Silkie thread!

[SadieSue]

Catdance Silkies is here in Washington. I have a 7 week old blue boy from her lines. He is so cute! Can't wait to use him to make a few more. Hopefully he turns out as good as some of the pics on her website.

I have a white silkie that is 6 weeks old and HE crowed this morning. I sat and watched him do it over and over. It was a little pathetic, but also the cutest thing I think I have ever seen!!!
I guess that answers the question about one of them! Lol! I was kind of hoping it was a girl so I could use her as a broody. I don't want to breed whites.

So I guess I will try to find a good home for him. Darn it! I just named him "Angel" yesterday!

KMH, if both of the whites I have turn out to be girls you can have one back for a broody! Of course at this point I just can't tell. Nothing about them is giving me any strong indicators yet. I am SO glad you have that blue boy and he has a GOOD home!

 

[tilosi]

Dry incubation isn't really totally dry. I do it all the time. I have a Brinsea that has two water channels. During the first 18 days I make sure my humidity is between 20-40%, and absolutely no higher than 50-- if it ever reaches 50%, it is usually only for a few hours. I fill up a channel with water and that is when it usually spikes. I let it run this way for several days until I drop below 20%, but what you don't realize is that some incubators can hold humidity without actually having any water in there. So when I reach 35% humidity or there about, I actually have no more water in my machine. But I leave it and I don't refill it. I let it go for a couple of days with no water and watch the humidity closely. Once it drops to 20%, then I add more water. So during an incubation, I am dry incubating for several days during the whole process. However... that does not mean to start out with a dry incubator, but if you have a nice tight incubator, you might be able to hold humidity and run it dry (after it was run wet) and if your eggs are releasing water/fluid to contribute to the humidity. I have had issues with my humidity being too high during the first 18 days-- and if so, sometimes, the chicks will pip internally and then die. It's a shame and I've lost several that way. If you are going to run your humidity higher-- like you said around 56%, then you need to watch your air cells CLOSELY and be sure they are getting larger quick enough or you could wind up with not much air. I usually candle a couple of times just to check air cells and be sure they are "growing" like they should be. Once I hit 18-19 days, then I spike my humidity by filling up both water channels and even throwing in warm wet towels-- and at this point, you can't be too high; my humidity goal is 75%. I open my vents more so the air exchange is a bit better, because with more humidity, the harder it is to breathe. But not so much that it dries them out. It's just a balancing act!! And after you hatch a few loads of eggs, you'll have a better idea of what to do.

Oh and yeah, you'll need to recalibrate your hygrometer every year and double check it. Mine for some reason wouldn't salt calibrate to the correct reading, so I've noted by how far it's off and add that back in when I'm reading. It's off by 9% which is a BIG difference if you aren't paying attention. But since I know how far it's off, I still use it and just keep that in mind when I read it. I've recalibrated mine probably 4 or 5 times since I started incubating to be sure I'm getting the most accurate reading I can get.

When I received these eggs in the mail, the air cells were really bad, stuff swishing around around the air cell, but no bubbles. It seemed that many of them were still somehow attached to the blunt end and the swishing ended mid egg. So, I let them stand upright, room temp for 24 hrs, then put them upright in incubator for 3 days with no turning. At 10 day candling, nine were alive and moving. Up until day eighteen they have been turning in the auto turner with me doing a 1/4 rotation per day, to get a good balance. My humidity in my dry incubator has been staying around 50%---it is high everywhere in my area of Ga. The humidity did get up to around 60% for a few days, but no way to get it down--it's been 106 degrees here, and humidity is rough. I feel there is too much moisture still in these eggs, though I still see some movement in some, and veins in most. I still have them in non-lock down humidity, hoping that will dry them some more....the air cells at this point in many of them are so malformed they take up much of the egg and are wide at the top and kind of peanut shaped going almost to 3/4 down on one sideof the egg. Some are so malformed, I can't see how a chick could grow correctly.
Any advise to help this condition.....I still have more to hatch (prayerfully) next week--the air cells in these are much better. I've now taken out the auto turner, because I saw that some eggs were hitting the next row at full turn. I enjoy hand turning....especially, given the few eggs I set at a time. These are my first Silkies.....I'm just so lost---they are not looking like the bantams I have been hatching....the growth seems so different....my heart is hurting.

