Silkie thread!

[roocrazy]

Quote:
I have a strict rule around here: I don't eat anything I've named.

Well, that settles that. HA!

Same applies here.

If it has a name, it's off the menu. But if it's a Silkie, it doesn't need a name. It's still off the menu.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Pic of our 7 week old porcelain pullet

 

[rilly10]

She is really pretty Judy! I love the nice soft even coloring!

 

[AliciaM]

Anyone ever had a silkie that had a leg problem?? 2 of my silkies suddenly developed a problem with one of there legs.

The first one, I had put down because I thought it might be diseased since some of my larger pullets were dying of merricks and it had some of the same symtoms.

The one im having a problem with now is older than the rest.. She is eating and drinking fine, but just drags her leg around.. Its been going on for a couple of weeks now. Ive contained her to a small area with a heat lamp so she doesnt get cold and she has a younger buddy who is just fine.

Im having her put down tomorrow since she is not getting better with little activity. I cant tell if its broken or not.. I dont think so since there was no way she could have gotten it caught on anything to break..It all started out with just a little limp, then progressed.

Im realy sad about this.. Those darn birds are incredably cute.. So now I have to find a buddy for the last one I have left.. All the rest of my chickens are twice its size, so dont want to put it with them. I hope it will be ok until I find it a buddy..

Thanks for any help.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

That actually sounds like it might be Mareks. Is there really a reason to put her down rather tham simply letting her exist? Mareks is contagious enough, that if that is the cause, all the other birds are already exposed.

 

[AliciaM]

Im putting her down because she looks pathetic... Her feathers are all poopy from dragging and she doesnt move around very far from her food and water. She just doesnt look comfortable.

 

[NewToFarming]

Quote:
Great! Thank you! See you guys there!

 

[silkieluver_07]

Quote:
Great! Thank you! See you guys there!

Can't wait to see you as well! I'll be ther all day Saturday and Sunday as well.

 

[Pineywoods Peepers]

With fire retardant suit on I'm posting here in the Silkie thread.

Do anyone else's Silkies seem to be dumber than a box of hammers? Some (but not all) of my Silkies can't seem to figure out how to get in and out of the pen when I let them out to free range. At the bottom of our pen we have put 1/4" hardware cloth about 12" up the sides with top snipped off and turned down at a 90 degree angle to prevent snakes from getting in, so when I let the chickens out I put a small ramp over the hardware cloth that they can use to get in and out of the pen. All of my other chickens flood out of the pen, but sometimes it takes the Silkies 5 or 10 minutes to figure out how to get out. They run up and down the fence squawking about everyone else being out but them. And when the evening comes there are at least 2 Silkies who can't figure out how to get back in the pen. They will walk UNDER the ramp as they pace back and forth on the outside of the fence, so I have to slowly follow them around the perimeter of the pen until I can corner them, catch them, and then put them back in the pen all the while trying to keep the other chickens from coming back out. I also have a couple of Silkies who haven't quite discovered how to use the nest boxes. All of my other layers have the nest box thing down, but every evening I have to crawl around in the coop picking up tiny eggs laid in the back corner under the droppings pan.

Are all Silkies as intellectually challenged, or is it just mine? I got mine from a hatchery, so maybe that makes a difference. Overall I'm disappointed in my Silkies. In addition to their seeming lack of intelligence they also are not very friendly, and one of them went through a phase where she was downright mean (i.e. walking up and attacking me!). Of all my birds they are probably the most standoffish, and the reason I got the Silkies was because I'd read how friendly they are. I had hoped they'd be a good breed for my nieces and nephews to hold and pet, but they don't want anything to do with people. Maybe my ultimate mistake was ordering them from a hatchery instead of from a private breeder, but this is my first batch of chickens so I'm still learning.

On the plus side of my straight run of 6 Silkies, I think I have at least 4 pullets (I still don't know how to sex Silkies, and I can't ever catch the girls in the nest box/in the corner of the coop. I also haven't seen any of them crow or try to mount a hen). I am getting 2 Silkie eggs per day, and I can't imagine that a 5 month old Silkie would lay more than 1 egg/day.

 

[Hennypen]

I only have two, but the rooster and hen are very friendly. They don't mind being picked up or handled. The hen is a complainer though. If anything changes she walks around and makes a whine/growl noise. She's adorable and my son just loves her. Were yours handled as chicks?