Silkie thread!

[ketchup]

Hi! I have a little silkie- don't know if it is a hen or roo yet- I have been trying to introduce it to my two barred rocks hens for the past couple weeks. They try to peck at it which I understand is normal. I have read about it and have done what I think I should to slowly introduce them. I made a separate small run next to theirs so they can see her but not get at her & I was having her sleep in a different temporary coop because they would seriously attack her if left in the coop. Well , its been a couple weeks and they can now roam freely around the yard with no problem. They will try to charge her if they get close but she runs off and it looks like more a threat than anything else.

I got her to now sleep in the coop a couple nights with no problems in the morning however it is close, they want her off the roost, to peck at her, etc. unless she sits perflectly still way far away. I feel back because she is so docile and sweet and just wants to stay away from them primarily cause she knows she will get picked on. I then tried to put her in their run alone with them and they jsut tried to peck at her.

so here's my questions; as I am new to chickens all together

1~ Establishing a pecking order I heard takes a couple days then they get over it. Why is this going on so long. Is it possible it just WONT WORK with these?
2~ I am concerned because of the silkies size, she (or he) is so small compared to the other two that I don't want to leave her in there with them to try and have them work it out so to speak as long, because I know shes not as tough
3~ What to do now. I don't want her to be alone, but she's afraid of them now and they know they can pick on her.
4~ kindof a different question. >... When do silkies start making louder noises (not chick noises) mine is almost 6 months old and it still squeaks quietly. I am waiting to see if it is a female or male (hoping for a hen) and wondering also
5~ When dot silkie hens start laying usually? 6 months old?

Any advice would be appreciated.

ALSO- I have a

 

[TeePants]

Oh goodness... The white one who had the eye infection now has the most foul smelling diarrhea.

We tried feeding them yogurt & scrambled eggs and put Sav-a-chick in their drinking water but nothing seems to help. The buff chick is still asymptomatic.

edit: Thank you once again internet! Apparently this isn't diarrhea but cecal poop? It is absolutely foul, no pun intended. I thought he was sick! But he keeps having it, enough that his butt has a little splattergram going.

I'm going to back off on the treats I guess! I noticed that they'll hold off on eating the chick feed if they think they can pig out on eggs and yogurt. Those little turds...

Another thing- they're...not as friendly as I'd like. Probably because I never get to handle the buff, and the splash is constantly having meds given to him or given butt baths. Oddly, he's the friendliest of the two anyway. They're only a month and some change though, is it because I am 100x bigger than them maybe? Will they warm up to us as they get older?

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

ketchup~~I'm sure many will disagree with me, but your Silkie will never have a peaceful, or long life if she must live with the BR. The BR WILL eventually kill her.....in the meantime they will just terrorize her.

Silkies, in general, should not be kept with other breeds of chickens---especially LF.

Your Silkie needs a Silkie friend......

 

[Tropical Chickies]

Quote:
I agree 100% in this given situation! If they had all grown up together it would be totally different. Another silkie to keep her (sounds like a pullet to me) would be nice. The BR will terrorize her!!!


Mine didn't begin laying until 9 months old.

 

[I-Have-Happy-Hens]

Quote:

 

[FarmerBoy24]

Quote:

 

[ChobeeChickenMommy]

Quote:
This hasn't helped me, but maybe it will help you!

TWELVE STEP RECOVERY PRINCIPLES FOR
CHICKENADDICTION



STEP 1: We admitted we were powerless over our chicken addictions and our
compulsion to
have more of them. As a result our schedules have become
unmanageable.

STEP 2: We came to believe that a power greater than ourselves could restore
us to sanity,
and his name is NOT Dear Husband or Dear Wife.

STEP 3: We made a decision to turn our life with poultry and will to have
more of them over to
the care of God.

STEP 4: We made a searching inventory of precisely how many chickens we have
at present
and how many square feet of coops and runs we currently own.
(roll eyes here)

STEP 5: We admitted to God, ourselves, spouse and BYC’rs the exact amount
of our
overcommitment.

STEP 6: We are entirely ready to cull all the unnecessary chickens from the
flock to make
room for upgrading our stock.

STEP 7: We humbly asked God to help us choose which ones to cull and which
ones to keep.

STEP 8: We made a list of all the good breeders and helpful friends that have
encouraged us
in our quest for breeding excellence.

STEP 9: We made a plan to reciprocate to each of these people for all the
good things they
have done to help us happily overindulge in our chickaddiction.
We also commit to
‘pay it forward’ to any new convert to chicken raising by being
generous and helpful
where ever possible.

STEP 10: We continued to take a personal inventory of how much money and time
we spend
with our feathered children, and vowed to give our spouses and
children equal time.

STEP 11: We prayed that God would keep our families and flocks safe from
predators
and disease, and for greater knowledge of His will for our
happiness.

STEP 12: Having had a truly delightful experience in keeping chickens, we
promise to carry
the message to others and work tirelessly to help others become
as hopelessly
addicted to chickens as we are.

Hey Folks, I'm glad you are enjoying the above humor, but please be kind enough to put my name on it when you copy and paste since It was my original writing. Thanks, Featherbaby

I was not aware of who wrote the anecdote. But thank you, it was funny & much appreciated. If I copy it I'll put your name to it...

 

[appychick]

My original quad of spoiled rotten silkies cannot be caged with any other birds & guard their yard,feeders with their lives. It took them 1.5 years to accpt a new silkie pullet of the same color. But they never bothered their own group if one should be removed for months at a time for brooding,injury,etc.....Always was a happy reunion when their friend came back. Finally got these to accept some bantam cochin hens in their yard,only after they were terribly out numbered & wore out their little legs chasing the new birds on a really hot day. I must have more feeders than silkies as each silkie refuses to let a cochin eat out of its feeder......These silkies should be physically fit as spend most of their time chasing the cochins. Never would these silkies accept another bird in their crate safely.

As for standard birds badgering a silkie,the silkie would never have a chance ! I am starting to think that if a group isn't raised together from a young age, they are rarely happy together.....So I try to always have an assortment of colors together at all times so if it is necessary to add/remove a bird-it would be less noticible to the others as to give the new addition a chance to feel more confident & be ready to take on the herd.

 

[peepblessed]

Quote:
Hey Folks, I'm glad you are enjoying the above humor, but please be kind enough to put my name on it when you copy and paste since It was my original writing. Thanks, Featherbaby

I was not aware of who wrote the anecdote. But thank you, it was funny & much appreciated. If I copy it I'll put your name to it...

Oh, no! I didn't write it!!!! I copied from a BYC thread!!!

 

[peepblessed]

Quote:
I have a flock of 9 EE,s with a roo and a flock of 4 silkies w/roo together and they are totally fine. Maybe EE's are sweeter than BR...