Utah!

[sillycmoy]

So I took some new photos of that chick from RedIII. Any thoughts on what she can be.

 

[La Casa de Pollo]

I want one just like him!   My RIR did not work out as you know.  I am wanting to keep a cockerel silkie.  Those collars better work! 

I hope you get a sweet quiet one! The thing that drew me to this one, is he is older, and so I can get "reviews" on him before bringing him home. Two others on here have owned him and said he was quite submissive, and not too loud....he had a little frostbite last year, so his comb was not pointy, feet needed a little care. I am really happy with him so far. My son was toting him around, no problems, and I can reach right down and pet him or pick him up without him running from (or even worse running AT) me. So far so good. Hope it stays that way. It is way too crowded out there with the new juvie flock growing out, and the older laying hens still there for eggs until the juvies start laying. I sold some already this year, but will need to further thin out the flock (alot!) to make the room needed for him to be happy I think. And them. When they get crowded like this they pick feathers. My silkie and Polish pens are great, it is just that "layer run". Haha. I cannot get any more chickens this year, time to work on the numbers going way down not up.
Pics..

He loves my polka dot. This one is from a FBCM hen and the Paint SG silkie. She lays a dark brown egg haha

That collar is on, his hackles just go over it.

 

[the-bird-man]

thanks everyone for the opinions and tips. i think i am going to keep her, even with her eating eggs now and then she is still a egg laying machine and likes to sit and chat with me. anyway for those magpies i keep a air pellet gun on hand to deal with any that i have a issue with, not that i like to kill them but if they are not behaving i will cull them. and actually the last few years the doves have been pushing them out, and i like the doves, they are a good emergency source of food lol

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Ok everybody, I have a question for all of you I want to get everyones different opinions on chicken coop size! I have a pretty cute looking custom chicken coop made for my babies, and its halfway finished. The run area is going to be 4ft Wx 15ft long and all will be covered with a roof. And the actual coop will be 4x4ft raised 2ft with a ramp. Approx how any silkie hens will comfortably fit in this sized coop do you think? I'm going to fill all of it with sand and make it very comfortable. They will be housed in their coop most of the time so I dont have to worry about anything hurting them, but I will also be adding a pen enclosure directly next to it the same size but will be grass and used as "turn out space" so they have their own spot to graze. I have a bunch of babies right now but by the time I have narrowed down the females and colors I plan to keep, i want to keep approx 8 silkie hens in this coop. Do you think this will be an adequate size for them?

 

[pfrosty]

If it is the magpies stealing off with my chicken to feed their young ones, I have no way of knowing. I live in a heavily wooded area in Holladay and I wouldn't know how to find their nests. I kept hoping that my Ameracauna would just show back up, but no luck so far. My future green/blue egg production just dropped dramatically. I guess I still have the other Ameracauna for now. What get's me is that I have two buff orpingtons that are half the size. I'm surprised they didn't get picked off first.

I'm a first time owner, so I am still trying to figure this all out. Here's what I'm left with: 1 Barred Rock Rooster (will have to get rid of him at some point), 1 Barred Rock Hen, 2 BO, 2 RIR, 2 BSL, 1 Ameracauna. 8 (assuming all are hens) are still plenty for me, but still bugged to lose one already.

 

[pfrosty]

anyway for those magpies i keep a air pellet gun on hand to deal with any that i have a issue with, not that i like to kill them but if they are not behaving i will cull them. and actually the last few years the doves have been pushing them out, and i like the doves, they are a good emergency source of food lol

My son does have an airsoft pistol. I guess I may have to see if the magpies get the message. I don't really want to teach my kids that it is ok to shoot birds though. Slippery slope there.

