Taking Care of Swirls, the Wry Neck Silkie

[NubbyRyuu]

Had a short interaction with the two Therapy Chickens in the barn thus morning. Figured since my horse was eating, and the birds were here, I'd have them meet Swirly. The Plymouth Rock (not shown) didn't care until Swirly got close and she pecked her a bit rough (no damage) to which I told the PR "no". The Orpington was good about it, just a couple "nudging pecks". Swirly even grabbed a few cracked corn pieces (I put down a mix of food for the chickens when they come up). After a little while, the chickens wanted to leave and Swirly was done. But not a bad first interaction with two adult birbs I know. If it wasn't cold and rainy today, Swirly could meet her siblings but, nature wants to be a jerk.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Had a short interaction with the two Therapy Chickens in the barn thus morning. Figured since my horse was eating, and the birds were here, I'd have them meet Swirly. The Plymouth Rock (not shown) didn't care until Swirly got close and she pecked her a bit rough (no damage) to which I told the PR "no". The Orpington was good about it, just a couple "nudging pecks". Swirly even grabbed a few cracked corn pieces (I put down a mix of food for the chickens when they come up). After a little while, the chickens wanted to leave and Swirly was done. But not a bad first interaction with two adult birbs I know. If it wasn't cold and rainy today, Swirly could meet her siblings but, nature wants to be a jerk.View attachment 1730642

It's good that she got out for just a little bit!

 

[NubbyRyuu]

It's good that she got out for just a little bit!

Yeah, she seemed to take to it okay! Hopefully at some point this week, I can have her meet her siblings. I'm just glad the Therapy Chickens didn't do anything bad.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Yeah, she seemed to take to it okay! Hopefully at some point this week, I can have her meet her siblings. I'm just glad the Therapy Chickens didn't do anything bad.

You will definitely have to be there to monitor the whole meeting. Large Fowl hens can be a bit pushy and/or down right aggressive at times.

 

[NubbyRyuu]

And that's where my plan comes in. Cin's coop has a "caged" section on the side that the chickens can freely go in and out of. My plan is to close off the coop and the cage's door, make sure there's no bigger chickens in it, and let Swirly out in it. Once she's comfortable, I'm gonna grab her siblings one by one (they're all the same age), starting with the other Silkies. If things go well, then I'll grab the others, probably the Ayam Cemanis (provided any are easy to catch), and see how they do. I know it'll be a slow process, but if the chicks can get along, then great. If they jump on her, then we got a problem. If things go well, I can start letting the adults I know in with her. Now if the adults go after her, then we have a problem. If it's just pecking order pecks and not much else, she'll be able to stay with everyone, though probably not at night (as things progress). That's the plan, at least. I'm hoping things go well.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

And that's where my plan comes in. Cin's coop has a "caged" section on the side that the chickens can freely go in and out of. My plan is to close off the coop and the cage's door, make sure there's no bigger chickens in it, and let Swirly out in it. Once she's comfortable, I'm gonna grab her siblings one by one (they're all the same age), starting with the other Silkies. If things go well, then I'll grab the others, probably the Ayam Cemanis (provided any are easy to catch), and see how they do. I know it'll be a slow process, but if the chicks can get along, then great. If they jump on her, then we got a problem. If things go well, I can start letting the adults I know in with her. Now if the adults go after her, then we have a problem. If it's just pecking order pecks and not much else, she'll be able to stay with everyone, though probably not at night (as things progress). That's the plan, at least. I'm hoping things go well.

Sounds like a good plan

 

[christwodog]

Be prepared to have some pecking happen, they will sense that Swirly is different and their instinct is to get rid of the different one. But as long as she's not getting injured, it will be ok.

 

[NubbyRyuu]

Alright so some major updates! Sorry I got quiet...been a hell of a few days. So, I got Swirly a chicken diaper from PamperYourPoultry. Lol, she is not a fan of it, but she'll have to get used to it.

I also tried just giving her dry food since she is eating solids including grit. However, she's not a fan of the idea and prefers it soft. No biggie. This will just make her a house chicken of sorts. At least the food's absorbent. I tried giving her black oil sunflower seeds to up her protein (she sometimes eats molted feathers), but she's not a fan of them. That's fine, not all of Cin's chickens like them. Nubby wasn't much for them either.

Swirly has gotten better about her separation anxiety. She no longer flips out, but just a typical back talk every now and then at bed time. I try to make sure she's mostly sleepy before I put her in so she'll go right to sleep. I got her a birdie snuggle tunnel thing, which is at the bottom of the cage. I'm happy to say she actually uses it. Lol, she almost didn't want to get out of it this morning.

Today marks her first test run with her siblings.

I brought each one in one at a time, and also brought them out back to the coop one at a time, leaving Swirly last. Everything went really well with her 3 [out of 4] Silkie Sisters. The other one, also buff colored, likes being with the younger brood to keep them warm (couple more baby Silkies, 4 bantams, and a couple others), so I didn't disturb her. The white one was a bit more pushy, but no one really fought. Swirly seemed to be enjoying herself, running around, jumping in the air, digging in the dirt.

Then I brought out her other sibling, one of the many Ayam Cemani chicks, McLovin.

She was really good about everything and didn't do much. I picked McLovin since I know her and she was weak at one point (when she was little, we gave them all a bath and she was really cold for a while). Still, it gives Swirly someone to talk to. They all were good and poked around and played a bit, all in this cage part of the coop. The adults were curious, especially the Orpington therapy chicken, but I couldn't let anyone in, not yet. I figured this was a good start for now.

Because it was pretty chilly today and kinda windy, I kept the visit to an hour, returning each chick a minute apart. Swirly seemed really happy to see her sisters. With this weekend warming up, I'm hoping to repeat this. As long as the chicks get along, we're good. It's the adults that worry me.

For now, Swirly's happy to be with me. At some point she'll have to go back to Cin, but, we'll have to see. I'll gladly give her the bird cage so Swirly has a place of her own, along with what I got (and my Snivy plush). Lol, she likes to try and stuff her head in tight places now, as well as perch on my shoulder. Swirly's gotten so much better, even though it took longer than expected. I know she won't be able to come off her vitamins and extra stuff; she does still tuck her head in and sleep differently compared to how others sleep. But she can walk forward and function like a normal chicken.

You guys have been so awesome! If it wasn't for this forum, I'd be so lost, and Swirly may not have had a fighting chance.

 

[christwodog]

Good to hear she's coming along nicely. She will probably always need a little extra TLC but that's easy to do!

 

[NubbyRyuu]

You've heard of pigs in a blanket. Now get ready for chicken under sheets.