Silkied Ameraucana Project

[Thespoiledchicken]

THAT IS AWESOME!!!! They are so cute

 

[Gentry1350]

...

CatKai - did a watercolor painting of one of your photos, thought you might like to see:

Still needs work but waiting until tomorrow to touch it up.

So I'm reading thru the "new" thread and just came to this post. Maybe you've already said more and I just haven't made it to that post yet....but this painting is fabulous!!!

I was just wondering if you did more of these and if you considered selling them to help raise awareness for the Silkieds? Again, I apologize if you answered this somewhere else.

 

[Gentry1350]

My setting has been delayed so you'll pop first.  Had eggs shipped from TN MONDAY that I'm still waiting for

Wondering who/where in TN you got your eggs? Were they Silkied or smooth, and what color? I've got some eggs cooking (from thespoiledchicken), just wondering if your source is within driving distance for possible trades later....

 

[LBKS]

...

CatKai - did a watercolor painting of one of your photos, thought you might like to see:

Still needs work but waiting until tomorrow to touch it up.

So I'm reading thru the "new" thread and just came to this post. Maybe you've already said more and I just haven't made it to that post yet....but this painting is fabulous!!!

I was just wondering if you did more of these and if you considered selling them to help raise awareness for the Silkieds? Again, I apologize if you answered this somewhere else.

I haven't done more, I figure my art skills are hobby grade at best. My efforts are mostly focused on the project end, haven't worked on spreading awareness of the birds since our project members are pretty well backlogged on egg/bird requests. More people interested would be stuck waiting too for now.

 

[Gentry1350]

I haven't done more, I figure my art skills are hobby grade at best. My efforts are mostly focused on the project end, haven't worked on spreading awareness of the birds since our project members are pretty well backlogged on egg/bird requests. More people interested would be stuck waiting too for now.

Well, if you ever get bored.....put me on you art "list"

Second thing...after reading the first 193 pages of the original thread and all 70 pages of this thread, I'm wondering....WHERE IS EVERYONE? Did interest fizzle out? A bunch of people just disappeared without a trace...aren't even on BYC anymore. Are "CHICKENS" a cyclical thing? I thought that once you're hooked...you're HOOKED and will find a way, like any other addiction. Did their families have interventions, did they all move and no longer able to keep chickens, or are they just not on this thread anymore? There seems to only be a very small handful of people still actively working on these. Hardiness doesn't seem to be as much of a factor anymore...heck, seems like there was more chatter and more people wanting them when they weren't hatching and/or dropping dead in the middle of the night. Regardless, I'm happy to be getting some of these really cool birds. Oh wait, they haven't hatched yet...I don't want to "jinx" myself!

I can't do a lot of breeding, but want to keep a small line going as well as use them for Oe projects. I can't wait to post pics of my Silkied fuzzt butts! Keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[LBKS]

Some are gone but some are quiet - I'm hatching still but no posts really - at this point my last hatch of 22 isn't big news, it'll be seeing where the flock is at years end. It's a slow project, I suspect a lot of interest is down because existing flocks are in a build up phase so we can share better later.

It's hard to balance developing your own flock versus getting them out there - every chick or egg shared is one less that can be selected from for your own end of the project. Sharing less now may mean more later, or just staving off losses to accidents/predators. Add in the importance of breeding in new bloodlines and you take a step back away from silkied to benefit the project later - slowing it down further. It's a long slow project which makes it harder to stick to.

 

[Gentry1350]

Some are gone but some are quiet - I'm hatching still but no posts really - at this point my last hatch of 22 isn't big news, it'll be seeing where the flock is at years end. It's a slow project, I suspect a lot of interest is down because existing flocks are in a build up phase so we can share better later.

It's hard to balance developing your own flock versus getting them out there - every chick or egg shared is one less that can be selected from for your own end of the project. Sharing less now may mean more later, or just staving off losses to accidents/predators. Add in the importance of breeding in new bloodlines and you take a step back away from silkied to benefit the project later - slowing it down further. It's a long slow project which makes it harder to stick to.

