I don't know what got into me, but the other night I bid on HatTrick silkie eggs on eggbid. They are supposed to be very good show quality eggs. The bid was for 8 eggs. Well, I already had 8 eggs here that my hens are setting on.
I got my package today, and it didn't have 8 eggs, it has TWENTY-FOUR eggs. I'm in shock. I really do like silkie chickens, but 32 babies? ouch
I don't know what gets into me concerning these chickens. Guess I'll calm down and not worry, and consider it destiny, and get busy on building more coops.
Look at this, this woman sold these two silkies for $700. Is that incredible? I just saw this for the first time. http://www.eggbid.com/listings/details/index.cfm?itemnum=1231105889
You have to have a really good reputation to get that kind of money for two chickens. Somebody really wanted them badly.
Too many silkie eggs! is that possible?
They don't look real, they look like fluffy stuffed animals. I've never seen one other than in pics, of course I'd never heard of them before I joined this group. I had no idea how many breeds of chickens there are!
Guess I should add that I have three broody silkies right now in the coop. Somehow I can spread these 32 eggs out for these 5 boody hens. Three can have six eggs, and two can have seven. I don't have an incubator. I hope they can handle seven ok. I'm kind of unsure. Maybe somebody can tell me.
The lady from Sassy Silkies said to let the eggs rest for eight hours after shipping before placing them under the hens. Large rounded end up. I think that's right.
Yes they do kind of look like stuffed animals. The ones I have from ideal poultry do not look like that though, they are rather plain. I also had no idea how many breeds there were. When I started out all I knew was that I wanted some chickens for eggs. I didn't realize how adorable they are. As soon as I got that box from the post office and saw those little peeps, guess I've been a goner ever since.
Silkies are one of the most popular breeds. I wanted that big cochin too. What a handsome fellow and such character. Maybe some day, but definitely NOT today.
It will all give me something to think about and work on. We all need something around us we enjoy. Life is so short, and probably over before we know it. We may as well enjoy and have fun.
Silkies do look like stuffed animals! My 5 year old daughter's been bugging me to get her one. I wouldn't mind giving in and letting her have 1 silkie all her own....but My coop isn't heated. Silkies can't take that kind of cold, any ideas how I could winter it?
Expensive stuffed animals! Somebody either wanted them to show, or wanted breeding stock, or both, is my guess, or maybe they just WANTED them.
Batflower wrote;" Silkies can't take that kind of cold, any ideas how I could winter it? "
In her bedroom, of course. Where else would her pet live?{snicker}
How cold does it get? I never thought of silkies as particularly fragile, but I don't live where there's much really cold weather in fact, it's never (knock on wood) gone below 10 degrees. How big is your coop, and how many chickens? Deep litter? Is it drafty? Well insulated?
I think the bedroom's easier......
That's funny catmad!
I have a friend that lives in Edmonton, Canada, and she talks about it being minus 30 degrees most of the winter. I don't know how they stand it.
Then in the summer she goes to the mountains and takes pictures of all the incredible wildlife. I always wonder how in the world do the animals make it through the winters, and not just make it, but thrive. It's beyond my comprehension.
u bought eggs from janet and got a steal on them!!! hattrick silkies r some of the best top silkie stock u can buy and they r very reputable breeders with excellent show bloodlines. her partner breeder is nikki and she is here in pa but she sells under another user name- chewy. haha u can send all the extras my way if thats to many eggs for ya, i love their silkies!! silkies can sit on about 12 silkie eggs at once so ur girls should do just fine on that many. silkies r very hardy long as they have adaquite houseing. i've had mine in -20 and my coops r not heated and they do just fine. i have some of their silkies and u will not be dissapointed they will be gorgous birds i promise and definately well worth the price ya paid for them!!! congrats and can't wait to see pics after they hatch and grow!!
Good to hear from you Silkiechick, and glad you approve of the eggs. Also, ty for letting me know how many they can set. I was reading online that one silkie sat on 34 eggs and hatched out 17 babies, so I felt a little more comfortable putting 8 under them.
