Silkie thread!

[peepblessed]

Thanks Peep! I was wondering where you were too! The vacation was a lot of fun, but glad to be home now! Yeah, I logged in for the first time this week after a week break and saw the award! I was totally shocked! I know someone has to nominate me for that, so whoever did it-- THANK YOU!

I had to go search out the nominations to be sure they didn't make a mistake. LOL!

How are your chicks growing out? The shipped egg/chicks are coming along nicely, I'll have to post a pic so you can see what they look like. I hope they develop bigger crests than mine so that next year I will be on my way to doing better at our shows when bred back into mine. This year was okay, we didn't do terrible, but I know what I need to work on. We have one more show coming up for 4-H--which is county, and then it's the big open poultry show (not 4-H) that we'll be looking forward to. It would also be super cool if our 4-H showing went to state before the big show in Fall, but I won't be surprised if we don't make it. Next year, I hope to be a better contender! I'm going to have several chicks to sell this Fall to get rid of any with minor faults. I only have one chick out of all I hatched that has extra toes, the others all have the correct number, but not all are perfect, either. So far, the summer start is really working out nicely and we're all having a good time. Busy, though. Much more so than I thought.

My vacation was at the hospital. I'm sooooo glad to be home and hoping I will soon have a good back again. Maybe go to a poultry show!! I only have 3 mature silkie's from Deb. I didn't think I would want the blue ones and sold them as chicks. They all have very nice crests. I will have to recover some more before I can access my photos on my other commputer. Yes, I was not able to find out who nominated me either. It's just a mystery!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hello, I have been incouraged to join this thread by folks on the AZchickens thread.
I have a question or two. How old is old to a silky rooster? My Tumbleweed [which is my avatar] is getting on to 4 years old. When would he be to old to be a good producer?
Also is the Partridge color dominate? I breed him with a my white Cotton and all I get is Partridge or black.
I want to settle into Whites and paints now but good old Tumbleweed has been a awesome cock.

If you want to work with white, you will need to work ONLY with white-- white X white= white. White is a recessive gene in silkies and if you breed them with any other color, you will likely get any color but white. Only two whites (both recessive) will throw white.
Paint is a project color right now. That means it is not an approved silkie color and it does not breed true. So if you buy paint eggs or paint birds, they still may not throw paint chicks. That is something you'd have to really get involved in and talk to the people who work with Paint. I believe they are trying to work in a dominant white gene instead of recessive. If you are interested in this, this is something you're really going to have to throw yourself into and be VERY selective and be careful with what you are breeding. I know Sonoran is breeding amazing paints and has one in her avatar that is outstanding with fantastic type (over all shape, crest, wings, feet, etc...) I do believe there is a paint thread to jump in on to learn the basic color genetics of the Paints. If you are not wanting to breed Partridge, then I wouldn't use your rooster to breed with at all. Maybe throw him in with your layers or other birds that you won't be incubating. I have a couple of "reject roosters" in with my layers. I can't give them away they are so awful. LOL

My vacation was at the hospital. I'm sooooo glad to be home and hoping I will soon have a good back again. Maybe go to a poultry show!! I only have 3 mature silkie's from Deb. I didn't think I would want the blue ones and sold them as chicks. They all have very nice crests. I will have to recover some more before I can access my photos on my other commputer. Yes, I was not able to find out who nominated me either. It's just a mystery!

Oh that's right! I remember you were going to do that! I hope you are up and around soon. But take it slow and easy to get there. That would be fun to go to a show up in your area! I bet you all have big turn outs! Here in the midwest, not so much. I would love to travel to a really nice big one. Maybe later as we really start to learn what we are doing! ha! I'd love to see pics of your mature birds from her! My splash are so far lighter than the splash I bred off my own birds. It'll be interesting to see how they turn out! So fun to be nominated! I know I've nominated people in the past, but they never won. I wonder how many votes you have to have, or if the judges go back and read posts or ?? I don't know how they do it.

 

[skyl3r]

OMG! I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

I am so glad that you posted this picture of Emily. Wait to you see my little runt chick. It is wider than it is tall. And its got the goofiest looking head ever. I swear, it has no feathers on its head hardly. Its so odd. Its a big fat puff...with a bald head. I will upload pics shortly!

 

[Sanna]

I've not heard of a feed that can be used as an antibiotic unless you're just talking about a medicated chick starter? The medicated chick starters have amprolium in them to give chicks an immunity to coccidiosis. You feed it for several weeks to build up their immunity. I'd be interested in what kind of feed you have that has an antibiotic in it. My guess is that if that is the case, it would expire quickly. In which case, meds that expire lose their potency. I forget the percentage of loss of potency, but I used to know that. I know with pain meds that 2 yrs past expiration is about half loss. Most pain meds hold their potency better, but antibiotics do not. Antibiotics in pill form can go up to 2 years I believe, and that's about it. Anything in liquid suspension should be tossed.

