Silkie thread!

[cmf12230]

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Hello I am from North Eastern PA. This is my first year with chickens. I bought a few pet silkies straight run from tractor supply they are now 18 weeks or so... But they don't crow or lay eggs yet any guesses on sex. There are three of them thanks in advance!!

 

[and-roo]

The one without the "poof" on its head must be some silkie mix or something... I may be wrong, but they all look like pullets to me :/

 

[michellemire]

what color are these two silkies

 

[Fancychooklady]

what color are these two silkies

The roo looks buff and the hen either white with red leakage or porcelain.

 

[Fancychooklady]

The one without the "poof" on its head must be some silkie mix or something... I may be wrong, but they all look like pullets to me :/

Agreed , pullets. Ocasionally pure bred birds will throw a smooth feathered bird. I've only seen it twice in 12 years of breeding silkies, but just like straight comb , it does happen.

 

[sara1226]

I have seven, 9 wk old silkies from my last silkie hatch. They are all doing great and very healthy. But one of them is extremely small. (My gut thinks it's a girl). She is about half the size now of her siblings. I can tell, especially when I hold her and feel how light she is. She looks like a 5 week old! She has BIG personality and is not on the bottom of the pecking order, more near the top. Her crop is full every night when I check her. Is she just very petite? Any ideas or experiences?

I have 2 black silkies I got from the same place, and they are about the same age, yet they look very different from one another. One is wide bodied and think, so much so, that we thought she was a rooster. So we ended up naming her RooBerri. The other is tiny. She too goes to bed with a full crop, but doesn't gain much weight. It's ironic... My tiny one runs the roost and can be a real pain in the you know what, chases down other chickens, and even gives me the stink eye when I give her treats. She's just like that. RooBerri is a big girl, but sweet as pie.

There's probably nothing wrong with your little one, just small like one of mine maybe. :

 

[AmyCarys23]

Where is the best place to look for silkies for sale? I was so lucky to find my two, but I'm really struggling to find a blue or paint coloured silkie, any suggestions? I live in North Wales area, and I will be going to the national poultry show in Telford this November

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[irishsilkie]

between 4-6 months for show hens/cocks

 

[Half Moon Ranch]

Your roo could be ' over mating ' her. Roos , no matter what their size and stature , will often select a favorite hen or an easy target. Mites and lice are often difficult to detect and some birds are more affected than others. Check around her vent area and then about 2 inches above the vent, for egg casings along the feather shaft.
Finally , check your feed bag and be sure that it contains methionine. Birds that are deficient in this amino acid will eat their own feathers and that of others in an attempt to satisfy their craving .
http://msucares.com/poultry/feeds/poultry_feathering.html

Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this but I've had my hands full lately with this among other things.
I checked the feed (Purina Flock Raiser) and it does have methionine in it, so we're good there.
I found no evidence of parasites, or anything to demonstrate that the Silkie rooster that is in with them had been rough in any way.
I did put everyone on Rooster Booster, suspecting some other possible vitamin deficiency and I am happy to say that not only did
Estaline's saddle feathers grow back, but so did Daisy's.
Their combs and wattles went from a faded look, to rich red.
After a time of getting no eggs at all from Estaline, they're both laying.
We've gotten two eggs, two days in a row which hasn't happened in a long while.
We do still have an issue with one of the girls and slow crop or something similar, but everyone is peppy, eating and drinking.
I was thinking about putting them through another round of dewormer to make sure the blockage isn't due to internal parasites.
Short of that I'm not sure where to go from here, but I'm tickled the girls appear to be out of the woods.
Thank you for your wisdom!

 

[AmyLM]

my little red escape artist. I cant seem to keep this one penned in. Not sure gender yet... If this is a boy they will have to go.