A few of my flock just have the extreme fluff around their heads and faces.
Not sure if it's because I'm in FL where the ground is only very light sand, but I don't get wear and tear on the feathering, just a dusty dirty look to foot feathering. Not even muddy. Just dark dusty.
Weather was not good today, extremely windy and rainy, so no trimming was done.
I'll try to get some good close-up before/after pics of them and I think the need for their trims should be evident.
Every owner decides what's best - I just don't trim because the fluff naturally wears down from all the corners of the yard they forage in -- picking up debris and mud and rocks tangling in their fur -- we just give them a bath & blowdry as need arises. It's been raining so hard here that the birds have actually been staying out of the yard and staying under cover of the coop patio so they are staying cleaner now than if it wasn't raining LOL! Luv to see your before/after shots!!
They are housed with OEGBs and 3 SS hens(for standard sized eggs to use in baking), and so far I have had zero feather picking from anyone. And zero picking of any dropped feathers in the coop. I have been feeding the Nutrena Naturewise Feather Fixer(along with supp oyster shell for the ladies) to everyone because the calcium is a bit lower than layer ration for the roos, and they all look in top shape.
Feather Fixer is good. I've been toying with the idea of having it as an at-will dish w/the other stations. We don't have roos (not zoned for them) but we have hens that stagger laying. So rather than feeding everyone just one feed, we have several stations of different feeds available -- Scratch & Peck organic non-processed 18% layer non gmo/no soy, Scratch & Peck 3-grain scratch, organic layer pellets, turkey grow crumbles, oyster shell, calcium carbonate and a treat scattering of wild bird seed. This way the hens choose what feed they need because when they aren't laying they don't need the oyster shell-laced layer feed - plus my Silkies don't seem to like the bigger pieces of oyster shell in the Scratch & Peck anyway.
On a side note: One of my young OEGB hens who has just started laying again after a short 'winter' (winter in FL) break of about one month just started back up by laying a full sized egg... full sized like the size my SS hens lay! I was shocked at the size of it. OUCH! Poor little girl. LOL
That's how I feel about Silkie eggs -- they seem so large for only a 2-lb hen!
I can easily tell the OEGB eggs from the SS eggs because of the color and sheen. The SS eggs are a light pinkish tan and very matte, almost chalky, the OEGB eggs are cream-ivory colored and have a sheen to them, like porcelain. I never expected to get an egg that big out of such a tiny little hen.
I used to be able to tell which Silkie layed which egg -- one would be pink & glossy while the other was cream & matte -- but now that they are both older birds (6 and 5 yrs) their eggs are both cream and have lost their gloss. The only way I can tell the difference now is that one lays a slightly narrower longer egg than the other.
