The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[stonykill]

I am so sick of you kids whining and complaining about the cold! By golly when I was a kid it was this cold ALL winter not just a couple of days. I remember we had to walk 8 miles to the school... each way....heated by a potbelly stove which rarely got it up to 45 degrees. And.... it was uphill both ways and through 3 1/2 feet of snow.
Anybody have an extra silkie? I ran out of charmin.....

 

[stonykill]

1st duck egg of the year! From a Pekin! Which means they are recovering from the mink attack well!

 

[lalaland]

1st duck egg of the year! From a Pekin! Which means they are recovering from the mink attack well!

thats great news! glad to hear it

 

[delisha]

I am so sick of you kids whining and complaining about the cold! By golly when I was a kid it was this cold ALL winter not just a couple of days. I remember we had to walk 8 miles to the school... each way....heated by a potbelly stove which rarely got it up to 45 degrees. And.... it was uphill both ways and through 3 1/2 feet of snow.
Anybody have an extra silkie? I ran out of charmin.....

lol=

Get the shovel ..us silkie lovers have some burying to do.

 

[Mumsy]

Since I know nothing about silkies I haave been reading reading reading about them. The only thing I read about whites is that you have a silver base what ever that means.I know absolutly nothing about them. So far what i have read is a bit scarry. They seem so fragil and need so much extra care.

Aoxa, do you have your silkies with heat?

That silver gene is the holy grail for breeding whites from what little I've read. I will need to get some good books on genetics if I want to do my breeding correctly. Silkies were one of the first breeds to be accepted into the ASOP nearly 150 years ago. There have been a lot of genetic studies done on them over the decades and most of that knowledge is in books not on the Internet. I like books. Need to start adding to my library.
@Aoxa: About your question on Whites fading or getting brassy in sun: My property is mostly shade. The breeding pens in my barn open into shaded runs and paddocks. Fading and brassiness in whites has not been a problem for me. Also about breeding whites. I don't put a lot of corn in their feed when conditioning for show. And it goes back to genetics again. You can breed brassiness out of a white flock. It takes careful record keeping and progeny testing.
Birds in my barn that are destined for breeding I consider valuable. I don't take risks with them for head injury pecks from larger roosters or even dominate hens. Quality birds are hard to come by where I live. Not easy to replace.

 

[Melabella]

I am so sick of you kids whining and complaining about the cold! By golly when I was a kid it was this cold ALL winter not just a couple of days. I remember we had to walk 8 miles to the school... each way....heated by a potbelly stove which rarely got it up to 45 degrees. And.... it was uphill both ways and through 3 1/2 feet of snow.
Anybody have an extra silkie? I ran out of charmin.....

says the man who is on his way to HAWAII !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[stonykill]

old pics, but the 1st duck egg of the year has me excited now for broody ducks!

 

[Mumsy]

Male Stinkus.

Female Binkus.
The M Best Gray Silkie pair are nearly six months old now. Bath today. I'm exhausted and they want to go back to the barn. These two are still growing and feathering out. I'm not so sure about their wing carriage or type but I sure do like their color and temperment. No crowing and no eggs yet.

 

[aoxa]

That silver gene is the holy grail for breeding whites from what little I've read. I will need to get some good books on genetics if I want to do my breeding correctly. Silkies were one of the first breeds to be accepted into the ASOP nearly 150 years ago. There have been a lot of genetic studies done on them over the decades and most of that knowledge is in books not on the Internet. I like books. Need to start adding to my library.
@Aoxa: About your question on Whites fading or getting brassy in sun: My property is mostly shade. The breeding pens in my barn open into shaded runs and paddocks. Fading and brassiness in whites has not been a problem for me. Also about breeding whites. I don't put a lot of corn in their feed when conditioning for show. And it goes back to genetics again. You can breed brassiness out of a white flock. It takes careful record keeping and progeny testing.
Birds in my barn that are destined for breeding I consider valuable. I don't take risks with them for head injury pecks from larger roosters or even dominate hens. Quality birds are hard to come by where I live. Not easy to replace.

I still can't seem to keep that white clean She isn't yellowing at least.

 

[Melabella]

First day of


Eggs!!!!


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