Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[Chickeria]

Do you have a picture of this chicken as a day old

Hi Imammusa, yes I do:

She is the one standing at the waterer and turning her back, with the two black little spots on the back of her neck

And here are two closer pictures (but here she is already two days old):

 

[Chickeria]

She is a beauty! No, in this case, looks like it is just her color. She has alot of red everywhere.

Thank you
Yeah she has a lot of red. My mom always says Babette is wearing a bikini (two big triangle shaped red patches on her front)

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

I think little Easter is an extremely sweet little mystery


Does red coming in on wings point generally to a little male or just regarding the color partridge?
...My little Babette (- whom I think is female -) has a lot of red coming in on her wings but she is not a partridge (I have no clue about her color BUT I know she is not a partridge )
View attachment 2733706

I love her colour! She's beautiful wish I had a hen that colour, all red-ish colour ones turn out to be male! .. I am kinda thinking Easter is a boy too but I haven't given up hope! .. a few more weeks and I should know for sure if he has to go or she gets to stay

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I love her colour! She's beautiful wish I had a hen that colour, all red-ish colour ones turn out to be male! .. I am kinda thinking Easter is a boy too but I haven't given up hope! .. a few more weeks and I should know for sure if he has to go or she gets to stay

I've been on the fence with Easter. Such a beautiful chick. I agree with you the next few weeks should determine gender for sure, though I am inclined to think he is a boy, too.

 

[PippinTheChicken]

So, this morning I was having breakfast as normal. Then I heard a really funny, weird noise coming from the chicken pen. It kinda sounded like a cow mooing and a turkey (doing that weird turkey noise) at the same time.
I thought that maybe one of the younger chickens were pecked by an older one and made that noise. I went out to check anyway.

Big K (aka Kiwi) was standing tall, neck elongated, and let out another cow-turkey noise. First crow! The noise is hilarious!
He freaked out my dog who was barking like crazy, trying to find out where the noise came from.

Big K is very sweet (well to me at least, he pecks other people) he loves cuddles and hugs. Him and his siblings all peck me on the back when they want a hug!

 

[PippinTheChicken]

My neighbours are gonna kill me!

 

[Imammusa]

Hi Imammusa, yes I do:

View attachment 2733718
She is the one standing at the waterer and turning her back, with the two black little spots on the back of her neck

And here are two closer pictures (but here she is already two days old):

View attachment 2733723

View attachment 2733724

She look like a different chicken as a day old but still beautiful

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

The silkies are 3 weeks old tomorrow. I lost one of the little ones at 5 days old unexpectedly. It was the smallest at hatch and even though it was eating and drinking well it just failed to thrive. In the past week their crazy feathers are starting to appear. I am having to clean their behinds daily, They have normal poop, and its not pasty butt but their poop is getting stuck to their butt fluff. Is this normal for them, especially as they loose their chick down? I admit i'm finding them adorable but if I ever hatch off anymore it will be a silkie only hatch. Their Marans brother is great with them, but true to his breed he's growing in leaps and bounds and where he hatched already twice their size I find myself worrying at times they are not growing fast enough. After dealing with only large fowl raising true bantams has been sort of a culture shock for me. I still keep telling myself that I am only keeping 2, and I need to place the other 3, but it is so hard to pick which 2. There is something about each one that me and my daughter like. 1 of them has a really pronounced bump on its head at hatch, I think vaulted skull. It has been my personal favorite, but is one of the smallest. I really want to keep it, but I do worry if it is a vaulted skull it may be in danger when its older if one of my bigger chickens peck it in the head. Am I wrong on that, because I really do love that one, but if it is best it goes to a different home I wont keep it. I'd feel terrible if something were to happen that could have been prevented. The goal is for them to intermingle with my other flock members. None of my chickens are mean, but, I have 2 hens that enforce pecking order where treats are concerned and have been known to administer a peck or two to a lower ranking one. They are not hard pecks but still its a peck on the head.

My personal favorite of the group.

Everyone all together, their Marans brother still thinks they are weird.

 

[Lemon-Drop]

Anybody want to take a swing and vote?
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/week-by-week-silkie-comb-thread.1474979/

 

[LynnaePB]

The silkies are 3 weeks old tomorrow. I lost one of the little ones at 5 days old unexpectedly. It was the smallest at hatch and even though it was eating and drinking well it just failed to thrive. In the past week their crazy feathers are starting to appear. I am having to clean their behinds daily, They have normal poop, and its not pasty butt but their poop is getting stuck to their butt fluff. Is this normal for them, especially as they loose their chick down? I admit i'm finding them adorable but if I ever hatch off anymore it will be a silkie only hatch. Their Marans brother is great with them, but true to his breed he's growing in leaps and bounds and where he hatched already twice their size I find myself worrying at times they are not growing fast enough. After dealing with only large fowl raising true bantams has been sort of a culture shock for me. I still keep telling myself that I am only keeping 2, and I need to place the other 3, but it is so hard to pick which 2. There is something about each one that me and my daughter like. 1 of them has a really pronounced bump on its head at hatch, I think vaulted skull. It has been my personal favorite, but is one of the smallest. I really want to keep it, but I do worry if it is a vaulted skull it may be in danger when its older if one of my bigger chickens peck it in the head. Am I wrong on that, because I really do love that one, but if it is best it goes to a different home I wont keep it. I'd feel terrible if something were to happen that could have been prevented. The goal is for them to intermingle with my other flock members. None of my chickens are mean, but, I have 2 hens that enforce pecking order where treats are concerned and have been known to administer a peck or two to a lower ranking one. They are not hard pecks but still its a peck on the head.

My personal favorite of the group.
View attachment 2734186
Everyone all together, their Marans brother still thinks they are weird.
View attachment 2734187

Aww such cute little ones!

I'm so sorry you lost one, I've had some just fail to thrive too, it's always hard to lose them.

I've noticed my young silkie chicks being more prone to getting droppings stuck than some other breeds I've raised in the past. For me it's mostly the first week that it sometimes happens. I hope your little cuties won't have to deal with it too much longer!

I agree that your favorite one appears to have a vaulted skull. It may make her/him a little more vulnerable. The vault isn't huge so it might not be too bad but in silkies with large vaults there is often little to no skull over the top of the brain so they are more vulnerable to pecks to the head. In my flock the vaulted babies are more often girls, I know some breeders have noticed this trend as well while others get both male and female equally with vaults.