Good to know. I will be "sharing" vs building, but only out of necessity. You see, I'm not even supposed to have chickens, much less a bunch of roosters a cockadoodle-doing all over the place. However, we are on 10 acres with empty, wooded lots between us and the neighbors. I can house a roo temporarily and until it starts making a lot of noise. I'll only be maintaining a flock, at best.

So, for future planning. I've got a bunch of thespoiledchicken's eggs in the incubator. Silkied over Silkied, will be Lavs and Blacks split to Lav. Should I plan on 1) line breeding, 2) pulling in other Silkied lines or 3) pulling in a top-notch smooth-feathered line? Again, no real objective for a project, just maintaining/improving quality of the current line....

I was thinking of mostly line breeding with maybe bringing in something to help with egg color...searching for the perfect BLUE egg.

Any guidance/advice?

 

[wlhtx]

I think there are several breeders out there - experienced and newbie - silently trudging away. I'm one of the silent newbies.

And no advice here, but I'll tell you my plan. I purchased eggs from thespoiledchicken too. (She's wonderful!) Unfortunately, this was the one and only time (so far at least, fingers crossed) that the post office absolutely jacked my delivery. And then we lost power for a whole day halfway through incubation (I'm in east TX and it has basically rained and stormed here for FOUR ENTIRE MONTHS), and anyway I wound up hatching just one chick. But it is the fluffliest, cheekiest, little dot of a lavender baby you ever saw. I do intend to get more eggs from Trish once it stops raining here (please God!), but since my long term plan is to create some lavender wheaten SiAms, I am moving forward by actually praying that my one little lav chick is a boy. (Did I just say that out loud?!? What an odd thing to wish for!) I already have some quality smooth feathered wheaten Ameraucanas that I'm going to breed my lav to, and I can get to lavender wheaten quicker with a lav boy.

 

[Thespoiledchicken]

I think there are several breeders out there - experienced and newbie - silently trudging away. I'm one of the silent newbies.

And no advice here, but I'll tell you my plan. I purchased eggs from thespoiledchicken too. (She's wonderful!) Unfortunately, this was the one and only time (so far at least, fingers crossed) that the post office absolutely jacked my delivery. And then we lost power for a whole day halfway through incubation (I'm in east TX and it has basically rained and stormed here for FOUR ENTIRE MONTHS), and anyway I wound up hatching just one chick. But it is the fluffliest, cheekiest, little dot of a lavender baby you ever saw. I do intend to get more eggs from Trish once it stops raining here (please God!), but since my long term plan is to create some lavender wheaten SiAms, I am moving forward by actually praying that my one little lav chick is a boy. (Did I just say that out loud?!? What an odd thing to wish for!) I already have some quality smooth feathered wheaten Ameraucanas that I'm going to breed my lav to, and I can get to lavender wheaten quicker with a lav boy.

Will have plenty of extra silkied Lav boys hanging around if it's a girl I will ship you one

 

[EdenCamp]

Oh I don't remember what the eggs were I was waiting on then - but no, wasn't a TN SiAm wait.


For your question about what to do with your flock - OUTCROSS. With what you're hatching you need a top quality Gold Based Black hard feather cockerel from GOOD egg color to take to your lav silkieds.

This is a slow, painful at times, difficult project. A few of us are really really stubborn/patient. So many love the uniqueness of it - but want turn key cuties. Few have gotten to silkied to silkied breedings - there is such a need for outcross and dilution of the degree of inbreeding to produce heartier stock that even once you do - you really need to take silkied to splits or hard feather. Most start with only a few birds that came from a few birds. There has been drop-dead-itus and vulnerability to inclimate weather and predators.

Few can afford to part with full silkied birds or silkied to silkied bred eggs - even when some are offered - usually for a very limited window. Even splits have to be pried loose. shipping eggs wastes a lot of eggs due to handling if nothing else. People that think they can just put an "I want" out there and snag up full silkieds are not in touch with where this project is at. And turn up their noses at splits. Oh well. So yes, many fall by the wayside discouraged. Those that dig in and show they are willing to sweat and bleed with the rest of us will find support and sharing is more available.

My own projects have been recently blessed with a heck of a boost - between this and perseverance - I'll be able to offer more. Next season when this seasons chicks have grown out - look out. For now, it's pretty much split chicks and eggs from splits that I'm willing and able to let go.