Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[kurby22]

Check walmart!! I was surprised to see it stocked here.. i Don't think i ever actually looked for it there before!

Walmart would be good, I will have to look at mine—but does the Big Island even have a Walmart @LadiesAndJane??

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Walmart would be good, I will have to look at mine—but does the Big Island even have a Walmart @LadiesAndJane??

Yes we do, but they do not carry chicken feed. They do carry Hawaiian souvenirs and macadamia nuts though!
It is about an hour away, too.
My local feed store sells 50 lb bags of Purina Flock Raiser for $28. Beats having to go the Amazon route, which is at least twice that. Have to resort to it at times though when the feed store is out. As everything has to be shipped over on a container ship, this is not uncommon. When I first got chickens I fed them organic feed but that quickly stopped as it is often twice as expensive.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

I haven't heard of avian flu cases in TN yet. There was a show that was going to be held on April 9th here in TN that was canceled because birds from states with confirmed cases were not allowed to be entered in the show which they said would make holding the show virtually impossible. I see there are still shows in surrounding states like NC and AL though

I didn't think we had any cases so far.
Weird how the other states are still doing shows though.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

I didn't think we had any cases so far.
Weird how the other states are still doing shows though.

The buck comes first!

Here is the link for verified chicken infections:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...pai-2022/2022-hpai-commercial-backyard-flocks

And here is the link for verified wild bird infections:
https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ou...vian-influenza/hpai-2022/2022-hpai-wild-birds

I'm not allowing my chickens out of the run, and it is roofed, which should keep them safe.

 

[Arelwood]

I am new to chicken keeping, but the first time I saw a silkie, I KNEW it was the chicken for me.
Do you guys ever just see something and know that is your destiny? I felt the same way when I saw my house. Just a feeling of rightness and like it was calling my name.
I felt that way about silkies too.

So anyway, my babies are just about 4 weeks old. They just started getting their little head poofs. So cute! My Polish had head poofs at hatch, so it's been a bit of a difference. The Polish are way bigger than the Silkies too. But they get along great! I know it's a bit early for pecking order, but I think one of my silkies will be the top hen...assuming she is a hen.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

I am new to chicken keeping, but the first time I saw a silkie, I KNEW it was the chicken for me.
Do you guys ever just see something and know that is your destiny? I felt the same way when I saw my house. Just a feeling of rightness and like it was calling my name.
I felt that way about silkies too.

So anyway, my babies are just about 4 weeks old. They just started getting their little head poofs. So cute! My Polish had head poofs at hatch, so it's been a bit of a difference. The Polish are way bigger than the Silkies too. But they get along great! I know it's a bit early for pecking order, but I think one of my silkies will be the top hen...assuming she is a hen.

Silkies are what got me into chickens too!! I totally understand the feeling!! Congrats on your new babies.. oh and i have and love polish too! And D'uccles, and silkie-polish cross, and only somewhat love my grumpy bantam cochin

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Food here has definitely gone up some in the bigger chains but not super bad. The smaller local stores seem to have more reasonable prices from more local feed companies that don't tend to go up as quickly in price.



Thank you! Yes it's the red skin that needs the work. Ideally it would be very dark like a normal silkie. It's tough to get that to happen in mottled because the gene also affects skin color but I've heard it can be done. I have yet to see a highly mottled bird with a lot of white that has really dark skin everywhere though.

I haven't heard of avian flu cases in TN yet. There was a show that was going to be held on April 9th here in TN that was canceled because birds from states with confirmed cases were not allowed to be entered in the show which they said would make holding the show virtually impossible. I see there are still shows in surrounding states like NC and AL though.



Yeah I think with my hatching style it is going to be an exhausting hatch. I doubt all are going to make it to lockdown (I'm down to 37) but enough to make it a fairly sleepless few days at hatch time. I'm just really going to hope most are in the correct positions so I'm not dealing with too many difficult assists at once.

Oh I hope maybe you'll get to keep the little Hanabi baby, she sounds like a sweetheart besides the neat color! It's always tough though when you are needing to downsize. The little satin frizzle girl I have being from a red project I'm hoping will help. She's got a lot more pheomelanin covered areas than a partridge so I think she might. I'm hoping to cross her to one of the paint babies from that first crossing. Out of the three paint chicks 1 is looking more feminine and two maybe more masculine. I'm hoping for at least one boy. I'll get some other colors besides black/paint this time around with the partridge base genetics being split in the paints but I should still get 25% paint chicks on the right base. I think it'll be fun getting some other feather types too.

Dyer and Obion counties have had cases...

 

[kurby22]

Yes we do, but they do not carry chicken feed. They do carry Hawaiian souvenirs and macadamia nuts though!
It is about an hour away, too.
My local feed store sells 50 lb bags of Purina Flock Raiser for $28. Beats having to go the Amazon route, which is at least twice that. Have to resort to it at times though when the feed store is out. As everything has to be shipped over on a container ship, this is not uncommon. When I first got chickens I fed them organic feed but that quickly stopped as it is often twice as expensive.

Is it in Hilo? I’m surprised $28 a bag is about what I’m spending too…I think I may need to consider downgrading though, all these chickens do is eat . I don’t know if everyone gets Bar Ale feed, but I’ve been really happy with it. The Purina feed gives the birds even smellier poop , especially the quail! Now…the drive TO get the food might break me though! This was yesterday near Auburn on the I-80 E off ramp.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Is it in Hilo? I’m surprised $28 a bag is about what I’m spending too…I think I may need to consider downgrading though, all these chickens do is eat . I don’t know if everyone gets Bar Ale feed, but I’ve been really happy with it. The Purina feed gives the birds even smellier poop , especially the quail! Now…the drive TO get the food might break me though! This was yesterday near Auburn on the I-80 E off ramp.

Funny enough, gas prices are still in the $5 range here. We have two Walmarts here, one in Hilo and one in Kona, both over an hour from me. I use Walmart.com sometimes, bought my brooder plates that way. With free shipping pretty competitive with Amazon, but they charge extra to ship feed.

I recently sold two of my layer hens as part of my flock reduction. They were big girls and ate the most and I was not emotionally attached to them. We were also getting more eggs than we needed. Fun to give eggs to friends and others, but at what cost?
I have already noticed the feed is lasting longer. I was going through a 50 lb bag a week. Sold two of my Silkie hens as well to a friend. I currently have 13 adults, 2 juveniles and 3 chicks, as well as 13 eggs in the incubator due to hatch on Saturday. 2 more of the hens are for sale. Not planning to keep any of the chicks, well maybe the Hanabi baby and one of the Blues to keep her company...
Since the Silkie girls are all broody now, this really is my LAST hatch for awhile.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Is it in Hilo? I’m surprised $28 a bag is about what I’m spending too…I think I may need to consider downgrading though, all these chickens do is eat . I don’t know if everyone gets Bar Ale feed, but I’ve been really happy with it. The Purina feed gives the birds even smellier poop , especially the quail! Now…the drive TO get the food might break me though! This was yesterday near Auburn on the I-80 E off ramp.
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That's greed.. not the economy, not production declines, not storms or any other excuse.