Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

I think it is genetic but I think it also can be something to do with conditions during incubation. I’m not 100% sure. I believe it’s not recommended to use these for breeding. Might consider sell this one as a pet.

Might have been one of those eggs that went cold

 

[LadiesAndJane]

OK I did a quick search and it looks like there’s conflicting information about what causes cross beak. One source says it’s a recessive gene. I know it’s common in Ameraucana and Easter Eggers.
Another source says it’s from the chick positioning itself incorrectly during hatch which doesn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Maybe it’s a bit of both or one or the other?

 

[Silkie Princess]

Look at these babies! Do you remember them as day olds? Melody (the white one) looks like a roo Munchkin the partridge one I hope is a hen. I have one more named Tiny but she hid when I took the pic

 

[LynnaePB]

More pics of the crossbeak chick..
View attachment 2867335
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Aww I'm so sorry the little one is developing a cross beak, I hope it stays mild!

I've dealt with a few cross beaks. The ones I had who started developing it very young unfortunately progressed to have the most severe cases where culling or tube feeding were the only option to avoid starvation (I'm sure this isn't always the case and hopefully it won't be for your little one). These poor little ones had the top and bottom beak at about a 90 degree angle after only a few weeks of it starting. Having chosen to tube feed one (a little pullet) I don't think I'd do it again. She never thrived as well as the rest despite my best efforts and she sadly passed away after aspirating too much water when a sudden hard rain hit (we got to her within minutes of it starting but it was too much for her and she passed several hours later).

With less severe cases (mild-moderate) they can often live a relatively or even completely normal life. Making sure they have a deep food dish for the moderate cases should be enough for them to eat alright by allowing them to scoop the food up.

For now you are probably fine just watching to see how she/he does. If in several months she/he is still keeping up well with the others and isn't lagging behind in size then the cross beak probably won't hold him/her back too much.

I've also heard crossbeak can be either genetic or caused by issues during incubation or development. Since it isn't really possibly to tell for sure which one it might be avoiding breeding would probably be best so as not to risk passing it on. Cross beak and also a milder form where the beak veers to one side but is still aligned is in my experience a somewhat common issue in silkies as I've had it cropping up in several different lines I've hatched from. I've had one or two cross beaks hatch from my own flock now as well as a few more that had the milder form but thankfully those were never severe enough to require special care to thrive.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Five Polkies and a Silkie in the dryer. Can you tell which one is the silkie?
Difficult to tell. The silkie chicks are a bit smaller and looks like only the Polkies inherited the vaulted skull from their mama.
I need to get a closer look at each one of them later today.
(The silkie is the middle chick on the left side of the group photo)
The one standing in the food is also a silkie. This is a dessert plate for size reference.
12 out of 13 hatched. Looks like the last one was DIS. It had pipped on the wrong side and I guess was unable to rotate. They all had safety holes, so oxygen was not an issue.
Anyway 12 little babies now, six in the dryer as shown and six have moved over to the brooder. First went over yesterday afternoon and have already figured out how to eat and drink. All in all seven Polkies and five Silkies hatched. The Polkies are about a 50-50 split either black or paint and the silkies are all some variation of paint.
Once they are more on their feet, we’ll take them out for a photo shoot!
There is one of each still in the incubator that are officially supposed to hatch Monday but I think may hatch tomorrow.
Next set due to hatch next weekend.

 

[kurby22]

Five Polkies and a Silkie in the dryer. Can you tell which one is the silkie?
Difficult to tell. The silkie chicks are a bit smaller and looks like only the Polkies inherited the vaulted skull from their mama.
I need to get a closer look at each one of them later today.
(The silkie is the middle chick on the left side of the group photo)
The one standing in the food is also a silkie. This is a dessert plate for size reference.
12 out of 13 hatched. Looks like the last one was DIS. It had pipped on the wrong side and I guess was unable to rotate. They all had safety holes, so oxygen was not an issue.
Anyway 12 little babies now, six in the dryer as shown and six have moved over to the brooder. First went over yesterday afternoon and have already figured out how to eat and drink. All in all seven Polkies and five Silkies hatched. The Polkies are about a 50-50 split either black or paint and the silkies are all some variation of paint.
Once they are more on their feet, we’ll take them out for a photo shoot!
There is one of each still in the incubator that are officially supposed to hatch Monday but I think may hatch tomorrow.
Next set due to hatch next weekend.View attachment 2867889View attachment 2867887

Eeeeee! I just love baby silkies and Polish! They’re the cutest and floofiest!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Eeeeee! I just love baby silkies and Polish! They’re the cutest and floofiest!

They really are cute! It's going to be so hard not to keep any of them!

 

[Silkie Princess]

They all had safety holes, so oxygen was not an issue.

Sorry stupid question but what's a safety hole? Do you just make a hole in the shell?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Sorry stupid question but what's a safety hole? Do you just make a hole in the shell?

No such thing as a stupid question!
A safety hole is a small hole usually made at the top of the aircell AFTER the chick has internally pipped. I only do this with eggs I am worried about or are high value. I use a very small drill bit and hand turn it to make a small hole.
There is debate among many on the need for these, but I have learned after losing a few chicks after they internally pipped, to do this as a precaution. It is not recommended for folks that are new to incubating chicks, as it requires that eggs are candled AFTER lockdown.
I chose to do it with the silkies only, as they were from pullet eggs and very small, only about 32 grams in weight.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I am actually going to make a safety hole in the silkie egg left in the incubator. It has internally pipped. I can post photos of the procedure if anyone is interested.