Silkie thread!

[Sonoran Silkies]

Do silkies start off having like featherless sticks (for lack of a better word) for wings?

All chicks do. Count toes. Silkies should have 5 toes, feathers on their feet, dark skin. Sometimes from feed store or hatchery some of these traits are missing, but not all of them. Silkie feathering, crest and comb type can be difficult to tell in a hatchling, so I left them off my list.

 

[CamiLynn]

Yea I read that in my search but I don't think he/she has dark skin and I don't think the toes either but haven't really looked hard. I asked about the wings because out of all my chicks this is the only one whose wings were like that and she is not very "puffy." Sorry to barge in on the silkie thread to ask and I really wish I could post the better pics, but something is going on at the moment w my cell phone internet connection. Thanks for you help, I know my pic doesn't help much at this point. sigh...I just want to know what she is

 

[Country Chickens]

Okay, this is super helpful. It was a guinea person who told me about the medicated feed (some ingredient in it, she said) so maybe it is different for guineas? Anyway, I am also going to give her a bath as she is a little dirty around the vent. If that doesn't work, I guess it's shaving time...and maybe I'll have to jump on the AI wagon. Fun, fun, fun!

ETA sorry, guess it didn't pick up the quotes after all. But thank you all!!!

 

[CamiLynn]

Not sure if this pic helps at all, but if just by chance it does...

 

[chisNchickens]

Perhaps they are still acclimating and will be fertile again soon? I personally stay away from medicated feed. I only medicate (anything) if absolutely necessary.

While we're waiting to hear what over shredding looks like (cause all this stuff is great info!) can I ask another question? I bought a nice show pullet from a breeder near here, and the breeder was getting fertile eggs from her and her roo. I brought them both home and put them with my grow out silkies until I could fix up their own place. While they were all in together, the pullet and roo both helped themselves to the medicated chick feed the growing silkies were eating. About the time I got their own place set up, I heard on here that medicated chick feed can make eggs infertile. And, sure enough, all the pullets eggs have been infertile! They've been in their own place for a couple weeks and only eating laying pellets since moving over...anybody know how long she'll keep having infertile eggs?

Thanks for any help! I feel like such an idiot for putthing them in together in the first place, but I guess you live and learn, eh?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Perhaps they are still acclimating and will be fertile again soon? I personally stay away from medicated feed. I only medicate (anything) if absolutely necessary.

Quote: You do realize that medicated feed does not normally contain antibiotics? It contains amprolium, which could be considered in terms of being a vitamin (or more correctly, a specific anti-vitamin)

 

[Hawkeye95]

OMG-- so excited!!! Beth-- Peepblessed-- the AI worked!!

I was having a heck of a time getting anything to come out at all. So I kept him in a separate pen for 2 days and tried again and he filled up half the spoon!!! YAY!! Babies will be coming soon!!!

Whew, all that angst and finally now I wish I had done this weeks earlier! It wasn't as hard as I thought! I just didn't have the right conditions at all! Now I wait for eggs to be laid....

 

[peepblessed]

OMG-- so excited!!! Beth-- Peepblessed-- the AI worked!!

I was having a heck of a time getting anything to come out at all. So I kept him in a separate pen for 2 days and tried again and he filled up half the spoon!!! YAY!! Babies will be coming soon!!!

Whew, all that angst and finally now I wish I had done this weeks earlier! It wasn't as hard as I thought! I just didn't have the right conditions at all! Now I wait for eggs to be laid....

You are the expert now!!! Fantastic!!!

 

[Hawkeye95]

seriously--- jumping up and down over here!! LOL!!

 

[Tikkijane]

White chicks will have silvery, white or slightly yellow down; buff chicks are a MUCH darker yellow. Blues and blacks will have medium slate to black down and may have yellow or white bellies and wing tips. Splash are a lighter blue with some yellow or white.

Thanks! Is there an easy way to tell the blacks from the blues, or is it a crap shoot unless you specifically ordered? (and even then, don't you stand a chance of getting blacks instead of blues?)