 

[bitsyhorse]

Ok everybody, I have a question for all of you I want to get everyones different opinions on chicken coop size! I have a pretty cute looking custom chicken coop made for my babies, and its halfway finished. The run area is going to be 4ft Wx 15ft long and all will be covered with a roof. And the actual coop will be 4x4ft raised 2ft with a ramp. Approx how any silkie hens will comfortably fit in this sized coop do you think? I'm going to fill all of it with sand and make it very comfortable. They will be housed in their coop most of the time so I dont have to worry about anything hurting them, but I will also be adding a pen enclosure directly next to it the same size but will be grass and used as "turn out space" so they have their own spot to graze. I have a bunch of babies right now but by the time I have narrowed down the females and colors I plan to keep, i want to keep approx 8 silkie hens in this coop. Do you think this will be an adequate size for them?

personally, I think 8 silkies in a 4x4 should be ok.... but then again, I've just built a 4x4 coop, and have my 7 chicks of various breeds in there lol (5 are bantys, 2 are regular sized)

 

[bitsyhorse]

Well, we finished the coop enough so the chickies can be out in it! YAY!

The hubs is happy to have his new shed back without the chicks being in it lol!

on that note.... I've got a question.... is there a chance that juvenile chicks can get splay leg? I kept reading that people say they put linoleum inside on the coop floor, so that's what I did. I covered it with pine shavings, but they are slipping around like crazy! if it's going to cause them leg issues.... I will take it up (it was just the cheap peel and stick kind (39 cents for a ft square piece, so not a huge loss...))



oh, and my coop looks like an outhouse LOL!!!! I'm very tempted to cut a moon in the door....

(I posted a pic of it on here yesterday)

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Well, we finished the coop enough so the chickies can be out in it! YAY!

The hubs is happy to have his new shed back without the chicks being in it lol!

on that note.... I've got a question.... is there a chance that juvenile chicks can get splay leg? I kept reading that people say they put linoleum inside on the coop floor, so that's what I did. I covered it with pine shavings, but they are slipping around like crazy! if it's going to cause them leg issues.... I will take it up (it was just the cheap peel and stick kind (39 cents for a ft square piece, so not a huge loss...))



oh, and my coop looks like an outhouse LOL!!!! I'm very tempted to cut a moon in the door....

(I posted a pic of it on here yesterday)

I actually planned on doing the same thing with the linoleum flooring in mine and even went out and bought it and everything but after researching it more I took them back because I was reading how its slippery but also that moisture can sometimes seep under it and rot the wood! And that scared me. And that just leaving it wood and filling it with shavings was probably the best way to go so that it was dry out easier if there was moisture on the floors. I want to lay something down so bad anyway to make the wood last but I am afraid now about the wood rotting if there was too much moisture from spilled water or even rain storms or snow getting in through vent openings (sure hope not) but you never know. Im personally kinda afraid to do it.

 

[sillycmoy]

Ok everybody, I have a question for all of you I want to get everyones different opinions on chicken coop size! I have a pretty cute looking custom chicken coop made for my babies, and its halfway finished. The run area is going to be 4ft Wx 15ft long and all will be covered with a roof. And the actual coop will be 4x4ft raised 2ft with a ramp. Approx how any silkie hens will comfortably fit in this sized coop do you think? I'm going to fill all of it with sand and make it very comfortable. They will be housed in their coop most of the time so I dont have to worry about anything hurting them, but I will also be adding a pen enclosure directly next to it the same size but will be grass and used as "turn out space" so they have their own spot to graze. I have a bunch of babies right now but by the time I have narrowed down the females and colors I plan to keep, i want to keep approx 8 silkie hens in this coop. Do you think this will be an adequate size for them?

I would think you should be okay with just Silkies in there. I was told by our city that they needed 4 square feet per chicken to have a legal chicken coop. I've read on here that 4 square feet is ideal, but nothing under 3 square feet. So really 4 x 4 would only be 4 chickens. But if you just have Silkies, you should be fine since they are so little, but if you had larger chickens, not really sure. I guess I'm just used to my huge 12 foot by 9 foot coop. So not sure what 4 by 4 would look like. I can't even imagine it.