Silkie thread!

[Rowsdower]

LOL This is what I meant when I said that I did not know how it would show in pics. The background is definately white, but the coverts (and the primaries to some extent, you just cannot see it as well because of the frayed ends on the silkied feathers) are almost penciled in buff and/or blue/gray. I actually wet one of their wings down to see if it would show better and opted to not post the pic for fear PETA would show up at my door.

 

[thebyrdsx5]

Pretty chic!!
One of my white ones is a hen cause there was an egg in there this morning!! Yay!!!

 

[silky smooth]

LOL I could make more money if I sold tickets to the show. I could title it 'Taming of the roo'

 

[Kelxey]

I am new to silkies are they a chicken that feel boney .I have regular chickens there pretty heavy and meaty the silkies are around 6-7 months old and i find boney they have food all the time turkey starter mixed with chicken layer .Any help would be appreciated
.

Hi Cinm. Yes my silkies are very skinny and small and don't eat much. When I feel my girl's chest and a bit lower down (like towards the legs) I can feel the middle bone sticking out. But as long as they have food all the time they should be fine. In fact if you just feed them at set times they might eat more? Mine are free ranging so I think they eat a lot of grass and bugs and stuff during the day.

 

[JecaRaven]

Is anybody breeding clean legged Silkies for the heck of it? I'm looking for eggs or chicks to be pets.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hi Cinm. Yes my silkies are very skinny and small and don't eat much. When I feel my girl's chest and a bit lower down (like towards the legs) I can feel the middle bone sticking out. But as long as they have food all the time they should be fine. In fact if you just feed them at set times they might eat more? Mine are free ranging so I think they eat a lot of grass and bugs and stuff during the day.

Hi, whilst silkies are much smaller than LF, the keel bone should not protrude. If your birds are skinny you should consider changing their feed. A good quality layer pellet will go a long way to balancing out any short falls. Mine prefer a micro pellet. Just seems more palatable for them.

 

[seminolewind]

I just got home late last night but I have another white silkie or at least I was told it was a silkie hen. I'll have to get a pic. I'll have to post a pic of the non silkie in the, what breed is this thread! Thanks so much! I will definetly keep the roos separated!

I had 2 roos and a hen who all lived together nicely.

 

[Kelxey]

Hi, whilst silkies are much smaller than LF, the keel bone should not protrude. If your birds are skinny you should consider changing their feed. A good quality layer pellet will go a long way to balancing out any short falls. Mine prefer a micro pellet. Just seems more palatable for them.

Hi Fancychooklady! We have been transitioning them to a small animal feed (this is what our big hens eat as well) mixed with some layer pellets. They are 5 months old now. One of my girls has always been the smallest and she's not interested as much in food (except treats, they love all sorts of treats ). We always have food available when they go back to their coop for the night/early morning so I'm not sure what else I can do. I do worry about them because I know how chickens don't show any signs of illness or such until the last moment. They are funny birds though and will follow you around I love them

Also here are some more photos of them, I did another photoshoot with them last weekend

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hi Fancychooklady! We have been transitioning them to a small animal feed (this is what our big hens eat as well) mixed with some layer pellets. They are 5 months old now. One of my girls has always been the smallest and she's not interested as much in food (except treats, they love all sorts of treats ). We always have food available when they go back to their coop for the night/early morning so I'm not sure what else I can do. I do worry about them because I know how chickens don't show any signs of illness or such until the last moment. They are funny birds though and will follow you around I love them

Hi kelxey, yes all chickens love treats. Remember treats are just that, a bit like chocolates , you wouldn't want to eat them every day. A good pellet feed with a 16-17% protein and 2-3% calcium is best. When I have too many eggs I boil them up and feed them back to the hens as a treat. Silkies are predisposed to thiamine , niacin and selenium deficiencies, so it doesn't hurt to add a poultry multi vitamin to the water routinely .

 

[seminolewind]

Hi Kelxey. They are 5 months old, I know most chickens go thru a "gangly" period because of growth. If they free range, they will be more "fit". If your chickens are free ranging or getting a lot of healthy treats, your layer pellet is not compensating for less protein eaten per day. 16% protein should be the minimum diet requirements.