Utah!

[Iluvmysilkies]

That's what my silkie's eggs look like (the smaller one) nice ivory color but definitely the smallest layer so far. that is until my dutch bantam starts laying.... not sure what do to with her eggs.... lol they're going to be itty bitty!

Haha ya, this thing is so tiny, there's nothing to do with it but laugh lol. I wish I knew who laid it. I have a mini silkie in there but I really doubt it was her cause I have been told that the minis tend to not be able to lay, or lay well. There's 2 that are well over due for laying, and then my big blue I got from cynthia should also start laying anytime so it could be any of them. Its just funny how small it is lol. I wonder how itll look tomorrow if they lay another one. I'll have to collect them alot quicker since Dixie still appears to want eggs. Poor girl. She sat for 3 weeks and didnt get any chicks out of it. I hope she doesent get so stressed over it that she stops eating again. She seemed relieved when I put her back in the coop and went eating and drinking, playing like normal but then looked confused and I found her laying in her nest in the coop. I dont really want to mess up the bedding though since they all sleep in there, and I dont want to put her in a cage cause thats just more broody care, and I want her to sleep warm with everyone. I'll just see how it goes and do whatever I need to if it becomes a problem. I hope she forgets about it.

 

[bitsyhorse]

Haha ya, this thing is so tiny, there's nothing to do with it but laugh lol. I wish I knew who laid it. I have a mini silkie in there but I really doubt it was her cause I have been told that the minis tend to not be able to lay, or lay well. There's 2 that are well over due for laying, and then my big blue I got from cynthia should also start laying anytime so it could be any of them. Its just funny how small it is lol. I wonder how itll look tomorrow if they lay another one. I'll have to collect them alot quicker since Dixie still appears to want eggs. Poor girl. She sat for 3 weeks and didnt get any chicks out of it. I hope she doesent get so stressed over it that she stops eating again. She seemed relieved when I put her back in the coop and went eating and drinking, playing like normal but then looked confused and I found her laying in her nest in the coop. I dont really want to mess up the bedding though since they all sleep in there, and I dont want to put her in a cage cause thats just more broody care, and I want her to sleep warm with everyone. I'll just see how it goes and do whatever I need to if it becomes a problem. I hope she forgets about it.

poor Dixie :\

Well, I ticked off my silkie today lol. Because she decided to nest under the kids' slide, I grounded all the hens to the coop/run. Well, my Black sexlink laid her egg this morning, no issues, but since I wasn't letting them out, they were all kinds of flustered. Well, around 3 pm, my buff orpington (the other offender who just randomly decided she needed to lay where the silkie was) finally laid her egg... so I figured I'd let them out for a little bit while I was watching. Immediately my silkie ran for the slide, and since I had blocked it off with some plastic and stuffed it in there, she was looking around a bit more, and decided she was going to sit next to it, she did a happy cluck, sat down, and I told her no, and went and put her in solitary confinement inside the coop (don't worry, I didn't leave her in there very long). She was freaking out, and I finally put the rest of the chickens away after about only 15 min of being out, and then let the silkie out with the rest of them (no egg) and she wanted out super bad, she was pacing the fence lol. Well, I figured I wasn't going to get an egg out of her, but then decided to check after sunset, and she was in there on the nest.... felt under her, and there was an egg... nice and toasty, but then I kicked her out of the nest, because I believe she was trying to sleep there (it was dark, and I don't think she wanted to maneuver the coop in the dark.

Silly birds

(oh, and I guess my EE and light brahma decided to take today off... lol I'm not worried about them... they have always laid in the nestboxes)

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

Iluv, so sorry to hear about your hatch! Those air cells were just so big early on, I don't think there was a lot that you could do I am sorry for Dixie too, she tried so hard, sad to not see her with chicks. A little more humidity in the early stage next time and I bet you will have a great hatch. They likely just did not have enough room to finish out their growth and get turned. If you want any fertile eggs from mine let me know, they are still sizzles Ernie is in there but if you want to hatch some for practice I would be glad to get some for you.

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Iluv, so sorry to hear about your hatch! Those air cells were just so big early on, I don't think there was a lot that you could do

I am sorry for Dixie too, she tried so hard, sad to not see her with chicks. A little more humidity in the early stage next time and I bet you will have a great hatch. They likely just did not have enough room to finish out their growth and get turned. If you want any fertile eggs from mine let me know, they are still sizzles Ernie is in there but if you want to hatch some for practice I would be glad to get some for you.

Thanks, thats so nice of you. The breeder is going to send me some more paint eggs to try again woo hoo! I'm going to wait till these 3 are suppose to hatch that way they dont interfere with lock down and then she's going to send me more the 1st of next mth She's determined to help me hatch out some spotted fluffy butts lol. I am going to use all of cynthias tricks for hatching in the incubator and really hope I get a better outcome this try.

 

[sundancenbare]

Good news, my Serama eggs under my silkie hatched last night, They were due to hatch on Friday but didn't. I just left them alone and this morning when I went out the little hen was acting wayyy different. She hatched 3 out of 4. I left the 4th one out there just in case. I wonder if they were late because of the colder weather. They were out in the coop in one of the enst boxes. I put them in one of my cages. This is the hens first hatch and she is adorable with them

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

That IS good news! Congrats!

So I am outside today trying to transition some Juvies into the flock. Funny how well the silk/showgirl pen always adjusts, I love it. I stick the babies in, they all look at each other, then carry on with daily life. Not so funny how dramatic the laying hen pen reacts. You would think the juvies were little monsters out to get them. The hens are all hiding in the corners right now, while the juvies are hiding under a board breathing heavy from running. Poor little guys. Looks like they are going to make it, but it was a crazy morning for them all. I hope it can stay peaceful, I have been patrolling the pen for hours now, and no blood has been drawn so I guess so far we have success haha

 

[themadchicken]

Hi everyone! I lost a young Silkie last week to a bird of prey (didn't see the bird just the end result.) i let the young ones out to adjust to flock life and adjust to foraging for food for half their meals. They had been out of the small run for a week when it happened. I since have put them back in the run with some overhead obstructions and lots of leaning boards for them to run behind to get away from the killer. So far no causalities this week. Hope it was a young bird just heading south and found a meal and went on its way. There is only 3 young ones left and 2 are Sizzle roos. They are up for sale if anyone is interested. I have 10-15 chicks hatching next week and need room in the grow out runs. Also I have some Silkie and Sizzle eggs if anyone is interested. I have a dozen that the first eggs are coming up on 10 days I need to get rid of.1/2 price.

 

[Cynthia12]

Sorry Gary..no fun having to worry about those birds of prey. I've been hearing, not seeing either a hawk or a falcon. Those Cooper hawks will hang around during the winter. I watched one through the winter a couple of yrs. ago hanging out in the neighbors tree. But, my girls don't free range in the winter. I've had two hawks that were making a dive for my birds this summer while I just so happened to come out of the run, and they would have to hurry and make a swing up and over the neighbors house, pretty hard for that last one to do..it was huge. It came from over the top of our front apple tree, it had to have been circling, then made it's decision, was on it's way for dinner, and I just popped out of no where. Glad I was out there.

 

[youcluckingatme]

Is it better to supplement light in the morning or night?

 

[LPeaslee]

Supplement light in the morning. If you supplement in the evening, your chickens may not find the roost.