Silkie thread!

[Brody's Broodello]

Quote:
You have a pullet. We have had girls who laid one egg a year before. Then you have the one's who eat the egg, the second it is laid, before you have a chance to get a hand on it. We had a hen that loved to show. She would barely walk at home. Thought she was blind for a long time, never moved! Until she was at a show, then she would puff up. Shake herself out, make all kinds of noise. Just came alive! She would coo, and talk to anyone who waould walk by, croon to the judge. She did the dogshow, look at me, pick me to win. Which she did alot. This little blue hen, won tons of BB, FL's. And when we would coop her in the night before, we always found an egg in her cage at the show. The stress & her excitement would cause her to lay and egg. When she was not at the shows, NO EGGS!!!! EVER!!!! So don't judge her to badly for not laying at home, take her to the show, and see if the eggs show up! She might be another Pompom like the one we had, miss that old bird, she was trip.

 

[Moochie]

Does anyone know how to tell hatchery quality from show quality when silkies are young? I'm not sure what mine are..

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Check the pubic bones. If widespread and easily moved, almost certainly female. It very close together and very tight, almost certainly male. But even with this there can be a bit of leeway in making a determination. FWIW, girls can show a green sheen, so that is no guarantor of gender--just of good feather conditioning. Spurs are very, very late in development; many females will not squat "at command." And many silkies of both genders prefer to pile rather than roost.

 

[CarolinaChickenKeeper]

Question for the silkie Guru's: 1- Do you get porcelain from lav to buff breeding? 2- If I have a porcelain roo, what can I breed him to for more porcelains? Thanks, CCK

 

[peepblessed]

I would like to hear the answers to moochies question also on identifiying early qualities in chicks but also I was just watching all my one doz. week old silkie chicks running and playing in the brooder and all of them were "cock fighting". Is it possible they are all cockerels? Tell me it aint so!

 

[rilly10]

Quote:
I just sold my porcelains, but mine were buff x lav then back to lavender. So buff with a double dose of lavender. Some people do it differently though. It is more of a see what works than a deff formula. If you have a porcelain roo, you could get some porcelain hens, or buff split to lav hens. There is a gorgeous hen on the BYC 8wks plus section now from Bad Azz Silkies (Bob).

 

[Colie <3]

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I already sent him an email asking him to change it back. I probbly won't hear back from him tonight. But if it's too late then oh well. I want it to be a pullet anyway. But I don't want to look like an idiot at the show. I've seen plenty of people now know the sex of a silkie till it either crows or lays an egg. I'm one of them. Especially with the sizzles.

I've got a couple almost identical in looks to yours that I'm still waiting to figure out! It's frustrating!

 

[CarolinaChickenKeeper]

Quote:
I just sold my porcelains, but mine were buff x lav then back to lavender. So buff with a double dose of lavender. Some people do it differently though. It is more of a see what works than a deff formula. If you have a porcelain roo, you could get some porcelain hens, or buff split to lav hens. There is a gorgeous hen on the BYC 8wks plus section now from Bad Azz Silkies (Bob).

I've been watching that one...... I have a porc roo, lav roo, and a buff hen. Just wondered how they were made

 

[averytds]

Plenty of young pullets will do the same cockfighting thing, so I wouldn't worry too much. As to moochies question, your best guess is with seeing parent stock IMHO and even then there's no guarantee of SQ. Buy from trusted sources, ask to see breeding stock.


My youngest's little roo would never be used as a breeder. Red comb and lobes, sparse crest. No need for even closer examination to know he adds no value to a breeding program. The breeder has really wonderful stock and at around 4 wks I know she was reluctant to part with him. I keep meaning to get her some pics.


If you could tell SQ that early, why would so many spend the time and money to grow out?

 

[peepblessed]

Quote:
Good points! Thanks for the imput. And especially the pullet part