Silkie thread!

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Mine stay on chick starter/all flock their entire lives, they get a bowl of oyster shell on the side for calcium...

 

[smschultz]

Thanks for the info

 

[mom of silkies]

Mine stay on chick starter/all flock their entire lives, they get a bowl of oyster shell on the side for calcium...

I give mine laymour hen crumble mixed with corn and barley. And once in a while I also add black oil sunflower seed (especially in winter because of the high fat).

 

[Fancychooklady]

My flock is 4 months old now, I was wondering if I should switch to layena. Or keep them on grower feed till spring when the girls will start laying.

Depends on the protein and calcium level of the grower you have them on. At 20 weeks they no longer require protein levels to be greater than 15-16% . If they are fed continuously on high protein feeds , then they are at risk of visceral gout and fatty build up on their organs.
Most grower pellets and crumbles are specifically designed for when they are growing rapidly and require a higher intake of protein .

 

[QueenMisha]

My flock is 4 months old now, I was wondering if I should switch to layena. Or keep them on grower feed till spring when the girls will start laying.

With a production breed I usually say switch at 16 weeks so they can start getting a good calcium level a bit before they start laying, but with Silkies I'd say stay on the grower feed until spring (or if one lays an egg). You could also mix grower/layer 50/50 to dilute both the protein and calcium.

 

[QueenMisha]

Ugh! Second time typing this post! Thanks for reloading the page phone...

So my little wryneck girl is still in about the same condition, but I did end up naming her (I know, terrible idea right?). She's still not standing so she gets her crop filled 2x per day by hand. Her diet is currently about 60% turkey grower crumble and 40% small grains like wheat and milo, and occasionally a trapper pea or safflower seed. She is being housed with a Bantam Cornish cock who had a bad chilling incident last week. While he has been extremely calm with her and she seems to enjoy having him around, he has a bit of tendency to step on her wings and feet because he's a big clumsy thing. So I went ahead and made her a bowl nest from one of the large metal strainers in the kitchen and lined it with towels and pillowcases. She's seemed to like it so far, and can lay comfortably on her side with her head propped up.

Here's Taylor today:

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Ugh! Second time typing this post! Thanks for reloading the page phone...

So my little wryneck girl is still in about the same condition, but I did end up naming her (I know, terrible idea right?). She's still not standing so she gets her crop filled 2x per day by hand. Her diet is currently about 60% turkey grower crumble and 40% small grains like wheat and milo, and occasionally a trapper pea or safflower seed. She is being housed with a Bantam Cornish cock who had a bad chilling incident last week. While he has been extremely calm with her and she seems to enjoy having him around, he has a bit of tendency to step on her wings and feet because he's a big clumsy thing. So I went ahead and made her a bowl nest from one of the large metal strainers in the kitchen and lined it with towels and pillowcases. She's seemed to like it so far, and can lay comfortably on her side with her head propped up.

Here's Taylor today:

Poor lil bub :/ My black rooster recently had a bout of wry neck, though it doesn't seem as severe as your girls. He was tucking his head to his chest, walking backwards and occasionally doing some flips. He was finishing up his molt when it started (I think a cockerel in his pen was picking on him while he was molting). At one point he looked so bad I considered culling him, but I've had this guy for 6 or 7 years and couldn't give up on him. After some TLC, he's doing much better. His head is where its supposed to be and he's moving forward instead of backwards. I hope yours gets better too!

 

[Frindizzle]

Quote:
x2

 

[Nksg75]

Hi any guesses as to the sex of my silkie?

Any help much appreciated!!

 

[silkiecuddles]

Hi any guesses as to the sex of my silkie?

Any help much appreciated!!

looks female to me.