the silkie slickers

[LynnaePB]

Honestly it is so frustrating it really is...I’ll just have to see what happens and see if any just decide to not be broody themselves because I haven’t got the space to break that many at once. Usually I’d use broody to hatch and in the process that would break them and of course I wouldn't end up with that many broody hens at once but I can’t do that

Really I only have space for one Male but I’ve currently got two of my own home bred growers that are both cockerels in the grow out pen. I’m selling the gold cockerel but I was hoping to keep the partridge cockerel because he’s turning out nice.

He’s to young to fertilise eggs anyways though because he’s only 11 weeks old. So he is my back up I guess but he’s no use yet.

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He looks beautiful! I hope your other boy figures things out while you're waiting for this guy to mature.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

He looks beautiful! I hope your other boy figures things out while you're waiting for this guy to mature.

Thankyou, I really hope so too! I just have to take each day as it comes

I love that partridge cockerel though which is why I am hoping to be able to keep him for the long run!

Have some chick pics of him He’s always loved the camera...

 

[FortCluck]

Good luck finding another and I hope you get lucky with females! If I were closer I'd be happy to help out, ah well. Our tractor supply just got silkies mixed in with the bantam assortment too, these ones were small enough they looked like they belonged there though.

Yeah Chubs was a big one People say I really lucked out on my TSC picks in the bantam bin. Looks like someone is adding silkies at the hatchery I looked up how much the hatchery charges and it's about a $1 more for silkies.

 

[FortCluck]

Thankyou, I really hope so too! I just have to take each day as it comes

I love that partridge cockerel though which is why I am hoping to be able to keep him for the long run!

Have some chick pics of him He’s always loved the camera...

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How do you know they're males? Do you vent sex them? I know nothing on how to sex silkies so don't mind my lack of knowledge. I got one by accident in the bantam bin at the feed store so I'm new to silkies.

 

[drumstick diva]

love all the chickie pictures

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

How do you know they're males? Do you vent sex them? I know nothing on how to sex silkies so don't mind my lack of knowledge. I got one by accident in the bantam bin at the feed store so I'm new to silkies.

It’s pretty easy to tell with partridge Silkies once they start to feather up and are around 6 weeks ish. The males have a deep red in their wing feathers and sometimes on their hackle feathers like this:

Where as the females don’t, they just have the lighter colours (or no deep red) like this:

This doesn’t always work 100% though, you can occasionally get the odd one that doesn’t get the red colour until a few months down the line.

My gold I know is a Male because he’s got a large comb compared to his sister thats the same age. All my golds develop quickly so are easier for me to sex. My gold cockerel also has a darker hackle colour

Whites are harder to sex though.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

love all the chickie pictures

Can never have to many chick pictures!

 

[PioneerChicks]

How do you know they're males? Do you vent sex them? I know nothing on how to sex silkies so don't mind my lack of knowledge. I got one by accident in the bantam bin at the feed store so I'm new to silkies.

@Fur-N-Fowl have you some great advice (that I will try to remember) but you can look at this for silkies that aren't partridge: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/sexing-silkies.75451/

 

[PioneerChicks]

Buff-blue mix or a lesser quality partridge? What does everybody think? I'm sort of thinking it's a mix, but I can always hope!



And just for fun, here's a picture of my current chick flock (5 silkies, 5 bantam orpingtons, and one silkie-bantam orpington mix):

 

[Ladybird CA]

I think buff-blue mix, partridge should show up as chipmunk chicks