Silkie thread!

[DanielE1990]

Just an update on the coop.

 

[kabhyper1]

Babies first day out with mom.







I also figured out how to watermark finally !

 

[nate1the1great1]

The wings are like a normal chickens wing feathers t might be a little raggyer and its body isn't like a normal hcicken it has the fluff that what i meant

 

[lightchick]

Just an update on the coop.

Cool. How many chickens are you putting in it?

 

[The Hustons]

I just got 6 new silkie partridge chicks today hooray! They are almost 2 weeks old, the feathers on their feet are all gunked up w/ poo

. Does this require action ? If so what do I need to do!

 

[DanielE1990]

Cool.  How many chickens are you putting in it?

3 hens and a roo when adults. Ill be getting 9 chicks from ideal hopng for a good buff hen, red hen, black hen, and a roo (the friendliest one). the rest i will find homes with people around here. I know someone that will probably take them all.

 

[Fancychooklady]

I just got 6 new silkie partridge chicks today hooray! They are almost 2 weeks old, the feathers on their feet are all gunked up w/ poo

. Does this require action ? If so what do I need to do!

Just put some water water in u tub and soak it off. You will need to separate the feathers with your fingers.

 

[Sylvester017]

do you keep a cock bird with these flocks you have so much trouble in? You would think a good cock bird wouldn't allow such behavior?

Sadly we're not zoned for roos. I feel lucky to be able to have the hens at least. One hen usually takes over the lead role as if she's a roo and that's been our Partridge Silkie matriarch. But we haven't had any luck with the LF breeds we've experimented with once they get past the pullet stage - certain LF breeds even if calm/gentle get tempted to bully our Silkies. So far only the lone Amer has been non-combative. We're going to try 2 Breda hopefully next Spring as they are supposedly a docile breed. We'll see. That will be my last try at egg-laying LF breeds. If they don't work out I'll get another Blue Wheaten Amer as that seems to be the only non-combative LF we've experienced in 3 years - in fact she is so gentle the LF pick on her even though she is a LF - Amer nature is non-combative as my friend and I have shared notes and come to realize.

 

[subhanalah]

Sadly we're not zoned for roos.  I feel lucky to be able to have the hens at least.  One hen usually takes over the lead role as if she's a roo and that's been our Partridge Silkie matriarch.  But we haven't had any luck with the LF breeds we've experimented with once they get past the pullet stage - certain LF breeds even if calm/gentle get tempted to bully our Silkies.  So far only the lone Amer has been non-combative.  We're going to try 2 Breda hopefully next Spring as they are supposedly a docile breed.  We'll see.  That will be my last try at egg-laying LF breeds.  If they don't work out I'll get another Blue Wheaten Amer as that seems to be the only non-combative LF we've experienced in 3 years - in fact she is so gentle the LF pick on her even though she is a LF - Amer nature is non-combative as my friend and I have shared notes and come to realize.

yeah, sounds like that's just how it's going to have to be. It's a good thing Ameraucanas are so great!

 

[Sylvester017]

yeah, sounds like that's just how it's going to have to be. It's a good thing Ameraucanas are so great!

Our Ameraucana has been very good SO FAR - fingers crossed. I mean we had a wonderful White Leghorn for almost 3 years and a gentle alpha until she went ballistic after her 3rd moult and started pushing around her flockmates from the feed, the water, the perch, the nestboxes, the rest areas, etc. We gave her a chance to settle down but before it came to very injurious behavior toward the Silkies we had to rehome her. Her behavior was progressively dangerous. She's doing fine in a friend's LF flock today.

I know EEs are similar to Amers but if we ultimately settle on another egg layer after the Breda experiment we will invest in another Blue Wheaten Amer from our previous breeder since she is our lone LF survivor. We'll see. There needs to be a thread on what breeds are best to keep in a small limited backyard flock - not sure how much interest there'd be in it.

Those with a lot of space and a lot of variety breeds don't seem to encounter these problems but so many are not zoned for roos with multiple hens of the same breed and sometimes can't have any more than 3 hens. It makes it really difficult to make the right flock choices without some input from others' experiences. The smartest chickeneer I've ever read was the one who knew they could only have 5 hens and decided to have them all the same breed to not encounter serious mixed flock squabbles. Smartest chickeneer I've ever read about.