How are you and your chickens doing?
good to hear from u too, i miss u all!! yes, silkies at times can be egg hogs and steal eggs too,lol. i have had them set on more than that at once alot of times my girls will share the nests and hatch out all together with several hens careing for all the eggs and chicks together. i try not to let them but they r very deturmined mommas sometimes,lol. my chicks r doing great i got silkies, polish, showgirls and a couple odd balls in the brooder now. i fineally turned my sportsmans off till next spring. i'm trying to get my ringneck doves, modenas and frillback pigeons to breed. i'm looking forward to babies but so far no eggs or only duds i hope they get it right soon this is depressing.
i'm doing alright been sick with bronchidous, allergies and a sinus infection but i'm fineally starting to get better with the meds. it's ice to be able to breathe again!! how have u been doing?
Wow, what do you do with all those birds you hatch?
As for me, I'm just getting older. The chickens make me feel happier, though I don't know why exactly.
we raise, breed, show and sell them. my kid's make me feel old most days. i love my chickens they make my life happier also for many reasons. i could not immagine life without them now they r just like my adopted kids and bring so much joy to all of us.
It's hard to be in a bad mood when you're looking at a chicken.
Catmad - LOL! She would agree that her room is the best place.
We get down to minus 10 sometimes minus 20 that's about it. I have 13 chickens but my flock is just getting bigger and bigger. I converted a woodshed (about the size of a 1 car garage) into my coop. It has vinyl siding and a good roof but no insulation. No drafts at all, deep litter.
I was sure that they were not at all cold tolerant....If you all say I'm wrong I just might get a few in the spring.
Maybe some bales of grass hay in there? They say that keeps them nice and warm, as far as insulation goes.
Maybe some smaller boxes or crates on the floor for them to get into. Silkies like to be down low when they sleep. Mine sit on the ground.
Here is what some other people have said about their silkies sleeping on the ground or low. http://www.meetup.com/chickens/boards/thread/7621773/
Silkies cannot fly. Which is one of the main reasons I wanted them. They can't go flying over the fence. In town, that just wouldn't do.
Silkies can't fly? SIlkies like to roost down low? Mine must be weird bc she roosts at teh top of teh cage & she can fly.. trust me she roosts on me on occasion.
My first batch of chicks is hatching today. So far I've seen one chick and one other egg hatching. This is so neat.
Well, all that hatched from the first eight eggs was one baby. It is a light color with some black markings. Could he be a cuckoo silkie?
The other eggs were six days late today, so I thought it was safe to break them. Two of them looked like regular eggs, yellow yoke. The other five exploded when I tapped them with a small rock. Yes, I said exploded! Thankfully I had them in a plastic bag. After the first two, I tapped from the outside of the bag. They were green/blue inside and smelled HORRIBLE. Some kind of gas was forming inside I would think. Would that be methane?
Does that mean they were damaged in shipping, or were infertile to begin with? The lady that sold them to me said when they get hit hard during shipping it can damage the air sacs. That's what she thinks happened. She asked if I had candled them, and of course, I hadn't. I've never done that.
Twenty more eggs due to hatch in five days.
explodeing and green eggs comes from bacteria getting in the eggs usually and yep its methane gas. tack eggs with aircells messed up occure from being jostled during shipping and sometimes other things. the baby could be partridge, smutted buff or gray without seeing the down and markings i can't tell ya for sure whay color it is. clear eggs can be from being scrambled, undeveloped or unfertile. to know if it was fertile u have to look for the bullseye on the yolk to have rings. if u have tack eggs and leave them set for 24 hours before setting in the bator alot of times the floating aircell will reattach. i've had them both hatch and not hatch depends on how damaged they r and if they reattach or not. but tac eggs have nothing to do with explodeing eggs it was either from old eggs or some how they were contaminated with bacteria that got through the shell or if the babies developed and died early and started to rot that can cause it to also. that in its self can cause the whole hatch to mess up or a good portian of it. so sorry ur hatch is not going good. good luck with the rest of ur hatch i'll keeping my fingers crossed u get lots more babies.
silkie
Thanks Silkie.
u r most welcome anytime. :-)
What is a tack egg?
The first chick was born some time last night. He's a little partridge and here is a short video. He's so new to the world he can barely stand up.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Light4Jesus#p/a
Have you seen the pet tents? It looked like it might work well for baby chicks.
Ok, Silkiechick or anyone else that knows. What color is this chick?
Four hatched. It looks like a buff and two partridges and I do not know what the other one is. He's blue with a light colored head and wings. I was supposed to get white, buff and partridge. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h_iA61E2lE
Are they precious? :D
they are to precious. I have never seen silkie babies before