Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[Chickeria]

Thank you so much.
It was a tough day. Yuki tried to hang in there. I buried her under the orange tree.
But on a positive note I just picked up 2 six week old layer pullets, they are quite small and I suspect they have some bantam blood in them. Super sweet, their father is supposed to be a Silverudds blue so they got Swedish names, Astrid and Stella.
Stella is smaller than Eko who is only one week older than her.
They get to hang in the tractor for awhile and eventually will join the others in the bantam coop.
I do not dare add any new birds to my older flock anymore.
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I'm so sorry - brave little Yuki

Your two new layer pullets look very sweet - cute little Astrid and Stella - - I bet they will integrate nicely in the bantam group!
Yeah I wouldn't dare adding them to the older flock, too, especially since they are (much?) smaller.

 

[Chickeria]

Ah, here in America, sparrowhawk is a nickname for kestrel! Our kestrels can be dangerous to chicks and tiny bantams, but the normally stick to grasshoppers, mice, and sparrows.

Be careful, and good luck!

Thank you
Yeah I will have to be extremely careful.

And thank you for telling me about the nickname - I'm often struggeling with language and this shows me I have to look things up better before posting, especially about species!

 

[Chickeria]

I sat outside with the Silkies for a while today. There's a black one whom I. I'm pretty sure is a girl. She has a very uniform crown and a small comb. She has decided that she likes to be held and loved on. She settled down next to me which I thought was so sweet! I've decided she has earned the name Minette.... There's a couple more I've named but I don't want to ruin my upcoming post where I will debut names.

I am trying to come up with a good name for the lavender paint roo. I picked him up and held him today too. He seemed very offended at first but quickly settled down and started making this weird twirring sound. He didn't seem angry so I think it was a happy sound. When I put him down, he tried to court me with his little dance. I just pushed him away....

Awwww little Minette It is so heartwarming when they decide to bond, and even more when they like to be held and loved on
Looking forward to your upcoming post!

Your lavender paint roo sounds like such a cutie, too
Really he tried to court you with a little dance - that's amazing
I didn't know they can/will do that for humans!
...Now I'm waiting when Sindbad will dance the first time for my mom He always greets her with crowing when she enters the room! (...in the meanwhile in the morning joined by Snowman, since three days by Poupette - now named James, and since yesterday: by Maku! A little choir! Our boy-group ) And outside he likes to sit on her legs and to talk to her.

 

[Chickeria]

Well I start alien watch officially Friday. Yes, I've started referring to the hopefully future silkies little aliens. Technically day 21 is Sunday, but, especially when the hens do the hatching they always have at least 1 or 2 hatch on day 19. Plus these are bantam eggs so I really do not think they will go the full 21 days. Momma to be Holly came off the nest for the suspected final time before chicks today and spent a hour off. Stuffing herself and dust bathing several times. Normally she's off for 10 to 15 minutes at most. I've candled the eggs several times and all 8 are going strong and have really good air cells. She could potentially have 1 chick hatch tomorrow sometime as her own egg had a 24 hour head start on the silkies. Even though I refer to them as little aliens, I think I'm looking forward to these chicks now as much as my daughter. I've told her though she shouldn't count her chicks before they hatch, but, if they do the 2 she ends up keeping already have names. Since she say's they have a troll hairdo her 2 shall become Branch and Poppy.

How exciting
Fingers crossed everything goes well with your and Holly's hatch
Please keep us posted - - and: please pictures
...haha troll hairdo kind of fits very well Branch and Poppy are cute names!
My cockerell Sinbad does have the nickname Cockatoo (till now I wasn't able to get a better picture - when he is excited his hairdo even gets steeper):

 

[Chickeria]

...here another picture, so funny:

 

[Chickeria]

Some sassy paint attitude! Lol

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That's a proud looking boy!

 

[Chickeria]

One of my silkies isn’t quite right. Her beak is a bit twisted like it was put on at an angle. I’ve also noticed she walks with a bit of a hitch. And she is just thin. She doesn’t act sick and if one of the bigger chickens wants her to move she can move quickly. A lot of this I didn’t notice when she was younger but it became more noticeable once she had matured a bit more. Her two sisters are now laying and she shows no signs. I’m fine with that. And I fine if she is just a bit wonky and will always be a little off. I’ll gladly care for her, eggs or not. I just don’t want to be missing something or not treating something.

Here are some pics of her beak. I’m just worried about her.

Hi gothicpicasso, how is your sweet little girl doing? Did you try to trim or file her beak?

Are they often thin too? She’s just thinner than anyone else. I see her eat but she never seems to get a very full crop, not like all the other hens that make pigs of themselves. I’ll try to trim her beak. She’s not gonna like that she doesn’t want me to mess with it. I’ll also try to pay attention to her spine tomorrow. I do think her wings are slightly uneven. Anything that would be easy to eat and help given good nutrition? I often give her time away from everyone but her hatch mates to eat and drink without the possibility of someone preventing her. And thanks for the reply!

Important to know: I'm absolutely no expert. This being said I would recommend cooked millet mixed with cooked minced egg yolk, perhaps your little girl would like this. It is easy to eat and millet and egg have a lot of good contents. My little flock loves this. They also get about two times a week raw millet (one time a bit loose as scratch to keep them busy, every Sunday one panicle to keep them busy), but cooked it is much easier to eat.
Perhaps you want to give it a try for your sweet little one.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Holly has 1 chick externally pipped, her own egg. I listened to the silkies and in 2 of the eggs I could hear scratching around in them but no cheeping yet.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Holly has 1 chick externally pipped, her own egg. I listened to the silkies and in 2 of the eggs I could hear scratching around in them but no cheeping yet.

So exciting!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

...here another picture, so funny:

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They look all grown up already. Love all the different colors they are becoming!