Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[LynnaePB]

Kinoko just laid her first egg!

Just about six months of age, 26 weeks and 1 day to be exact. Follows the pattern of her Polish mother. Hopefully she’ll have the egg laying abilities as well! My polish are surprisingly good layers.
Expected Hikari to lay first, she’s been squatting for over a month. Keep expecting to see a blue/aqua colored egg out there. Kinoko is the same age but has not been exhibiting any squatting behavior. Maybe due to her traumatic brain injury? Though she did manage to find the nest box and laid the egg right where she was supposed to.
Thought at first it was Hikari’s but very confused over the color as her mother carried two copies of the blue egg gene, so I was questioning all my understanding of genetics, limited as it may be!
Checked the vents and it’s definitely Kinoko that laid the egg. Hopefully Hikari will be inspired and get to work!View attachment 2806352View attachment 2806351

Congratulations on Kinoko's first egg! She really is such a pretty girl!

I hope Hikari follows suit soon as well!

 

[Chickeria]

Getting big. Haha. I shared these in the other silkie thread and forgot to here. Whoops.

Thought I'd share my recently hatched babies as well. It's hard to photograph them all together and get clear pictures but I tried.

View attachment 2806258

View attachment 2806259

View attachment 2806260

Looks like a black, a blue, and two partridge type chicks. Pretty sure the two partridges and the blue are from my recessive white girl Willow. She tends to be one of the only ones who lays slightly speckled eggs and all three of those came from speckled eggs (plus I know she carries both partridge and blue so these babies would make sense for her). I can't wait to try for some paints in a bit, the breeding pens are just taking a long time to finish.

Even though I'd like to breed the vaults out eventually for the time being they have been great for helping make an educated guess at sex in my babies. My last hatch (the Easter hatch) I was able to correctly guess sex at hatch based on vaults in 9 of 11 babies. I got really lucky and only got 3 boys total that hatch. If the vaulted are female in this hatch it looks like I got lucky again and only got 1 boy out of the 4 (but time will tell)!

Omg all those adorable babies Sooo cute! And beautiful

LynnaePB congrats on your hatch

 

[Chickeria]

Kinoko just laid her first egg!

Just about six months of age, 26 weeks and 1 day to be exact. Follows the pattern of her Polish mother. Hopefully she’ll have the egg laying abilities as well! My polish are surprisingly good layers.
Expected Hikari to lay first, she’s been squatting for over a month. Keep expecting to see a blue/aqua colored egg out there. Kinoko is the same age but has not been exhibiting any squatting behavior. Maybe due to her traumatic brain injury? Though she did manage to find the nest box and laid the egg right where she was supposed to.
Thought at first it was Hikari’s but very confused over the color as her mother carried two copies of the blue egg gene, so I was questioning all my understanding of genetics, limited as it may be!
Checked the vents and it’s definitely Kinoko that laid the egg. Hopefully Hikari will be inspired and get to work!View attachment 2806352View attachment 2806351

Awwww What a beautiful egg! Congrats! Sweet Kinoko
I'm so glad she manages everything so well after having been injured so severely - brave little girl!
Perhaps tomorrow you will find two eggs

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Thought I'd share my recently hatched babies as well. It's hard to photograph them all together and get clear pictures but I tried.

View attachment 2806258

View attachment 2806259

View attachment 2806260

Looks like a black, a blue, and two partridge type chicks. Pretty sure the two partridges and the blue are from my recessive white girl Willow. She tends to be one of the only ones who lays slightly speckled eggs and all three of those came from speckled eggs (plus I know she carries both partridge and blue so these babies would make sense for her). I can't wait to try for some paints in a bit, the breeding pens are just taking a long time to finish.

Even though I'd like to breed the vaults out eventually for the time being they have been great for helping make an educated guess at sex in my babies. My last hatch (the Easter hatch) I was able to correctly guess sex at hatch based on vaults in 9 of 11 babies. I got really lucky and only got 3 boys total that hatch. If the vaulted are female in this hatch it looks like I got lucky again and only got 1 boy out of the 4 (but time will tell)!

They are adorable! Are these your surprise babies? What a lovely surprise to have!

 

[LynnaePB]

They are adorable! Are these your surprise babies? What a lovely surprise to have!

Thank you!

Yep these are my surprise babies!

The partridges were especially surprising, I didn't think any of the possible fathers were carrying partridge genetics but I guess someone is hiding it.

 

[Chickeria]

Such a lovely surprise
I'm so curious if they are really 1 boy and 3 girls!

 

[LynnaePB]

Such a lovely surprise
I'm so curious if they are really 1 boy and 3 girls!

I'll probably grow them out so will be sure to update when I can tell for sure what they are (probably I'll have a pretty good idea in another 12 weeks).

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

(...another Silkie thread?! I have to look that up )

Awesome, it looks great
I love how your fluffies roost together
...so much fluff in a row...So cute!

I love your nest house - I couldn't blame your babies if they decide to sleep in it

What is the material you used on the ramp?

(...another Silkie thread?! I have to look that up )

Awesome, it looks great
I love how your fluffies roost together
...so much fluff in a row...So cute!

I love your nest house - I couldn't blame your babies if they decide to sleep in it

What is the material you used on the ramp?

Thanks!
I just used a thick piece of wood and stapled foam matting to it (it's not foam that breaks up, I use the mats to cover muddy ground in rainy weather so they can have somewhere to step that's dry) They all had no problem going up and down, considering they normally don't use a ramp or roost that high they did fine!

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Thought I'd share my recently hatched babies as well. It's hard to photograph them all together and get clear pictures but I tried.

View attachment 2806258

View attachment 2806259

View attachment 2806260

Looks like a black, a blue, and two partridge type chicks. Pretty sure the two partridges and the blue are from my recessive white girl Willow. She tends to be one of the only ones who lays slightly speckled eggs and all three of those came from speckled eggs (plus I know she carries both partridge and blue so these babies would make sense for her). I can't wait to try for some paints in a bit, the breeding pens are just taking a long time to finish.

Even though I'd like to breed the vaults out eventually for the time being they have been great for helping make an educated guess at sex in my babies. My last hatch (the Easter hatch) I was able to correctly guess sex at hatch based on vaults in 9 of 11 babies. I got really lucky and only got 3 boys total that hatch. If the vaulted are female in this hatch it looks like I got lucky again and only got 1 boy out of the 4 (but time will tell)!

Oh they are so gorgeous!!! So lucky with boy girl ratio!
I can't wait till I have more chicks hatch!! They are just too cute!!

 

[TimberLine Homestead]

Anybody mind if I post our Silkie rooster Elvis?