Silkie thread!

[moomoodiddy]

They a bit dirty. They been locked up all winter. Mom refused to look at me, probably cause she been broody and shes a mess.

love the type

 

[lord20lucille]

anyone know were I could get silkies in or around westchester ny?

 

[PaulaMc]

Our Black Silkie went broody yesterday. We were expecting it since she's been laying 3 to 4 eggs per week lately. She's our littlest hen so we monitor her closer than the other birds. If we get concerned that we haven't been home during the day to monitor a broody Silkie, we will take her gently off the nest after we get home and feed her in the house w/ either some cooked meat, can or fresh corn, raisins, multi-grain bread, whatever she'll eat, and we give 1 drop of liquid children's no-iron Poly-Vi-Sol on her beak. Since broody appetites are lower we supplement w/ a Poly-Vi-Sol drop 2 to 3x/week. It seems to energize them and stimulate their appetite and it makes certain she's getting some kind of nutrients if she isn't eating enough on her own.

Thanks Sylvester

Will research the English version of kiddie vitamin drops.Can I ask why no iron please?

She has spent the day in a 3x3 foot run with water and layers pellets. Let her out about 4.20 when I got home and she ate some spinach and more layers.

Jackie is not a miniature silkie and seems to be the boss of the other two miniatures. I have made them some nutritious soup to feed when I get home tomorrow, around 3.30.

Thanks so much for the advice.

 

[ronkonkoma]

So after my silkies passed I got 2 Australian Shepherds. I'm considering chickens again but am concerned with my dogs. I just don't know how they'd be together. My golden who passed was awesome with them. I fenced in the side yard with chain link and put pea gravel down as a temporary area for the dogs when company is over. I don't use it often. I was thinking maybe I could make this into an area for the chickens? I know I'd need netting, and Luke need to build a brand new coop... but my big question is - how would the chickens be on pea gravel? I used to have them on dirt and it sometimes got muddy.

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks Sylvester

Will research the English version of kiddie vitamin drops.Can I ask why no iron please?
Liquid baby/children's vitamin drops should be the same basic vitamins anywhere - the usual A, B's, C, D, E. Or if you can mix Rooster Booster chicken vitamins (or equivalent brand) into the feed. My chickens leave the Rooster Booster crystals behind so I crush it into a powder and sprinkle it over cooked organic brown rice plus dust lightly a very very very little Selenium powder, Brewer's Yeast, Bee Pollen into the rice. I don't know why but my birds love the rice mixture as much as their layer pellets and Turkey grow. Too much iron for chickens has something to do w/ harsh on the internal organs - liver, kidneys, or some such organ - apparently regular layer feed has sufficient trace iron that it doesn't need supplementation.

She has spent the day in a 3x3 foot run with water and layers pellets. Let her out about 4.20 when I got home and she ate some spinach and more layers.
Spinach, Blueberries, etc are good sources of Selenium naturally.

Jackie is not a miniature silkie and seems to be the boss of the other two miniatures. I have made them some nutritious soup to feed when I get home tomorrow, around 3.30.
Hinotori says I'm too kind to my Silkies. I think you are v-e-r-y kind to yours!

Thanks so much for the advice. YW!

 

[Sylvester017]

Is this the right type of comb for a silkie rooster?

He's a beauty. Some might think the comb is too red and should be darker - wait and see if it darkens up. My bearded Partridge cockerel was in juvenile molt and beginning to get his adult feathers when we re-homed him before we could see if his comb darkened.

 

[Sylvester017]

So after my silkies passed I got 2 Australian Shepherds. I'm considering chickens again but am concerned with my dogs. I just don't know how they'd be together. My golden who passed was awesome with them. I fenced in the side yard with chain link and put pea gravel down as a temporary area for the dogs when company is over. I don't use it often. I was thinking maybe I could make this into an area for the chickens? I know I'd need netting, and Luke need to build a brand new coop... but my big question is - how would the chickens be on pea gravel? I used to have them on dirt and it sometimes got muddy.

Everyone's situation/backyard is different. Get creative and keep chicken safety from weather or predators always in mind when housing them. In our area clever city raccoons and 'possums are our night critter predators and they can climb stucco, rain gutters, block walls, chainlink, squeeze thru openings in garage doors, tear open chicken poultry wire, very nasty critters.

