Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[PioneerChicks]

Here's mine with red leakage. By a miracle it's a girl and not a boy.
View attachment 2471177

Some of the ladies.
View attachment 2471193View attachment 2471194

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Thank you so much! If they’re not pure colors Jm not much help. I’m sorry. They are super cute though. I have one nice splash boy but he has buff leakage. I still hatche some babies from him. The splash I just posted is his. Unfortunately she now has buff leakage too. I had a feeling it would happen. i Personally like the unique ones.

I love unique colours, buff leakage especially! I'm moving away from breeding plain white/ black so I might have a cockerel coop so I can keep the pretty unique ones. Although not sure if a cockerel/rooster coop will work if it's only a fence between all them and my coop with girls and 1 rooster. They might fight? I probably only need 1 rooster and 1 back up cockerel/rooster. .. It's just so hard to sell the excess beautiful boys and I love the longer tail I have on my rooster and cockerel too so the offspring boys might get that as well.

... In my recent hatch I did get 3 chicks that are mostly black so are these from my black pullet mated to my rooster? (if I breed black pullet to anything it will result in mostly black chicks?)

 

[PioneerChicks]

I love unique colours, buff leakage especially!

Oh, I got lots of buff leakage for you!

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Oh, I got lots of buff leakage for you!

Pics!?

 

[PioneerChicks]

Pics!?

I am actually planning to take some soon because I have a genetic question. Hopefully I'll get them uploaded by tomorrow!

 

[AmyR80]

He is so handsome! Does he have a name?



Awww!

His name is Winky. LOL After an Elf in Harry Potter. All of my chickens are named after Harry Potter characters. We originally thought He was a She, But didn't want to change the name.

 

[ronkonkoma]

I love unique colours, buff leakage especially! (if I breed black pullet to anything it will result in mostly black chicks?)

I would assume but to be honest I only have blacks split from paint and true blacks. when I mixed true blacks with chocolate for example I believe I got both back. It’s been a while. I’m terrible with genetics. I just use charts when I can find them or ask my breeder friends . Here’s a Silkie mix I hatched which I thought was going to be straight splash and then bam... red leakage.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Happy Saturday silkie friends! I know @Silkielee had a similar post a few days ago.
I find one of my silkie pullets, a new layer, has gone full on broody. Making noises I did not think a chicken could make. I put her in the “broody breaker” cage and she was not having it. I have had other broodies give up easily with the metal dog crate method. So I spontaneously decided to let her give it a try. She is the alpha in the mixed flock.
I picked out the larger of the silkie pullet eggs (7) out of the fridge and put them under her. She is quite happily sitting on them now.
Is there any harm in letting her do this? I figure worse case scenario they do not hatch. I did check for fertility, cracked a few open and bullseye is present.
When and should I move her, if she is persistent in her endeavor?
The nest boxes are a good 3 feet off the ground.
Thanks for any advice. First time letting a broody do her thing!

 

[PioneerChicks]

Happy Saturday silkie friends! I know @Silkielee had a similar post a few days ago.
I find one of my silkie pullets, a new layer, has gone full on broody. Making noises I did not think a chicken could make. I put her in the “broody breaker” cage and she was not having it. I have had other broodies give up easily with the metal dog crate method. So I spontaneously decided to let her give it a try. She is the alpha in the mixed flock.
I picked out the larger of the silkie pullet eggs (7) out of the fridge and put them under her. She is quite happily sitting on them now.
Is there any harm in letting her do this? I figure worse case scenario they do not hatch. I did check for fertility, cracked a few open and bullseye is present.
When and should I move her, if she is persistent in her endeavor?
The nest boxes are a good 3 feet off the ground.
Thanks for any advice. First time letting a broody do her thing!View attachment 2472768

Awesome! For me, worst case scenario is that all the other silkies hear the chicks and go broody themselves, then all my eggs disappear! Not like I'm getting many at the moment anyways, but I have three layers at least and I want their eggs!

Anyways, good luck. I learned just to let mama hen do her thing.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Happy Saturday silkie friends! I know @Silkielee had a similar post a few days ago.
I find one of my silkie pullets, a new layer, has gone full on broody. Making noises I did not think a chicken could make. I put her in the “broody breaker” cage and she was not having it. I have had other broodies give up easily with the metal dog crate method. So I spontaneously decided to let her give it a try. She is the alpha in the mixed flock.
I picked out the larger of the silkie pullet eggs (7) out of the fridge and put them under her. She is quite happily sitting on them now.
Is there any harm in letting her do this? I figure worse case scenario they do not hatch. I did check for fertility, cracked a few open and bullseye is present.
When and should I move her, if she is persistent in her endeavor?
The nest boxes are a good 3 feet off the ground.
Thanks for any advice. First time letting a broody do her thing!View attachment 2472768

Really your first time letting a broody hatch!? Oh you'll love watching her look after the little chicks! .. If you can set her up in a separate area that's best, then she won't be disturbed by others trying to lay on top of her (fyi mark her eggs she's on now and remove new eggs) and little chicks wouldn't be able to get back into the nest where she is now.
I am thinking to try and move my broody and eggs but often they are homed into a certain nest spot so they won't sit on eggs if you move her... My 7 yr old hen though doesn't care where you move her as long as she sees the eggs she will just sit on them. Depends on the chicken I guess.
..I had an idea to set up my broody breaker crate, but have the flat base under, straw on top, and move her in there at night so hopefully she wakes up in the morning and stays there on the eggs. Do you have a separate coop for her to brood and hatch in peace? (Then let them out to range with the others) ..You could just leave her be and she how she goes, I like to move mine in separate coop (fence in between area so they can still see each other) with own water, food, flat nest space for chicks to navigate so they don't fall out. I have had a mumma hen choose to help chick that had fallen out then left other behind so I'd rather them be safe on a flat nest area with no obstacles.
Good luck! Our broodies are close hatching day!!