Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

Trying to get a head-count on silkie lovers...

  • ME! - I like silkies!

    Votes: 826 96.2%
  • ^

    Votes: 98 11.4%

  • Total voters
    859
Congratulations on the new egg! Great that Chiquita is learning to trust you with help from Poppy! So awesome that Poppy has a friend now too! All chickens need a bestie.❤️
As far as incubating the egg and being able to tell the difference between them that’s another matter. Technically the rule of thumb is to wait a month when you have a new layer before incubating the eggs so that she can get her egg laying apparatus in order. But I have sometimes only waited a few weeks.
Is there any way you can put a coop camera in so you can see which one is laying?
I have at least three different hens’ eggs in my incubator right now but I am honestly not sure other than Kana’s, whom the other two belong to! I used to be able to tell the difference between them but now there’s several that lay eggs that look almost identical.
I have heard of people putting lipstick on the chickens vent so that when they lay the egg some lipstick comes off on the egg. Sounds a bit weird to me but hey if it works why not?🤣
Sadly I do not have a camera. If it is Chiquita's and she holds to her pattern I was told about I should know in a week. Apparently she likes to lay 5 or 6 eggs then go broody. I'm storing the egg separately and will rotate it incase it is her laying. Honestly though, I do not know if I'll incubate, or if she goes broody let her. This winter is already been colder and we've had more snow then last year and it's just getting started.
 
Elsa has finally calmed down.. still chases Esmeralda, but not attacking.. but.. she has me worried about integrating the sweet silkies later. I can swap places, where she goes back to the small coop, when they move into the big one. She doesn't seem to miss anyone when shes solo.. so i could have her just wander the yard w me (she's too heavy to fly away)... but the whole point of that giant coop is to get them in one spot, away from the house and patio. I'm looking into maybe building out a sort of cat tree with hiding spots possibly.. I'd hate to get rid of Elsa.


So... corid is in both waterers and im watching the tiny silkie zooming around, eating tons, and drinking lots. I was concerned about it being windy and cool out (they are in the bunny hutch/coop on the patio, so protected a bit... but!! Instead they all seem happier and calmer.. even the assumed boys are back in with them and doing fine. So little silkie seems to be bouncing back. I always wonder if those brooder lamps end up causing more issues w pasty butt.

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*edit- that's her at the water dish. You can see how tiny she is, about half the size of the polkie and other silkie. Has me worried a bit, but she is always eating, so it's not a food issue.
 
I finally got my first silkie egg!! There is only 1 problem, I don't know if it was from Poppy or the new girl Chiquita. Chiquita is so wild and would try to escape the isolation coop that I broke over and introduced her to Poppy. If she had gotten out on her own their would have been no way I could have caught her. In 4 days she and Poppy have bonded and are best friends already. Whatever 1 is doing, the other is there joining in. Poppy is also making it easier for me to build trust with her. Before if I went in to try and even hand feed her she ran around like a crazy thing, now with Poppy she will come up and eat out of my hand. I've taken these opportunities to stroke her back which she is starting to like, but I'm not picking her up yet. I found the egg yesterday evening in the little nest both were sitting in. When I picked up Chiquita I was told she had not started back up laying yet but was housed with 2 silkie boys, another Buff and a white boy. If I knew for sure it was Chiquita's and I could get at least 3 more from her I would incubate those. If it is Poppy's first egg I need to wait a month before I even think about turning on the incubator. Whichever girl it came from I'm honestly shocked at the size of the egg, while it is small compared to what my big girls lay, considering how tiny both girls are its a big egg.
This little gem was definitely worth the 7 month wait.
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Congratulations on the first egg! That is so wonderful little poppy has a good friend now. ❤️

I just love your birds @LynnaePB 😍😍😍
Too bad you live so far from me or we could trade eggs!
The little black pullet is just gorgeous!
Can’t wait to see what chicks you get with the showgirl and your lovely paint girl!❤️
Thank you! Yeah it really would have been nice swapping eggs if we were closer. Your silkies are just gorgeous! ❤️

Elsa has finally calmed down.. still chases Esmeralda, but not attacking.. but.. she has me worried about integrating the sweet silkies later. I can swap places, where she goes back to the small coop, when they move into the big one. She doesn't seem to miss anyone when shes solo.. so i could have her just wander the yard w me (she's too heavy to fly away)... but the whole point of that giant coop is to get them in one spot, away from the house and patio. I'm looking into maybe building out a sort of cat tree with hiding spots possibly.. I'd hate to get rid of Elsa.


So... corid is in both waterers and im watching the tiny silkie zooming around, eating tons, and drinking lots. I was concerned about it being windy and cool out (they are in the bunny hutch/coop on the patio, so protected a bit... but!! Instead they all seem happier and calmer.. even the assumed boys are back in with them and doing fine. So little silkie seems to be bouncing back. I always wonder if those brooder lamps end up causing more issues w pasty butt.

View attachment 2964810


*edit- that's her at the water dish. You can see how tiny she is, about half the size of the polkie and other silkie. Has me worried a bit, but she is always eating, so it's not a food issue.
That is great she is doing better! I've had a few extra small ones that I worried about too. Thankfully they caught up in size later on. It took a while for some of them but by the time they started laying they'd caught up. I've had a few stay smaller that ended up having wry tail but they weren't runty as babies they were normal and then as the wry tail really became noticeable their growth slowed and they stayed smaller than the regular silkies. Hopefully your little cutie will be just fine. 🥰
 
6th february. I might add more eggs once I discard the unfertile ones.

it seems my big girl silkie does not like her new companion:hit I have seen him a few times trying to mate her but she escaped.

I still cannot guess sex of the 8 chicks. the first 3 are about 2 mo. I thought 1 of them was boy but the comb is small. there is one of the younger that seems to have bigger comb. I had 3 hatches about 2 weeks apart.
Char's hatch is due 5th Feb!
.. my Chickaletta does not like most roosters, there has only been one she willingly mated but only after a year being together! Very picky! And she's the one I want most to give fertile eggs! ☹️
 
Char hasn't been off the nest since I put her on it 3.5 days ago 🤔 .. no poop no eating no drinking.. as a first timer maybe she doesn't realise she needs to get off! .. I'll have to encourage her to get off today if she won't do it herself. Good committed broody though I'm happy with her so far unlike some other hens that are half on the eggs or constantly off the nest or half committed.
 

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