The Quack Shack

[Trimurtisan]

Is this body posture, accompanied with a trilling sound a defense mechanism? I put them in the large cage for the meantime so I could move some of the other birds around, and I haven't actually heard her make that sound like that yet. She seemed to be staying between me and her babies.

 

[Miss Lydia]

Looks to me like she is protecting them. So beautiful!

 

[Trimurtisan]

Looks to me like she is protecting them. So beautiful!

Awesome! What a good mom.
I love her colors, and she is super gentle.

<3 <3 <3​

 

[Trimurtisan]

Have you ever sat back in your chair, and thought to yourself "Ahh crap, I'm about to quote Britney Spears"...? Hhhhh... here it goes

Oops, I did it again!


So what had happened, was... well... some people have addictions, and the rest of us have real problems.


I watch the local craigslist for animals religiously. Not just because of the birds either, I've done it for a few years now. Some I've helped rehome, or adopted myself. Some I've written to just offer support, not everyone is trying to profit on CL, some people just can't have/keep/care for their animal anymore. I've had to surrender a dog against my will, and it broke my heart, so I understand the feeling.
>

That being said, some of the people I write, are for my own education or even just the enjoyment of a chat. I am not scared to ask about visiting a farm on the pretense I'm there strictly to learn. If that means getting my hands dirty in order to learn, then it's been a great day.
(Insert worked to death emoji)

Sunday, I responded a Silkie breeders ad. She breeds for show quality only, and her birds are $40 and up. I can't really afford that, but in her ad, she offered a couple white "pet quality" Silkies with red leakage on the breast. Those went for only $15.


I did a bit of research on her, and found plenty of great reviews. Words like clean, friendly, and informative where in almost every review. I must have read 20+ of them, ALL positive.


When we finally spoke on the phone, she informed me all the "pets" had been sold, and she only had her show birds. I was honest with her, and just told her I couldn't afford her flock, but would love to visit and learn first hand from a reputable breeder.


Long story a bit shorter. We talked for a good 20 minutes and she offered me a very nice discount (education was free).


I had a great time at her farm. She was indeed very informative, and had no problem answering all my questions. This place was Immaculate also. She had six horses, and around 25 full grown Silkies with probably another 25 chicks. Not a single piece of straw misplaced, or stench to be spoken of. I couldn't even find a feather on the floor. Oh, you can bet I was looking too! I should have asked how she pulled that trick off...


I shared pictures and stories of our animals. It was just 2 animal lovers in the same room at that point. It was nice to have that amount of experienced advice given to me as if we'd been friends for a long time.


Next thing I know, on top of the discount, she offered me a free chick. I even got to pick between silkie, frizzle, sizzle, or satan. I didn't get to pick the color, but holy crap, who cares?!! I ended up just picking regular Silkie. The two I got just seemed to have that "we'll be great friends" look. I don't know, I mean, it could just be that "I young and cute look." I get them confused quite often.


Now if your still with me, I'd like to introduce
Flip & Flop.

Now, I've read this, and asked her if she found it true. (Please chime in) Sexing a Silkie at a young age is mainly done via feather production. She told me it was a good indicator, but definitely not a science, which I had also read. So if what I'm lead to believe at the moment is true, the bird on the right looks like a cockerel, while the other a pullet.

That's based on the female having a less structured (puffy) crest while the male has a more progressed and structured crest. The breeder said there's good reason to think so, but it might take an egg or crowing to be sure. Any opinions on that? Currently, my "give O'poop meter" is measuring very low.


Well it's time to read a few posts and crash. Have a good night folks.
​

 

[Trimurtisan]

@Miss Lydia
Terry, my Ancona drake'ling just spit up what looked like thick water. I just picked him up and as soon as he was at my chest level, he opened his mouth and roughly 15ml of fluids came out. I'm freaking out a bit.

His crop is swollen, and he is acting normal. Is there a chance picking him up just disturbed what he'd eaten? Should I be concerned?

Edit: Never mind, I freaked out and asked here before using the search function. 1 thread later and I'm no longer worried about it. Thank you anyways!

 

[rjohns39]

Morning folks

 

[Trimurtisan]

Morning!

 

[Miss Lydia]

@Miss Lydia
Terry, my Ancona drake'ling just spit up what looked like thick water. I just picked him up and as soon as he was at my chest level, he opened his mouth and roughly 15ml of fluids came out. I'm freaking out a bit.

His crop is swollen, and he is acting normal. Is there a chance picking him up just disturbed what he'd eaten? Should I be concerned?

Edit: Never mind, I freaked out and asked here before using the search function. 1 thread later and I'm no longer worried about it. Thank you anyways!

Glad you found your answer I don't always get tags Hope all is well this morning!

 

[Trimurtisan]

Glad you found your answer I don't always get tags Hope all is well this morning!

He looks to be doing just fine. His crop was of normal size this morning, and he's as lovely as before. He kicked some and leaned forwards when I picked him up and I think I reacted a bit abruptly, making him vomit.

I love these little guys! They're just so cheerful to be around. Even right now I'm just sitting here listening to them while I read. Peacefully...
Oh, that and is the babies nap time!
You've gotta cherish peace when you can get it here.

 

[Trimurtisan]

I'm not sure who recommended this to me, or if it was even to me it was recommended to. I have quite enjoyed it though, and that much I'm sure of. So thank you whoever it was, me and my bird both appreciate it.

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