Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

I decided early on I wanted to really work on goals and bettering the quality of my flock. It's definitely more work and the cost of raising more grow outs gets expensive. I think having a small flock and hatching and growing out a few babies here and there is a lot easier (plus you have more of a relationship with each flock member)

I feel I'm at a place where I need to decide a path and stick to it...otherwise I'm floundering round like a fish outta water this way and that!
I get so easily sidetracked either all the floof!!! And cuteness!!!
I need to stick to my goal of developing that gorgeous satin...
not my pic...but my goal
i absolutely LUV the satins!
i absolutely LUV porcelain!
 so
in an effort to work towards that goal am takin up a couple on their offers to buy a few I had NOT planned on selling.
i feel badly! Like im cheating on em or something, but then again it doesn't take much to make me feel bad!
Here's to a clearer pathway to the future.

 

[LynnaePB]

I feel I'm at a place where I need to decide a path and stick to it...otherwise I'm floundering round like a fish outta water this way and that!
I get so easily sidetracked either all the floof!!! And cuteness!!!
I need to stick to my goal of developing that gorgeous satin...
not my pic...but my goal
i absolutely LUV the satins!
i absolutely LUV porcelain!
 so
in an effort to work towards that goal am takin up a couple on their offers to buy a few I had NOT planned on selling.
i feel badly! Like im cheating on em or something, but then again it doesn't take much to make me feel bad!
Here's to a clearer pathway to the future.
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I completely understand! I feel like I'm taking on more than I can chew with all the different color projects I want to work on. I keep on seeing more varieties I really like and then I just have to work on it.

It is tough saying goodbye to some you had thought you'd keep but then don't fit into your goals. It's hard not having enough funds and space for them all.

Oh and I love the project you are picking! Porcelain satins really are so beautiful, the patterning stands out so much better on the satins vs silkies as well!

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

That's always a tough one.

I decided early on I wanted to really work on goals and bettering the quality of my flock. It's definitely more work and the cost of raising more grow outs gets expensive. I think having a small flock and hatching and growing out a few babies here and there is a lot easier (plus you have more of a relationship with each flock member). I love it when I make progress and see my pairings working out well though. My main goal isn't really showing although I may get there eventually. I guess mostly I have color projects and a vision of what I'm hoping to achieve for each. I love learning about color genetics and applying what I know to help with my goals too. I think the biggest downside is trying to find homes for all the ones that don't end up making the cut. With a larger breeding operation it seems like you may have to get comfortable culling the boys that don't find homes easily. I've really struggled with that aspect.

Anyway here are some current pictures of some of the little ones I'm excited about. Excuse the dusty floor, the chicks make so much dust I can't keep up with it even dusting everyday.

The little mottled with more white to him (or her). Single combed but a cutie, I can't wait to see that little black and white crest when it comes in more!

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The little mille fleur splits are old enough I can sex them now (I love how easy it is since they are satins)! Looks like two boys and two girls which is perfect. I'm thinking I'll pair the light girl with the darker boy and the light boy with the darker girl when they are old enough to breed.

The girls

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The boys

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Then I'm still exciting about this little frizzle girl, I can't wait until she starts laying and I can try to get some frizzle babies from her.

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This little paint girl is definitely the best spotted I've bred so far. She's got some khaki leakage in her hackles so may go into one of my color projects rather than with the paints but we'll see.

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And lastly one of my promising cockerels from my grow outs. He's got a lot of silver leakage but as I've been having a hard time with khaki leakage in my paint boys and paint breeders have had some good results with silver leaking blacks over their paints I'm going to give it a try and see if it helps any with the khaki leakage. I've got another boy similar to him to choose from but that one wasn't cooperating for a picture.

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Aww such cuties! I'm glad things ended up working out for the little one's with your help.



Oh that is exciting! I hope they get a good hatch too!



Aww the babies are getting so big (and they are all so pretty too)!

Your frizzzzzle is so gorgeous! Exactly the colour and frizzlyness I love! Wish I could find some local ones but maybe next spring I'll look into buying hatvhing frizzle eggs Easier to integrate too when mother hen raises them in the flock.
How old is your frizzle? (Name?) So when she will start laying? I can't wait to see your frizzle babies from her!
...All your others are gorgeous too

 

[LynnaePB]

Your frizzzzzle is so gorgeous! Exactly the colour and frizzlyness I love! Wish I could find some local ones but maybe next spring I'll look into buying hatvhing frizzle eggs Easier to integrate too when mother hen raises them in the flock.
How old is your frizzle? (Name?) So when she will start laying? I can't wait to see your frizzle babies from her!
...All your others are gorgeous too

Thank you! I got her from a friend who breeds as well so I'm not quite sure exactly how old she is. I think she is close to around 5 months or so though so hopefully not too far off from laying. I haven't come up with a name for her yet.

I hope you are able to find some little frizzles in a color you like as well or find a good deal on hatching eggs!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Oh and I love the project you are picking! Porcelain satins really are so beautiful, the patterning stands out so much better on the satins vs silkies as well!

I did it! I just ordered 3 porcelain d'uccles to start growing out and enter into the porcelain satin phase! Agh! I cannot wait! This is gonna be so fun!!! They are just born and should be here in couple days!

 

[cece_chickens]

Pic of Zoe with her FIRST EGG!!!

She looks shocked

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

She looks shocked

She probably is cuz that's not where she laid it lol!

 

[LynnaePB]

I did it! I just ordered 3 porcelain d'uccles to start growing out and enter into the porcelain satin phase! Agh! I cannot wait! This is gonna be so fun!!! They are just born and should be here in couple days!

Oh that is so exciting!


Creating your very own line using the D'uccles sounds like so much fun! I can't wait to see the first generation when the D'uccles are old enough.

Do you know what color silkie or satin you'll start out crossing the D'uccles to? I love these kind of projects, they are just so interesting to follow along with.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

Ya'll aren't going to believe this but yesterday, my neighbor was over and I was showing her some of my silkies. (We both love our silkies.) And she really likes my white hen snow. Well, Snow had been in the coop a while and she was and has been to me pretending to go broody. I don't want her going broody yet so I just picked her up and handed her to my neighbor to hold. And while she was holding Snow, Snow laid an EGG!!! It rolled out and hit the ground, it surprisingly didn't break! I just couldn't believe it!

 

[cece_chickens]

Do any silkie experts know what age I can tell if my silkie chicks are bearded or not?