 

[tilosi]

I picked out my silkies today! Here's what I got

I'm pretty sure the Blue and the Partrige are girls but really don't know about the paint I'm hoping girl. We will see what do you guys think?

Sooo beautiful!! That paint is gorgeous!!

 

[peepblessed]

When I received these eggs in the mail, the air cells were really bad, stuff swishing around around the air cell, but no bubbles. It seemed that many of them were still somehow attached to the blunt end and the swishing ended mid egg. So, I let them stand upright, room temp for 24 hrs, then put them upright in incubator for 3 days with no turning. At 10 day candling, nine were alive and moving. Up until day eighteen they have been turning in the auto turner with me doing a 1/4 rotation per day, to get a good balance. My humidity in my dry incubator has been staying around 50%---it is high everywhere in my area of Ga. The humidity did get up to around 60% for a few days, but no way to get it down--it's been 106 degrees here, and humidity is rough. I feel there is too much moisture still in these eggs, though I still see some movement in some, and veins in most. I still have them in non-lock down humidity, hoping that will dry them some more....the air cells at this point in many of them are so malformed they take up much of the egg and are wide at the top and kind of peanut shaped going almost to 3/4 down on one sideof the egg. Some are so malformed, I can't see how a chick could grow correctly.
Any advise to help this condition.....I still have more to hatch (prayerfully) next week--the air cells in these are much better. I've now taken out the auto turner, because I saw that some eggs were hitting the next row at full turn. I enjoy hand turning....especially, given the few eggs I set at a time. These are my first Silkies.....I'm just so lost---they are not looking like the bantams I have been hatching....the growth seems so different....my heart is hurting.

You are doing and awesome job!! I pray you are rewarded with some fuzzy heart healers! I would likely keep them upright for hatching but that's just instinct.

 

[bluewhoo]

ok this is the Silkie thread, so i need help people.... I purchased silkie's from McMurray hatchery N there big now but OMG!!!! They are ugly... im sorry they dont look any way close to your pics of silkies. they look like those lizard things with some short fluff. and there very ugly... whats up? is something wrong with them? I cant even tell if there male or female, just so ugly? Are they to inbreed to be used, do i just kill'em? help please....

 

[KMHunter]

Quote: He is quite the love! Maybe the other whites will give you some idea in the near future. I was a little suprised this morning. But it sure was cute. Tamara may have a 4H family that is looking for silkies, so he might have a home. I really want to give most of what I don't keep to the 4H kids because I think it's such a great program.

 

[KMHunter]

Quote: Most of my shipped silkie eggs had malformed airsacs. Kind of like you described. 7 out of 12 hatched despite the worry. Hopefully you get a good hatch!

 

[KMHunter]

I wanted to ask what everyone uses for footing in theit runs. I am currently building a run for my silkies and am debating because of their feathered feet. I have bark chips in my big run for my LF.
But I pictured my little bantams on that and I am unsure. Especially when I picture babies in that scenario! Help!

Thanks,
Kim

 

[KMHunter]

ok this is the Silkie thread, so i need help people.... I purchased silkie's from McMurray hatchery N there big now but OMG!!!! They are ugly... im sorry they dont look any way close to your pics of silkies. they look like those lizard things with some short fluff. and there very ugly... whats up? is something wrong with them? I cant even tell if there male or female, just so ugly? Are they to inbreed to be used, do i just kill'em? help please....

How old? And pics would be great for the resident experts on here.

 

[tilosi]

You are doing and awesome job!! I pray you are rewarded with some fuzzy heart healers! I would likely keep them upright for hatching but that's just instinct.

You're a blessing...you're kind words are so encouraging.
I just did a second candling of the second batch, and all but two of those air cells are malformed now, too.

But with hand turning, maybe I can keep the stress from the odd places. If not, I may have to hit an auction for some pretties and more eggs.