Silkie thread!

[peepblessed]

Lol thanks for the clairification... Now just got to figure out to explain that to my 3yr old who's like but mama cupcakes not blue

I know! I'm still trying to explain blue to my husband. He says it makes his head spin!

 

[peepblessed]

After reading this we cut the legs off the hen house and lowered it, now it's only about 4-6 inches off the ground. I may just remove the ramp all together and add some steps. To start with the house was about 18 inches off the ground and the ramp is about 4 feet long with cross bars every 6 - 8 inches and it's 8 inches wide. Should I widen the ramp, or just do away with it and add a step?

I tried treats the other day and they acted like they've never seen them before, my other hens go nuts for them and come running when they hear the container rattle....I have Happy Hen Treats, mealworm. I also feed scraps to the chickens, and the silkies don't seem too interested in them....are most silkies kind of aloof? Mine seem to be....maybe its just the "adjustment period"?

Thanks everyone for your advice and help with these little ones.

I tend to read in word groups so after I recovered from "After reading the we cut the legs of the hen", I was able to comprehend what you actually did! I vote for steps and a solar light as Sonoran mentioned.

I have to work at teaching my silkies what treats are. I put whole sunflower seeds in a coffee grinder for a very short time. They loved those and almost immediately switched to whole seeds. Grapes are a huge treat. Cut them up if they are big. Silkies are definitely different than my LF where treats are concerned but they love crawling bugs. Even the babies will eat an earwig. Ugh!

 

[Tikkijane]

Sorry to hear that!

 

[marlo1968]

I tend to read in word groups so after I recovered from "After reading the we cut the legs of the hen", I was able to comprehend what you actually did! I vote for steps and a solar light as Sonoran mentioned.

LOL....I think I would need a recovery period after that as well....I am headed out to remove the ramp and put in a couple of small (height) steps into their house. Solar light will have to wait a little while.....but I have a small battery powered camp lantern I can put in for the time being. I think I have a can of coren, we will try for treats.....Tried strawberry tops.....no interest, yet. Wheew, these guys are putting me through the paces....

 

[Debbi]

Would like your opinions on my Silkie splash if it's a hen or a Roo? It's suppose to be a hen but Im not sure. Five to six months old. It's post 93 thank you
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/579215/silkie-sexing/90#post_8898547

I would say your Splash is a boy. That's an awfully big comb for a pullet. I can also see wattles there on him, and on a bearded bird, that is pretty much a give away from what I've seen here, JMO. I may be wrong, others with more experience will chime in.

 

[Tikkijane]

I thought a packet of it went into a whole gallon of water - is that the size water container you are using?

To whoever asked the question originally, I can honestly say I felt it was a waste of money. I've raised numerous batches of chicks on nothing but plain, old water, but recently acquired 21 newly hatched chicks from a local person who had hatched too many and didn't know what to do with them all. I noticed one was having difficulty breathing the day I brought them home and sure enough, it didn't make it. But from there, one by one they dropped. I went from having literally NEVER lost a chick, out of hundreds brooded, to losing one every couple of days. Nothing was different - temps were good, food the same as I always use, bedding/water the same, no drafts. Trust me, I went over every consideration. So I got some Sav-a-chick, hoping it would give them a boost. It didn't change a thing. (After a week of Sav-a-Chick, I tried Duramycin-10 - it didn't help either.) Long story short, I lost 13 of the original 21 chicks.

its over and the 8 that remain are strong and healthy. They are now 3 1/2 weeks old and having some outside time each day in our high temps and so far, so good. I will admit I tried the Sav-a-Chick as a desperation move, but base my opinion on it on the results: it didn't slow down the rate of loss one iota. I have to conclude that these chicks were either a weak batch or brought some respiratory ailment in with them. I would have expected an infection virus to hit them at the same time instead of one by one over a period of three weeks but there you have it.

I've never used it, either, even though I've got some on hand. I have not ever lost a chick, either, but we've always gotten them as day olds. I will add some ACV to their water and get them started on yogurt after a little bit. Oddly enough, I have never had to show anyone where the food and water was, either. I assume this is probably because we haven't hatched anyone out.

 

[Hawkeye95]

After reading this we cut the legs off the hen house and lowered it, now it's only about 4-6 inches off the ground. I may just remove the ramp all together and add some steps. To start with the house was about 18 inches off the ground and the ramp is about 4 feet long with cross bars every 6 - 8 inches and it's 8 inches wide. Should I widen the ramp, or just do away with it and add a step?

I tried treats the other day and they acted like they've never seen them before, my other hens go nuts for them and come running when they hear the container rattle....I have Happy Hen Treats, mealworm. I also feed scraps to the chickens, and the silkies don't seem too interested in them....are most silkies kind of aloof? Mine seem to be....maybe its just the "adjustment period"?

Thanks everyone for your advice and help with these little ones.

Sounds like you've got it covered. But I do think the light will help. I think a ramp would be fine-- it just has to be wide, is all.

I got 4 silkies on march break here they are

Beautiful birds!

Would like your opinions on my Silkie splash if it's a hen or a Roo? It's suppose to be a hen but Im not sure. Five to six months old. It's post 93 thank you
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/579215/silkie-sexing/90#post_8898547

I think this is a cockerel. It doesn't really look like a pullet at all. Hope I'm wrong!

 

[mama2my4]

I can also see wattles there on him, and on a bearded bird, that is pretty much a give away from what I've seen here, JMO.

Yep, that is what is making me think two of my "pullets" are boys...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Canned corn is the treat for my babies.

Try giving them the leftover cobs after you fix corn on the cob!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Darling babies! Your roo is beautiful and that close up of your SG...PRICELESS!

(LOVE my SGs!!)
Quote:
Colour pattern on the partridge showgirl looks masculine.