Silkies

[Sparrow]

mine all perished..perhaps they didn't need fish after all..it's all very sad.

For starters, a birdcage outside is not a suitable environment for two week old silkies, the bleach in the water(though some people swear by it)is giving them a corrosive poison to drink constantly and completely unnecessary, birdseed will likely cause crop impactions and slowly starve them to death especially without access to grit, and no chicken on earth needs fish and crab in their diet. Please, if you decide to raise chicks again,care for them properly after doing more research on the subject. :/

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

For starters, a birdcage outside is not a suitable environment for two week old silkies, the bleach in the water(though some people swear by it)is giving them a corrosive poison to drink constantly and completely unnecessary, birdseed will likely cause crop impactions and slowly starve them to death especially without access to grit, and no chicken on earth needs fish and crab in their diet. Please, if you decide to raise chicks again,care for them properly after doing more research on the subject. :/

Agreed. Poor babies. It most likely wasn't the fish that did them in. My chicks/chickens love fish, crab, shrimp, ect. They even eat the shrimp shells. If those chicks were living outside in a birdcage, were they protected from the elements? Since you were feeding birdseed, were you giving them grit? Why were you adding bleach to their water, to keep sludge down, kill germs? Changing the water everyday and cleaning the waterer often would do the same thing. Or if you must add something, add some apple cider vinegar. Depending on your weather, they could have still needed supplemental heat. I can see lots of reasons for your chicks to die, but the fish isn't one of them. Do some research, better luck next time :/
Nikki

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Double post
Nikki

 

[Cknldy]

Silkies do not roost. Their feet make it impossible. They will sleep on the floor

6 days old- rir chicks are the rust ones, rest are silkies. They can roost. 1st pic- bum on the bar:like this? 2nd pic- y u take a pic of my bum? 3rd pic- finally got it

 

[Chickenclucker]

wonderful! our silkie babies are two weeks old. well, four of them are two weeks and we had a surprise of an additional two three days ago. i put a little bleach in their water and they are doing great! i put them in a secure bird cage outside, with their white silkie mother underneath. they love fish! i never would have thought of giving chickens fish, but they love crab. i also give them birdseed and fresh clovers and grass, their favourite are the tiny flowers that grow in the grass.

Did you say bleach? Did they drink it?

 

[Bellatrixed]

It's unfortunate, but I've heard lots of Silkie horror stories like this. Rules for chicken care go out the window since they don't look like normal chickens. I knew someone who swore up and down they needed parrot food and not chicken feed.

 

[Cknldy]

8 day old wing growth and tail feather "sprouts". So cute.

 

[violet1017]

Silkies do not roost. Their feet make it impossible. They will sleep on the floor

That's interesting, my silkie loves to roost!

 

[xtetra]

I had a Silkie/Arucana mixed rooster that slept on a roost bar but now that someone mentioned it my full bread Silkie Hen does not roost. She is a good mom so far though. She just hatched out her first hen last week. It was another hen's egg. Still waiting for the second one to hatch but I think its too far along now....probably was not fertile. When I candled it there was a dark mass in there but it looked more like the yoke went hard than a chick curled up in there waiting to hatch.

 

[elvin]

Agreed. Poor babies. It most likely wasn't the fish that did them in. My chicks/chickens love fish, crab, shrimp, ect. They even eat the shrimp shells. If those chicks were living outside in a birdcage, were they protected from the elements? Since you were feeding birdseed, were you giving them grit? Why were you adding bleach to their water, to keep sludge down, kill germs? Changing the water everyday and cleaning the waterer often would do the same thing. Or if you must add something, add some apple cider vinegar. Depending on your weather, they could have still needed supplemental heat. I can see lots of reasons for your chicks to die, but the fish isn't one of them. Do some research, better luck next time

Nikki

i asked grand and she said they were chilled. they had spilled their water and were standing in it. my white silkie hatched seven more and i give them water only when supervised! i have the mother and babies in the laundry room, in a large tub, they all seem very happy. i've raised chickens since i was three, i provide grit and fresh greens when they are old enough. grand said that the bleach sanitizes the water; she saved an entire flock one time! only one drop per two gallons of water. i don't do that anymore, though. i change paper containers a couple of times a day (i put veggie peelings in them to take to the older chickens and then put the cups in the compost). i'm leaving them with their mother this time, even though she is rather (very!), absentmined.