs from them. So far all of the males from our hatches have inherited their fathers personalities and are very peaceful.

 

[subhanalah]

There is nothing sadder looking than a drowned Silkie but they sure fluff up nicely afterwards!

Okay...nobody let my husband see this...this he has to see in PERSON! Hahaha

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks. I expect I'll need alternates unless I really want to travel.

My friend's Buff Orp was not nice to 2 Silkies in the pen and they grew up all day-old chicks together. You take your chances mixing LF w/bantams. There's so much to consider like number of birds in the flock, number of the same breed in a multiple breed flock, temperament of a strain of LF depending on breeder, pen size, free-ranged or not, etc. There are many variables but most stuff I read and from personal experience with a small backyard flock, I don't mix anything more than 5-lb with Silkies and with guaranteed gentle temperaments. We had to re-home a 7-lb bully Marans and a 3-year-old White Leghorn that got aggressive. Now I have a calmer temperament Buff Leghorn and a 5.5 lb APA Ameraucana as the largest LF and they're not interested in flock politics. Ameraucanas are known to be kind birds and will take in injured or orphaned birds into their flock where other breeds are not so willing (OurFlyBabies.com confirms this). Just putting my 2 cents experience in for your consideration - Smiles

 

[aatx]

My friend's Buff Orp was not nice to 2 Silkies in the pen and they grew up all day-old chicks together. You take your chances mixing LF w/bantams. There's so much to consider like number of birds in the flock, number of the same breed in a multiple breed flock, temperament of a strain of LF depending on breeder, pen size, free-ranged or not, etc. There are many variables but most stuff I read and from personal experience with a small backyard flock, I don't mix anything more than 5-lb with Silkies and with guaranteed gentle temperaments. We had to re-home a 7-lb bully Marans and a 3-year-old White Leghorn that got aggressive. Now I have a calmer temperament Buff Leghorn and a 5.5 lb APA Ameraucana as the largest LF and they're not interested in flock politics. Ameraucanas are known to be kind birds and will take in injured or orphaned birds into their flock where other breeds are not so willing (OurFlyBabies.com confirms this). Just putting my 2 cents experience in for your consideration - Smiles

What about cochins? I think they are more than 5lbs, but much of my reading has them with a good temperament.

 

[Sylvester017]

Thats how my three big boys are. They share the responsibility of watching over the flock. Last year a hawk attacked. My Big Cochin boy fought it off, while my Sl/wyandotte sounded the alarm and ushered the hens into the coop. Now we have My slw roos son helping in the mix. Although he is a bit of an outcast, he stays in the back and finds food for the girls. It's a really neat dynamic to watch. I just added 7 pullets that will go into the flock to prevent over breeding. A few of my big ladies have aprons on because they are the chosen ones, and get bred all the time. In our silkie flock, they are all family. I have my main roo and his 3 sons with the hens. They understand he is dad and boss and follow his lead. They don't challenge him. Time will tell, but at 6 months almost, they still respect his authority. He lets them mount hens, but they don't push his patience. So far we have been fortunate enough to have a peaceful farm with the boys. We also only breed the sweet roos. If they show aggression at all, they get rehabbed, and we won't hatch eggs from them. So far all of the males from our hatches have inherited their fathers personalities and are very peaceful.

I absolutely adore responsible breeders! Thank you for NOT breeding the nasty tempered!

 

[tommysgirl]

Here is a shot of my future girl settling back on her eggs she has 4 in the clutch

that they all hatch and that there is at least one pullet!
They are due to hatch in a week!

 

[Sylvester017]

What about cochins? I think they are more than 5lbs, but much of my reading has them with a good temperament.

Cochins are one bird I'm not familiar with. People love their Buff Orps or Wyandottes but there's 50/50 on their temperaments and I've talked with a couple websites who had to re-home aggressive ones - lucky if you get a good strain but nightmare if you don't.

Cochins for the most part are like sweet giant type Silkies I think. Better get some input from the BYC Cochin thread to be sure. Who knows? You might even find a Cochin breeder near you while you're on their thread. As with all LF mixed with Silkies you may not know until they're together before you know how they'll get along.

I personally don't like heavy LF with bantams because a 2-lb Silkie doesn't have equal fighting chance against a 6 or 7-lb LF in flock politics. Our 4.5 gentle alpha White Leghorn was fine with the Silkies for almost 3 years and then went ballistic after her last moult. We gave her a chance to settle down but she attacked her long-time Partridge Silkie friend. The White and Brown Leghorns are a hardy feisty personality with great qualities but a bit too nervous/skittish for smaller gentler fowl so now we have a calmer variety Buff Leghorn. Breda, Crevecoeurs, and Polish are known gentle under 5-lb fowl that mix well with gentle Silkies.

 

[aatx]

Cochins are one bird I'm not familiar with. People love their Buff Orps or Wyandottes but there's 50/50 on their temperaments and I've talked with a couple websites who had to re-home aggressive ones - lucky if you get a good strain but nightmare if you don't.

Cochins for the most part are like sweet giant type Silkies I think. Better get some input from the BYC Cochin thread to be sure. Who knows? You might even find a Cochin breeder near you while you're on their thread. As with all LF mixed with Silkies you may not know until they're together before you know how they'll get along.

I personally don't like heavy LF with bantams because a 2-lb Silkie doesn't have equal fighting chance against a 6 or 7-lb LF in flock politics. Our 4.5 gentle alpha White Leghorn was fine with the Silkies for almost 3 years and then went ballistic after her last moult. We gave her a chance to settle down but she attacked her long-time Partridge Silkie friend. The White and Brown Leghorns are a hardy feisty personality with great qualities but a bit too nervous/skittish for smaller gentler fowl so now we have a calmer variety Buff Leghorn. Breda, Crevecoeurs, and Polish are known gentle under 5-lb fowl that mix well with gentle Silkies.

Thank you.

 

[Sylvester017]

He is always out in the rain for some reason he loves it. But I have to watch him when temperatures get low and it's raining because I'm afraid he will freeze.

We're in So Calif and have mild weather year-round but we DO get some doozy downpours when it rains. My Partridge Silkie hen stays in the coop during a downpour but the Black Silkie heads straight for the mud puddles with the bigger fowl. She looks like a drowned rat by end of day but seems to fluff up nicely by next morning - she will preen and groom herself towards evening before roost time and dries herself off. The 2 Silkies sleep in the same nestbox so they keep each other company and warm. I worry about Silkies getting cold when wet but so far it's been ok as we don't get freezing temperatures here. Everyone's area and situation is different and you generally can figure what your flock can or can't handle. Looks like everyone loved your wet roos!