Silkie thread!

[Hawkeye95]

OMGosh!! My little black hen plucked herself!!! She's trying to go broody! This is horrible!! She's going to a show on Saturday!!!! What do I do with her? I caught her mid-pluck-- her chest is okay, but her underneath is GONE!!!

Now what?!?! How do I keep her from plucking herself any more?? I put her outside with a cockerel so he can run her around and keep her from thinking about herself. He's nice-- he doesn't really do anything other than show off and drop his wings, etc... Oh what a mess!!! There are little black feathers everywhere!!!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

OMGosh!! My little black hen plucked herself!!! She's trying to go broody! This is horrible!! She's going to a show on Saturday!!!! What do I do with her? I caught her mid-pluck-- her chest is okay, but her underneath is GONE!!!

Now what?!?! How do I keep her from plucking herself any more?? I put her outside with a cockerel so he can run her around and keep her from thinking about herself. He's nice-- he doesn't really do anything other than show off and drop his wings, etc... Oh what a mess!!! There are little black feathers everywhere!!!

Hate to say it, but I don;t think there is anything you can do. If you take her to the show, she will likely sit down in a corner of her cage in a broody pose. The judges will realize when they look her over what is going on, but probably will not give much leeway on it unless she is considerably better than any competition. Do you have another bird you can substitute?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Agreed! And look at all that foot feathering!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Don't get me wrong. I think you did a GREAT job.

It seems like every time I want to take a photo os anything other than a landscape, whoever/whatever is the object seems to turn their back on me: both the animals and the family

Once in a blue moon I get a really nice photo.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Ok, comb question. I read on the ASBC site this morning, the SOP on the front page. It calls for the comb furrow to lay "transversely" on the comb. I am assuming this means east to west (horizontal) and not vertically? Would a comb with a vertical furrow be a DQ or a serious fault?? Would you breed an otherwise nice roo with this problem, or cull out of the breeding program?

A vertical furrow sounds more like what you would see on a pea comb, although some silkies have a sort of arched very shallow furrow. Can you post a photo? Some people are pickier on combs than others, and without seeing exactly what you mean, I wouldn't really be able to give decent advice.

There is a comb contest that has photos of various comb types. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644872/comb-contest-walnut and https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/644864/comb-contest-pea

 

[peepblessed]

OMGosh!! My little black hen plucked herself!!! She's trying to go broody! This is horrible!! She's going to a show on Saturday!!!! What do I do with her? I caught her mid-pluck-- her chest is okay, but her underneath is GONE!!!

Now what?!?! How do I keep her from plucking herself any more?? I put her outside with a cockerel so he can run her around and keep her from thinking about herself. He's nice-- he doesn't really do anything other than show off and drop his wings, etc... Oh what a mess!!! There are little black feathers everywhere!!!

Terrible!!!!

I have not tried this but I've read the best way to break a broody is to put them in a hanging wire cage so it moves when she moves. No bedding. It can still take three days but maybe there is time.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hate to say it, but I don;t think there is anything you can do. If you take her to the show, she will likely sit down in a corner of her cage in a broody pose. The judges will realize when they look her over what is going on, but probably will not give much leeway on it unless she is considerably better than any competition. Do you have another bird you can substitute?

OH no, I'm just SICK!! My other nice hen is broody and I can't take her! I really only had the two nice hens and that was it!! I am trying my best to hatch and not having much luck. BUT--- I do believe my broody silkie will be hatching out a chick in the next couple of days or so. Sigh. Oh what a mess! I sure wish I had more birds! I put her outside and it's unusually cool today-- nice cold wind blowing in and I hope that help's "wake" her up. I also stuck my cockerel in there with her and he's courting her and keeping her on her toes. Oh what a mess, what a mess!!!! I knew they were broody birds, but I had NO idea how much they like to brood!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Terrible!!!!

I have not tried this but I've read the best way to break a broody is to put them in a hanging wire cage so it moves when she moves. No bedding. It can still take three days but maybe there is time.

I'll try ANYthing!!!! I have a wire cage, so yeah, I can do that! It's a little wire dog kennel, but I have nice strong rope I can lift it up off the floor a couple of inches.

 

[ChickensXOXO]

OH no, I'm just SICK!! My other nice hen is broody and I can't take her! I really only had the two nice hens and that was it!! I am trying my best to hatch and not having much luck. BUT--- I do believe my broody silkie will be hatching out a chick in the next couple of days or so. Sigh. Oh what a mess! I sure wish I had more birds! I put her outside and it's unusually cool today-- nice cold wind blowing in and I hope that help's "wake" her up. I also stuck my cockerel in there with her and he's courting her and keeping her on her toes. Oh what a mess, what a mess!!!! I knew they were broody birds, but I had NO idea how much they like to brood!

So sorry! I don't show, but I can see why that could be so upsetting! Weird though because I've never had trouble breaking a broody hen before? I just take their eggs, and they get up and move on like it never happened...

 

[peepblessed]

I'll try ANYthing!!!! I have a wire cage, so yeah, I can do that! It's a little wire dog kennel, but I have nice strong rope I can lift it up off the floor a couple of inches.

Some people just use a rabbit hutch. Same principle without the swing, but the swinging people swear by the swing!