Utah!

[Cynthia12]

Brian, I think you will be out there listening at midnight, until 2 in the morning..because, that will be the time to also watch for the sky to be clear..so we can see those meteor showers! It's cloudy now, but maybe it will clear off!

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Iluv, that blue silkie could not be any more beautiful!

 

[briansnarr]

Brian, I think you will be out there listening at midnight, until 2 in the morning..because, that will be the time to also watch for the sky to be clear..so we can see those meteor showers!   It's cloudy now, but maybe it will clear off! 

ya I hope I can stay up and see a little something lol. Been so busy at work I am completely drained and exhausted.

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Wow, she's a light blue. Nice. Mine are coming along, but I'm trying to think if I have any with that much feathering on the legs and feet yet..I think one does, a dark blue one. Yes, your baby here is going to be gorgeous.

Oh I remember you kept quite a few very nice looking ones with vaults so im sure your going to get several that look beautiful to, no doubt! This ones wings are alot darker then her fluff on her feet. I bet she's going to be a nice color. Now if only I could find a splash, and a black that look like this haha. ..I actually did pick up more babies tonight haha. All with vaults! Hubby has been so supportive, i love him lol. I am noticing "alot" of people are starting to stop breeding/incubating eggs now and they are getting much harder to find anywhere, and I saw a batch available on ksl and went to look and they all looked great so I went ahead and got more. I figure it really doesent hurt to have more to watch, especially since probably half are bound to end up male. So I was able to pick up a few whites, buffs, and one black with a nice sized vault on the head. I am Really crossing my fingers that one is a girl because its the only black one I have with a vault besides the black babies I got from you but none of those are the regular silkie and I really want one with the normal silkie fluff so im happy I found at least one. Just hoping its a girl lol.

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

I need some advice. Hubby let me get more silkie chicks today lol. He said he really doesent care what I want to do with them, if I want to trade them and get more, whatever, he knows its my thing and it makes me happy so he's decided to let me do whatever I wanna do with them but did ask that I put them all outside now since I keep getting more and adding to the group that it's time I take it outside lol. I thought about it, and he's right I probably should. So I am making a big grow-out pen out in our shed that has electricity and they are going to have alot more room out there. The thing is, i havent just left the babies outside full time yet, not even my almost 8 wks old have had to sleep outside yet, and I guess ive been too nervous and not sure how to gracefully do it or something lol. I am sure they would probably be just fine now out there, but im not sure how cold its actually getting at night in Utah. I took the lamp away from the 7 weeks olds a few weeks ago but they have been sleeping in the house so they are still used to being warm. And I recently put the 3-4week olds in with them without a lamp but they have also been in the house so I havent been too worried about it. Will they be ok just sleeping together without a lamp outside in the shed?

I am dividing the pen so that the tiny babies are on one side with a lamp and the older babies are on the other. Which watt bulb do babies need for the first month when they are kept outside where it gets cold at night but is starting to finally warm up pretty good during the day? I have been using a 90 watt, but it burnt out tonight and all I had in the house was a regular 70watt so they are using that tonight till I can get another. I put it closer to the ground for the babies because they seemed cold and huddling. Once it warmed up they seemed fine and would get up and play again..but once I put them in the shed tomorrow I know its going to be colder at night. Should I just go buy another 90 watt bulb for the babies? Will they be warm enough out there especially at night? And knowing it'll be colder at night, how high should the lamp be above the chicks to ensure they arent too cold? I feel like a dummy not knowing any of this info but all my babies have been indoors so far where its been worry free so far, so now im kinda nervous about putting them outside even in the shed and want to learn all I can know before I do it.

I want the newborn babies to be ok out there, and I want to make sure the 3-4week olds will be ok without a lamp, just sleeping with the older 7-8wk old babies or should I keep them with the newborn babies? Or should I give them all a lamp? lol

Anyways, any information would be appreciated Thanks

 

[Cynthia12]

I have had my silkies outside in the nursery coop for a week and a half now. I put a 100 bulb in there for the night only. It's been warm enough, until today..to turn it off in the day. They are doing great. Not sure how big of a place yours will be in, so go by how they are acting about the heat source. Thinking yours may want heat for a while since they have been in, unless it gets back up to 80, then they don't need any heat in the day. I turn the lamp back on when it gets dark. I put a tarp down over the front too for now at night.

 

[briansnarr]

look guys im a grandpa

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Ok, need some advice pls? (I've read a bunch of posts here on byc but nothing that helped).

A lady had a 4 wk silkie chick that went blind and didn't want to cull it (she'd actually had been crying for days but had 3 sm kiddos that keep her too busy for it). Since my feedstore got in backordered chicks (that I had cancelled and they sent the wrong ones anyway ugh), I got 3 babies and the blind one. Prior owner was super nice and had been using a baby bottle to give her water (she used nipple buckets for water for the rest, this chick couldn't find the water even tho she had before). She said the chick was fine but a wk ago closed its eyes for a day or so and when opened they now have a grey pupil and she acts blind.

I put them all in a small brooder box and an open feed dish (not the anti-scratch w/holes) & waterer.

Oh... and it's not a silkie but a cochin (even feedstore told her it was a silkie!). Red patridge or laced, hard to know - all my prior cochins were solid colors. When I can figure out how to get the pics off my phone and on here, I'll post.

Any experience on blindness? I've googled and they say chicks this young don't get Mercks, could be viral, could be from ammonia (the lady was super clean tho), and genetics. I put all chicks on antibotics to be safe. She's healthy otherwise, eating/drinking/pooping/preening and comes to the sound of my voice. Likes to be held.

Any hope she'll regain sight? I read one case of viral where t vision returned but pupils were black not grey. She does keep her eyes shut a lot, no drainage, sneezing. etc. No head bobbing or apparent neuro probs.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!! (p.s. if I don't respond right away I'm working long hours but will jump on after midnight).

Elk

 

[Cynthia12]

Elk, I've had a few blind babies through the years. I don't keep them. I can't see them taking care of themselves. I can't be out there 24/7 making sure it gets water or feed, or stays out of the way of a bully. It would be more sad to watch it die a slow death of hunger, or bullying. Unless you are willing to keep the chicken, then chicken, in the house and take care of it..I can't think of a better thing to do for..well, you could keep it in a separated pen, it would probably learn where the feed and water was.

 

[ElkMtnCove]

Elk, I've had a few blind babies through the years. I don't keep them. I can't see them taking care of themselves. I can't be out there 24/7 making sure it gets water or feed, or stays out of the way of a bully. It would be more sad to watch it die a slow death of hunger, or bullying. Unless you are willing to keep the chicken, then chicken, in the house and take care of it..I can't think of a better thing to do for..well, you could keep it in a separated pen, it would probably learn where the feed and water was.

Thanks Cynthia! Were they all silkies? (they see to have the problem more, and if you remember Betsy she had an eye issue). Were your babies born with them or did it come on a couple wks later?

I guess if anyone has a blind chick right now, I'd be willing to take it. Right now it's bonded well with the 3 but if she doesn't regain sight (and lives), I'll make her a special little coop and a blind buddy. Edited to add, I won't MAKE her a blind buddy... I'll FIND one lol.