Silkie thread!

[tilosi]

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!

Wow, that's great!!

How did you do lock down? What did they look like when you last candled them? Was there lots of fluid still before you locked down? Sorry, I'm just puzzled.

 

[peepblessed]

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....

Hatchery silkies don't look like the silkies that most breeders raise but they aren't ugly. Your flock may still be in the very awkward juvenile stage. The hatchery silkies start coming out of that stage at 3 or 4 months of age. Here is a photo of some mature hatchery silkies.

 

[peepblessed]

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

I prefer coarse river sand.

 

[peepblessed]

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.

Awwww... You are very welcome!

 

[littlecritters]

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?

Oh, I really love the bold markings on your paint!

 

[KMHunter]

Quote: Sounds good, where do I get it! Lol! I will look around. Thanks!

 

[littlecritters]

I'm a silkie noobie, what is the difference in a boy's beak and a girl's beak? 

I know we had a discussion with pics somewhere between page 1905 and here....but I cant quite remember if beaks that are more curved are indicators of being boys or girls...anyone recall?

 

[littlecritters]

  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.

I feel like an excited "auntie" waiting to hear how all your hatches turn out. I don't have an incubator yet and am thoroughly enjoying watching the progress of your hatches. I'm sitting here on the edge of my seat, cheering you all on and hoping for the best! I really do need a box of popcorn, soda and candy to round out this experience. Tina

 

[Hawkeye95]

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.

Those air cells sound typical of shipped eggs. I have had air cells that went down the side of the eggs and still had healthy chicks hatch! You're doing good. So long as you keep them upright and try to keep your humidity down before the 18 days, you're good. It sounds like your chicks are developing. I think you'll be okay. I've still had good results from really scrambled air cells. Don't be upset by the really odd looking air cells, I know it's kind of freaky, but more than likely they'll be okay.

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.

X2

--- wanted to add that keep an eye on them when they are zipping-- it's easier for them to get out when they are on their sides, but they should be okay upright too. Just watch them. Don't pull any of them out! When they zip, that turning motion they do twists the cord to their yolk sac, and the struggling is necessary for them to get it off, if YOU pull it off, you could kill them.

 

[Sanna]

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....

Yes, I also would like to know how old they are and if you have pictures to show us?

We have a couple of youngsters that are looking pretty hideous right now.. But they usually fluff up some, some more than others. lol Depending on the "breeding"...which we don't have at the moment. They're all just pets.

Hatchery silkies don't look like the silkies that most breeders raise but they aren't ugly. Your flock may still be in the very awkward juvenile stage. The hatchery silkies start coming out of that stage at 3 or 4 months of age. Here is a photo of some mature hatchery silkies.

We have two white hens that look just like these girls. I think they actually have a little less fluff, especially on their heads. And they have large wattles. They're still cute and the BEST moms ever! They just hatched some eggs, chicks are about 2 months old now and they've gone broody again. lol I plan on ordering some Catdance eggs soon for them to sit on. Waaaay excited!