Chickens LUV to scratch and dust-bathe in the dirt so your pea gravel probably will scatter all over the place. I use paver stones to keep mud from forming - I was told by a couple breeders they lost chickens stuck in mud and died because they couldn't get out. If the run is completely done in paver stone, then provide a small kiddie pool half-filled with dirt for them to dust-bathe and do their scratching when you toss them mealworms or bird seed to scratch inside it. Cover the kiddie pool dirt before a rain.

Our newest coop is set on concrete slab under a patio roof for protection from rain/mud. Chickens are messy so don't expect their area to look nice. We let ours free-range the yard all day with pop-up canopy, dog houses, lean-to shelters, potted plants, lawn furniture, etc, for them to hide/snooze in/under during the day because chickens only use the coop to roost or lay eggs. We have a fence separating the people yard from the chicken yard so the chickens can mess up their side and still leave us a nice "people" side to use without chickens.

IT POURED RAIN THIS PAST WEEK AND THE PAVER STONES KEEP THE GROUND FROM MUDDYING.


I USE PAVER STONES TO BUILD RAISED GARDEN BEDS TOO


CHICKENS LIKE TO SCRATCH IN DIRT BUT THEY HANG OUT ON THE PAVER STONES


WHEN WE REMODELED THE BACKYARD, I DIDN'T WANT TO BATTLE WEEDS IN SUMMER AND RAIN PUDDLES IN WINTER SO WE PAVER-STONED A GOOD PORTION OF THE CHICKEN YARD. IF WE CONFIGURE THE YARD AGAIN, THE STONES LIFT UP EASILY. I'VE USED, AND RE-USED, PAVER STONES OFTEN WHEN DOING YARD WORK.


ONE OF 5 DOG HOUSES WE SCATTERED AROUND THE CHICKEN YARD - CHICKENS LOVE THEM


OUR FIRST COOP WAS A DIRT BOTTOM AND HAD TO USE TARPS AND A POP-UP CANOPY ON RAINY DAYS TO KEEP THE WATER OUT.


OUR FIRST 4X6 COOP WAS SET ON PAVER STONES AND WE LEFT A DIRT BOTTOM UNDER THE COOP - MISTAKE BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HAD TO SCRAMBLE TO DIVERT RAIN WATER AND USE A POP-UP CANOPY OVER IT DURING RAIN STORMS.


NEXT COOP WE GOT WE PUT ON A PATIO SLAB WITH A PATIO ROOF OVER IT SO WE CAN COLLECT EGGS UNDER SHELTER. CEMENT SLABS AND PAVER STONES ARE EASY TO HOSE CHICKEN POOP AWAY ONCE A WEEK.


BACKYARD HAS BENCHES, CANOPY, DOG HOUSES, POTTED PLANTS, LAWN FURNITURE, ETC FOR CHICKENS TO HAVE DAYTIME SHELTER.

 

[Heather94]

What do you guys think? 6 months next week. No clue if it's a pullet or cockerel. Hoping it's a pullet. His/her brother is white, and has long thick streamers coming from back if crest. This one has me so confused. If this one is a cockerel, then all 3 of my silkies are male

anyone? Fingers crossed she's a pullet!

 

[Sylvester017]

What do you guys think? 6 months next week. No clue if it's a pullet or cockerel. Hoping it's a pullet. His/her brother is white, and has long thick streamers coming from back if crest. This one has me so confused. If this one is a cockerel, then all 3 of my silkies are male

anyone? Fingers crossed she's a pullet!

My Black pullet never had a comb that large - in fact, from the time we got her at about 4-5 mos old approx, her comb didn't show at all unless her crest was matted.

 

[Sylvester017]

What do you guys think? 6 months next week. No clue if it's a pullet or cockerel. Hoping it's a pullet. His/her brother is white, and has long thick streamers coming from back if crest. This one has me so confused. If this one is a cockerel, then all 3 of my silkies are male

anyone? Fingers crossed she's a pullet!

With solid color Silkies it's hard to tell girls from boys - I found Black the hardest to tell. Crowing or laying an egg will tell for certain. Partridge is the easiest to ID girls from boys -- the boys start growing in shiny mult-colored feathers while the girls stay duller, plainer in color, and look like butterballs compared to the sickle/hackle flowing on the boys. Solid colors are not so easy.