So what we have out in the barn is called Aureomycin 4G Medicated Crumbles. http://www.jefferslivestock.com/aureomycin-4g/camid/liv/cp/CA-A6/
This was highly recommended by our feed store. The active drug ingredient Chlortetracycline is an antibiotic, correct?

I found another hen with a runny nose today. I put the two hens in the barn, separated from the rest of the flock. I'm hoping it's just the two of them and whatever it is, hasn't spread to the whole flock. I started the two of them on this feed today. Says on the bag to continuously feed for 7 to 14 days. I'm wondering if I should give this to the rest of the silkies too? It can't hurt them, can it? Just incase there is some little bug cruising around there somewhere? I mean, it also says right on the bag "Increases rate of weight gain and improves feed efficiency." So it should also be safe for the chicks too, right?

Now, if this stuff doesn't work, I think I'll be trying the Amtyl or calling the vet. I don't want my chickens to be sick!

 

[skyl3r]

Einstein at 12 weeks old!



Einstein & Scrambled together. Both 12 weeks old!

 

[Sanna]

Einstein at 12 weeks old!



Einstein & Scrambled together. Both 12 weeks old!

Einstein is absolutely beautiful! And Scrambled is getting bigger too.

 

[Whittni]

Update of my problem with sparrows that had mites and gave to my chickens: I feel so proud - I followed all of the advice so my chickens are now vaccinated for internal and external parasites. And every single one except my two broodies got a bath - the broodies just got dust. That took like zero time - go me! Wooo!

 

[Sanna]

Update of my problem with sparrows that had mites and gave to my chickens: I feel so proud - I followed all of the advice so my chickens are now vaccinated for internal and external parasites. And every single one except my two broodies got a bath - the broodies just got dust. That took like zero time - go me! Wooo!

 

[Hawkeye95]

So what we have out in the barn is called Aureomycin 4G Medicated Crumbles. http://www.jefferslivestock.com/aureomycin-4g/camid/liv/cp/CA-A6/
This was highly recommended by our feed store. The active drug ingredient Chlortetracycline is an antibiotic, correct?

I found another hen with a runny nose today. I put the two hens in the barn, separated from the rest of the flock. I'm hoping it's just the two of them and whatever it is, hasn't spread to the whole flock. I started the two of them on this feed today. Says on the bag to continuously feed for 7 to 14 days. I'm wondering if I should give this to the rest of the silkies too? It can't hurt them, can it? Just incase there is some little bug cruising around there somewhere? I mean, it also says right on the bag "Increases rate of weight gain and improves feed efficiency." So it should also be safe for the chicks too, right?

Now, if this stuff doesn't work, I think I'll be trying the Amtyl or calling the vet. I don't want my chickens to be sick!

Yeah, anything that says "mycin" and "tetracycline" are antibiotics. 'Cycline' (can have a lot of generic forms) is a non sulpher drug, and is a nice strong drug without being too powerful. I'm guessing that because the drugs that contain the "mycin" suffix are the ones that bind to calcium-- that is probably why it is included in it's own feed. I bet you won't find calcium to be very high on the list of ingredients... if at all. That is a really smart thing to do, to make a feed like that! I'm going to check it out, I have not heard of it before! Bummer about the second bird. Because you have two birds sick, that is a good indication that it is contagious and can be passed on. Keep everyone else away from those birds.

Einstein at 12 weeks old!



Einstein & Scrambled together. Both 12 weeks old!

Wow, she is looking gorgeous!! Great looking bird!

Update of my problem with sparrows that had mites and gave to my chickens: I feel so proud - I followed all of the advice so my chickens are now vaccinated for internal and external parasites. And every single one except my two broodies got a bath - the broodies just got dust. That took like zero time - go me! Wooo!

Bravo!!! Good for you! I'd love to know what you used-- did you end up buying the pour on Ivermectin or doing something else? Glad they are all clear. Keep in mind, with the dusting, you'll have to do it again in a couple of weeks when eggs start to hatch to end the cycle.

 

[kbreak]

Need help sexing some silkies. These silkies are about 6 months old. My grey rooster is topping them and my buff roo tries
. Would a rooster top another rooster?

THE WHITE ONE IS IN QUESTION? HEN/ROO? MY ROOSTER TOPS THEM BOTH. iT HAS NO STREAMERS LIKE MY BUFF OR BLUE ROO. tHE NEXT PICTURE IS THIS BLACK OR BLUE? HEN OR ROO? tHE LAST PICTURE IS A WHITE IS IT A HEN OR ROO?


Is this a hen or roo? They were born the first part of December. They are at least 6 months old