Silkie thread!

[LadiesAndJane]

@jmns

Too early to tell this young -- but aren't they the most adorable babies! They are even sweeter when adults! Hope you're prepared to deal with very broody female Silkies -- these girls are born to be broody -- but after 5 or 6 years old they usually stop laying or brooding and are the sweetest older girls! We had to return one of our birds to the breeder when one chick turned out to be a cockerel. We aren't zoned for roos and it broke our heart to return him!!!! There are private breeders that DNA sex their Silkie chicks but the pullet chicks can run anywhere from $65 to $125 per chick depending on how many cockerels were in the test batch. To avoid heartbreak I'll get a DNA sexed Silkie pullet next time so we don't get attached to a cockerel that we have to give back!!

Thank you so much for all the helpful info. I was not asking if they were male or female though, just hoping they are female! Fortunately if we end up with a rooster or two will be OK where we live. We have had to give up hand raised chicks in the past that were roosters. So sad!
The silkies are so sweet, actually like being held, not like the Marans chicks that are the same age, that only tolerate it!

 

[Pollmadoll]

OK silkie people! Help me with my chicks! I hatched 14 silkies recently, kept 6 of them and could use some help confirming/identifying their colors. The little sweeties are 2 and half week old and here are their photos and wings as of today! Some of them look quite different. I am assured they are purebred, all have the dark skin and feet and 5 toes! Some have a top knot, some don't. All have feathered legs, but some more than others. First time owning silkies, they are awesome! I am calling them all "she" but of course have no idea at this point!

THIS IS PIP. I THINK SHE IS LAVENDER, HER WING FEATHERS ARE SMOOTH. COULD SHE BE A SATIN?
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THIS IS JANE, SHE IS FUNKY LOOKING, VERY SWEET. AT HATCH SHE HAD MOTTLED BUFF AND GREY COLORED DOWN, I THOUGHT SHE WAS CALICO, NOW MAYBE PORCELAIN, BUT NO REAL CLUE!
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THIS IS KANA, SHE IS A PARTRIDGE, STILL HAS A BIT OF HER CHIPMUNK STRIPE
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THIS IS ASHER, I BELIEVE SHE IS GREY, HER WING FEATHERS CURL A BIT MORE THAN THE OTHERS. COULD SHE BE A SIZZLE? (she refused to pose for photos)
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THIS IS ZELDA THE WONDER CHICKEN (HER FULL NAME). WE THINK SHE IS BUFF.
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THIS IS LAYLA, ANOTHER LAVENDER I BELIEVE, THOUGH FEATHERS ARE DIFFERENT THAN PIP.
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Thanks for any opinions anyone cares to offer! I appreciate it!

 

[Pollmadoll]

These two started greyish looking chicks but were white as adults . A cockerel and a hen

 

[LadiesAndJane]

[/QUOTE]

These two started greyish looking chicks but were white as adults . A cockerel and a hen

Wow, that's an incredible difference between chick down colors and adult feathering!
Zelda and Jane look like they both might end up being white based on their wing feather colors, though Zelda has a soft yellow tint to hers. Time will tell I guess!
Thanks!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Hey All,

We've gotten our very first Silkie (my mothers day present), and it is only a day old (if that), and in witg 4 other 2-day-olds.

I wanted to find out what color it will be. I was told possibilities of the 6 I got to choose from were - Splash, Blue, Partridge, Grey, Grey w/ Brown Leakage.

I believe Spash or Blue ...

Maddy~
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Parents~
*Photo rights to owner of birds
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Looks like a splash! Though I am no expert! Sweet chick!

 

[Hinotori]

This is not a silkie, she's just cleverly disguised as one. She's 3/4 silkie and may actually lay a blue-green egg. I'm actually surprised by how like a full silkie she is in size and body type. Her two full sisters still look a bit more like half silkies. It will be interesting to see what her own chicks will look like.

