Silkie thread!

[peepblessed]

I did a really stupid thing this week. I took my kids with me to get our new silkie chicks and of course as soon as all three started grabbing and freaking out over how cute they were my brain just shut down. I was so busy trying to make sure that the kids were all holding them properly while also talking to the breeder that I didn't check them out as well as I should have. After briefly checking that none of them had any nasty vents or visible health problems I just told the kids to take the chicks to the car while I paid the breeder. I didn't check their feet! I just flat out forgot to count toes and when I got home only three of the eight chicks have five toes. The others have four and one of those actually has one of it's four toes on each foot curled under the whole foot. It walks on a toe. I don't know what the appropriate action is for the ones that aren't SQ/BQ. What do you all do with the ones that ultimately you don't have a place for? Do you try to sell them to someone else as pets? Is that frowned upon? I am so upset that this guy actually passed these off like he did. He has been raising them for 20+ years so I know he did it on purpose. It is my fault for not checking like I should have, but he knew my kids wanted them for show and breeding and he didn't say a word. As far as the one with the toes curled under the feet, how is that treated?

How sad that a breeder would do that to you! How old is the chick with curled toes?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Thanks everyone, I am so bummed that means I got two roosters that were garunteed hens. The blue roo was suppose too be a hen also. Now I ended up with three Roos and only two hens. I really don't want to part with the white or the splash silkies. I already have the lady picking up the blue on Saturday and she warned me he will probably end up in the freezer.

This is so hard he does the cutest dance with his wing down around the girls. It's heart braking.
I get attached to fast. I just can't keep that many Roos. Do you think I should keep the two or is there not enough hens?

A total of 5 birds? that's okay, although once they get teenage raging hormones you might want to put the boys in a bachelor pad away from the girls until the mature a bit more and hormones slow down.

Does the friend who might eat the cockerel know what colour its meat will be? Most people do not want to eat "bruise-coloured" meat.

 

[stoopid]

Unfortunately, the Asian markets have a huge demand for "black skinned chicken"

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Get a BIG box of crayons and ask him to pull out all the various blues. Then tell him it is like that (or ask him which one [of all the blues in your hand] is blue). Or if he is a techie, have him go into word and select the colour for a font; click on "More Colors"; select a medium blue then click on "Custom." And tell him it is like that. If (and I doubt it or he wouldn't have a spinning head, lol) he has a scientific bent, sent him to The Coop to read some of the genetic discussions on blue.

Lol wish I could do this with her.. But shes to literal right now and since our cupcake looks really close to our muffin which is black that's all she sees lol but maybe when she's a little older....

Get some (dark) blue ink or dye and ask her what colour it looks like. Then have her add drops of water to see how it dilutes into blue. Alternatively have her dip the edge of a coffee filter in the ink or dye and watch it spread up into the filter, diluting as it travels further.

 

[mama2my4]

My girls typically make more fuss with their egg songs throughout the day than the boys do.

Boy you got that right! I have one hen that is MUCH louder than my boys. And she lets you know when you take her boy away from her, too. Not a happy camper about that at all!!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
The breeder might have not really understood that she wanted only SQ/BQ birds and thought that she wanted some merely as pets for the kids; or might not have understood that she needed help in selection. I'd suggest calling back and explaining what you realized later and ask if you can exchange those for other chicks that meet the standard. When you go, leave the kids at home.

For the one with the curled toes, cut out a cardboard "splint" slightly larger than the foot and tape the foot to it with the toes in the correct position. (bandage tape works well) The older the bird is, the longer it will need its foot to remain splinted. For a baby, a few days should be sufficient, for a bird several months old, you may need to keep it splinted for a month or longer. Older tan 6 months and it probably isn't correctable.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Unfortunately, the Asian markets have a huge demand for "black skinned chicken"

True, but they don't usually buy A bird; they will purchase in quantity. It is possible that an individual might purchase silkie for food, but not likely a store or restaurant.

 

[peepblessed]

Get some (dark) blue ink or dye and ask her what colour it looks like. Then have her add drops of water to see how it dilutes into blue. Alternatively have her dip the edge of a coffee filter in the ink or dye and watch it spread up into the filter, diluting as it travels further.

Good one!!

 

[mama2my4]

SO I finally decided to breakdown and list my white and buff chicks for sale if anyone is interested.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/659954/silkie-chicks

We have decided to focus on our blues and paints as that is where my heart really is. Although I have to say in the future I hope to see some blue paints and maybe even tris....

 

[TheChicknGarden]

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!

Get a BIG box of crayons and ask him to pull out all the various blues.  Then tell him it is like that (or ask him which one [of all the blues in your hand] is blue).  Or if he is a techie, have him go into word and select the colour for a font; click on "More Colors"; select a medium blue then click on "Custom."  And tell him it is like that.  If (and I doubt it or he wouldn't have a spinning head, lol) he has a scientific bent, sent him to The Coop to read some of the genetic discussions on blue.

Lol wish I could do this with her.. But shes to literal right now and since our cupcake looks really close to our muffin which is black that's all she sees lol but maybe when she's a little older....

Get some (dark) blue ink or dye and ask her what colour it looks like.  Then have her add drops of water to see how it dilutes into blue.  Alternatively have her dip the edge of a coffee filter in the ink or dye and watch it spread up into the filter, diluting as it travels further.

Thanks that may do the trick... Now just got to convince her that we need to wait to see if any of the pastries turn into Roos before we go and get a showgirl lol out of nowhere she goes mom I want a white show girl... Yep thats what I wan the one with no neck feathers.. Sometimes I forget how kids absorb so much info without someone specifically telling them .... She must of heard me talking to my husband lol