the silkie slickers

[Friendly_Lurker]

"We need more silkies in this leghorn populated world!"

specifically we need more silkie hens, I always try to find silkie pullets for sale but their neither available or crazy expensive! And straight run silkie chicks are almost always boys lol.

I like Brown Leghorns... they’re smart! Mine know their names.

 

[sunshine ducky]

I took some nice photos of my cockerel today!
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One word for your cockerel GORGEOUS. The blue on him is so brightly colored!

 

[FortCluck]

I took some nice photos of my cockerel today!
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I love the blue on him

 

[Silkie2005]

I love the blue on him

He is definitely gorgeous! Hoping to enter him into some shows this year including the National and Federation if the coronavirus hasn't cancelled them all!! ☹

 

[PioneerChicks]

I like Brown Leghorns... they’re smart! Mine know their names.

Okay, maybe just more chickens.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Good news, one of my silkie hens in broody! She has gone broody a couple times before but when I took her eggs away she gave up. But this time I am going to let her hatch! I've sort of got hatching fever right now

I understand that she might give up partway through and all the other risks of a new broody, but I'm willing to give it a try! I have extra eggs, so what's holding me back?

So my question is how many eggs can she brood? All will be silkie eggs and she is about average size for a bantam silkie hen (actually she won't be a hen for another month but she has always been a extra large pullet).

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

Good news, one of my silkie hens in broody! She has gone broody a couple times before but when I took her eggs away she gave up. But this time I am going to let her hatch! I've sort of got hatching fever right now

I understand that she might give up partway through and all the other risks of a new broody, but I'm willing to give it a try! I have extra eggs, so what's holding me back?

So my question is how many eggs can she brood? All will be silkie eggs and she is about average size for a bantam silkie hen (actually she won't be a hen for another month but she has always been a extra large pullet).

It’s always worth a try! When using a broody things can go wrong regardless off how experienced they are, sometimes the hens that have sat multiple time’s still get off and desert their nest.

The main thing I find with new broodies is that they do go back to the nest but they either don’t cover all the eggs properly or they get out to go and eat for too long.

If she’s a USA bantam size then she should be able to sit 10 - 12 nicely. You may feel some poking out from the side of her but you’d be surprised that they still tend to hatch because they all get moved around anyways.

The much smaller British bantams can usually sit around 6 - 8 quite nicely

 

[Silkie2005]

Good news, one of my silkie hens in broody! She has gone broody a couple times before but when I took her eggs away she gave up. But this time I am going to let her hatch! I've sort of got hatching fever right now

I understand that she might give up partway through and all the other risks of a new broody, but I'm willing to give it a try! I have extra eggs, so what's holding me back?

So my question is how many eggs can she brood? All will be silkie eggs and she is about average size for a bantam silkie hen (actually she won't be a hen for another month but she has always been a extra large pullet).

It all depends on how experienced the hen is. I usually start off newbies with 6 to 10 eggs. An experienced hen can handle up to 15 silkie eggs in my experience, but she has to know what she is doing because she needs to know how to rotate the eggs position so they all have time in the middle where it is the warmest.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

I quite like this photo, one of my non bearded whites

 

[Silkie2005]

I quite like this photo, one of my non bearded whites

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*slowly puts camera down and looks disappointed*

Oml that makes my photo look awful

Your hen is gorgeous! Is she one of your show hens?