 

[Sylvester017]

@Monkeysmom5018 The actual DNA testing isn't that expensive per chick -- but breeders have to attach their selling price to the DNA cost for each pullet chick and also divide up the DNA cost of the cockerels onto the selling price of the pullet chicks in a test batch -- which is why a DNA sexed chick from a breeder can fluctuate in selling price. I'm not a breeder so it's worth it to me as a customer to pay the breeder's cost for a sexed pullet -- especially since hatcheries or feed stores don't sell sexed bantam breeds -- they only sell sexed standard sized birds. I wouldn't mind keeping/raising a cockerel Silkie but we're not zoned for roos -- our little boy was noisy crowing 12 to 20 times incessantly when he decided to crow throughout the day and then he was so horny he wore out his Silkie pullet companion ( we were hoping both Silkies were females as chicks but it didn't turn out so we had to re-home the noisy cockerel and get a for-certain pullet Silkie as a companion to our other Silkie pullet).

Here's our noisy little Partridge cockerel that we hoped we could keep but he was just too horny for the single pullet companion

 

[LadiesAndJane]

@Monkeysmom5018 The actual DNA testing isn't that expensive per chick -- but breeders have to attach their selling price to the DNA cost for each pullet chick and also divide up the DNA cost of the cockerels onto the selling price of the pullet chicks in a test batch -- which is why a DNA sexed chick from a breeder can fluctuate in selling price. I'm not a breeder so it's worth it to me as a customer to pay the breeder's cost for a sexed pullet -- especially since hatcheries or feed stores don't sell sexed bantam breeds -- they only sell sexed standard sized birds. I wouldn't mind keeping/raising a cockerel Silkie but we're not zoned for roos -- our little boy was noisy crowing 12 to 20 times incessantly when he decided to crow throughout the day and then he was so horny he wore out his Silkie pullet companion ( we were hoping both Silkies were females as chicks but it didn't turn out so we had to re-home the noisy cockerel and get a for-certain pullet Silkie as a companion to our other Silkie pullet).

Here's our noisy little Partridge cockerel that we hoped we could keep but he was just too horny for the single pullet companion
View attachment 2190555

He's gorgeous. We got one partridge in our hatch. Behavior tells me she is a female but you never now! Hope your boy went to a home where he could have plenty of girlfriends!

 

[Monkeysmom5018]

@Monkeysmom5018 The actual DNA testing isn't that expensive per chick -- but breeders have to attach their selling price to the DNA cost for each pullet chick and also divide up the DNA cost of the cockerels onto the selling price of the pullet chicks in a test batch -- which is why a DNA sexed chick from a breeder can fluctuate in selling price. I'm not a breeder so it's worth it to me as a customer to pay the breeder's cost for a sexed pullet -- especially since hatcheries or feed stores don't sell sexed bantam breeds -- they only sell sexed standard sized birds. I wouldn't mind keeping/raising a cockerel Silkie but we're not zoned for roos -- our little boy was noisy crowing 12 to 20 times incessantly when he decided to crow throughout the day and then he was so horny he wore out his Silkie pullet companion ( we were hoping both Silkies were females as chicks but it didn't turn out so we had to re-home the noisy cockerel and get a for-certain pullet Silkie as a companion to our other Silkie pullet).

Here's our noisy little Partridge cockerel that we hoped we could keep but he was just too horny for the single pullet companion
View attachment 2190555

It actually is, $15 per chick. I’ve used them myself.

 

[Sylvester017]

It actually is, $15 per chick. I’ve used them myself.

Are you a seller or did you sex the chicks for your own information?
Amber Waves Silkies has a standard selling price for chicks and then they add the $15 per DNA sexed birds -- if 10 chicks were tested at $15@ that's $150 total for the batch -- just as an example only: if each pullet chick sells for $35 but only two females were sexed out of a batch (8 chicks tested cockerels) -- then $150 is distributed to the selling price of the two DNA pullet chicks making them cost the regular $35 plus $75 of the divided cost of the DNA testing bringing the price of the two pullet chicks up to $105@. If 10 chicks were all tested positive as female then $150 divided between 10 chicks is $15@ added to the regular selling price of $35 to have a selling price for each female chick at $50@. That's how it was explained to me why DNA sexed chicks can fluctuate in price -- it all depends on how many chicks tested positive as cockerels and of course sellers usually can't GIVE away cockerels let alone trying to sell them at $5 or $10 each. Most sellers have to eat the DNA test batch cost of cockerels so to keep from losing $$$ they push the test batch cost onto the selling price of pullet chicks. To me it's worth it to buy from a seller who DNA tests chicks so I don't get attached to a baby cockerel that I'm not zoned for. It's so heartbreaking that cockerels are so unwanted