Silkie thread!

[peepblessed]

Great ideas, thank you. I will do this. I just came in from setting the mister at the coop door. I like the milk jug idea, do you place them in the hen house, outside, both? I am in a dry climate also, if we have 35% humidity it must be raining....which is almost never, normally the humidity is around 10-18%, western central colorado, very dry here

Also, question about broody hens. I know they will come off the nest for a few minutes a day, but do I need to provide water at the nest for these girls considering the heat is so bad?

Place jugs in areas of constant shade. Broody hens need special care in the heat. I provide food and water in reach. It also keeps them from losing so much weight. I think frozen jugs maybe especially helpful in high humidity.

 

[peepblessed]

Okay here are my ribbon winning girls:



More ribbon winners:


This is my younger daughter's Sizzle (silkie X cochin):


And the winning broody girl by herself:

Great job girls!!!! Really, really awesome!!!!!

 

[peepblessed]

I just set 10+ silkie eggs i bought off of ebay. Ill be more than glad to post pictures when they hatch (that is if they hatch)

Hope you have a great hatch!!

 

[peepblessed]

Here is a pic of the chickie momma, my daughter..

Love this photo! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[peepblessed]

I had a coop built for me last weekend - for free. I only paid for the materials and gas from someone who was nice enough to donate his time and drive a long way to do it, (over 3 hours.) This was originally going to be my grow out coop, but since the Silkies have stolen my heart like precious little thieves, looks like it's going to be my Silkie pen!

DH and I are going to be finishing the coop in the next week or so - the babies are 6 weeks now, I'd like them to move out by 8 weeks. So a final few questions I'd like some input on please? Photos below.
I know folks are pretty evenly divided about the Silkie ramp, no ramp topic. Obviously, this coop will have a ramp, (once DH and I figure out how to attach it! We're someone 'consruct' challenged). Since the chicks are going out before their crests are in fully, my thinking is that they'll be able to learn to navigate the ramp at a young age. I think I'm going to use astro turf as well as cleats up the ramp for better traction and footing and also to keep their feathered feet cleaner. Thoughts?

Also, I understand they don't necessarily roost, but I thought I'd add a very short removable roost inside. Linoleum floor covered in shavings as in my LF coop. There is brand new gravel on the run floor. I could leave it as is, or add bark. What do most of you use in your runs?

So we'll be fitting the coop for the final pieces, priming and painting and adding more secure hardware in the next couple of weeks. Do you think this will work? (I sure hope so because I blew my chicken budget on materials for the rest of this season!) However, nothing is too good for these little babies, right?

Wide view


Closer view of man door -


Pop door


Clean out door and nest box exterior


Nest box interior


Inside coop

Very nice set-up. Along with the good advice you've already gotten you made need to train them to use the ramp by sprinkling treats on it.

 

[chic-a-deee]

Roopty, nice looking birds!

I don't have any new images, but...

The next two are my SIlkie Showgirls:

Holy cow!!! Thats some darn fine photography you have there!!! I love puffy buffy silkies.....so CUTE!!!

 

[chic-a-deee]

I think this will work out great for them. Ramps are fine with silkies--- IF it is nice and wide. Has strips for traction and is at a low angle. A steep angle will be very tough on them. I'm guessing that ramp is going to need to come clear out to the end of your pen to get a gentle incline on it. That, and you can raise it up on a cement block to give it more of a gentle incline and then put a couple of bricks below that for them to jump up to get onto the raised ramp. This is a really cute coop! Congrats on the new digs!

Hi Hawkeye....excellent coop!!! Can I have one??? LOL
I have a Silkie Roo...& he definately roosts. I have to put him in the garage at night so he doesnt annoy the neighbours in the morning....so when I go outside
to get him he is on a high roosting perch sitting down for the night. I grab him & pop him into his overnight home....(a converted rabbit hutch) that has a low
roosting perch & there he stays all night. He doesnt eat or drink until I let him out....he has food & water there but doesnt touch it. Weird.
Anyway just thought Id let uno that my silkie roo does roost

 

[SadieSue]

Okay here are my ribbon winning girls:

Great photos! Congrats!

 

[SadieSue]

Quote: Ah - great idea! I never would have thought of that - thank you!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Do NOT use shredded paper!!!! The dust from the shredding is probaby why they are sneezing and gasping. It can clog them up HUGELY with pasty butt. A few years ago a neighbor started raising chicks and lost a NUMBER of them. Some going from normal, clean bottoms to massive pasty butt and death within HOURS. As soon as she got rid of the finely shredded paper the entire issue immediately stopped.