I changed my chick order this morning to 9 EE's and 3 Buff O's, all sexed females. Cancelled the black Silkies because they can't sex them, also can't give them Marek's because they're too small.
I really wanted some Silkies! The lady told me they usually have a bin of left over chicks from the week before and I could pick some from there too if I wanted. I watched the chick sex guessing game with great interest - don't know how you do it! Females get tail feathers first? Is that the same for Silkies?
If there were some black Silkies in the week old bin (they would vac them at that age for me) do you have any suggestions as to what should I look for in hopes of picking a couple females?
Thanks!
(my new babies went into the incubator today at Meyers, YAY!)
Annie
Silkie Sex Question
It is much harder with little chicks...but I would look for the ones with the smallest, most delicate feet and legs. Also probably a smaller (but still healthy) chick that is less bold. Pullets usually have smaller more delicate features too--but that can be difficult to see.
Possibly also one with the most wing feather development--pullets tend to develop their primaries earlier than roos.
But it will still be a guess--so you will have as good a chance as anyone to find the elusive Golden Pullet.
Thanks for the tips, I'll do my best! It'll be hard looking at the ones in the bin and wanting to take them all home with me.
It's so fun getting ready for them. Every time I read this forum I add to the list of things to do now or in the future. You all have been amazing and so great about sharing advice with a chicken newbie, I appreciate it so much!
Annie
Silkies are notoriously hard to sex- and the better quality the bird the harder it can be! I had a very experienced breeder send me a pullet that was almost a year old- which started crowing three months later. 'She' is now a 'he'. Still has no streamers, no hard feathers in the tail, and looks very much like a hen.
It sounds like I should just take my chances on a couple Silike chicks!
Wish winter would go away. The coop & shed company is behind on their delivery schedule by a couple weeks because of the weather. I don't want to postpone the chick order because of it!
It's snowing and windy today, ugh!
Annie
Annie, when we bought our chicks from Meyer's, we bought the straight run Silkies. We ended up with two white hens and a white roo and two buff hens and a buff roo. That worked out well for us. We ended up putting the whites in their own coop and the buffs in their own coop. Our Silkie roos are pretty pushy. LOL
I'm calling Meyers, again, tomorrow and see if they can fill an order of 10 Silkies. Ha, you're my chick enabler! Hope my hen luck is as good as yours. I also have a DG buddy who will take any roos!
I was going to look in the "week old" bin at Meyers for Silkies but changed my mind and want them all to be the same age. My concern about Silkies is that Meyers won't vac them since they're so small - not even the ones from the 'week old" bin. Since all the other chicks will have the vac (merek), will it be a problem for the Silkies not to have it?
I was thinking a Silkie would be a nice tame chicken for my DN to use as her Clover Buddy project. Are the hens pushy too?
Silkies are about as sweet as chickens come...but I don't understand why they won't vaccinate them....
Every book I've read on breeds says that Silkies are very susceptible to Marek's and they have to be vaccinated before they are exposed to the disease, which is why they always say to vaccinate day old chicks. I wonder if they are actually refusing to do it because of the vaccine shortage?
Toward the end of this page is a good summary of the problem with mixing vaccinated with unvaccinated chicks.
http://www.thepoultrygarden.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1221
Great info, Catscan, thank you! I saved the site too.
I'll call Meyer's tomorrow and find out why they won't vac them. When I first asked they said Silkies were too small to have one. I've given shots to just about every animal except chickens, but never to anything that was as small as a day old chick.. Is Marek's a vac that is easily given? After reading the page about unvaccinated chickens there is no way I would consider getting chicks without it.
Can't remember which one it is now, either on MPC or MBC, but they sell sexed Silkies. Might need to check out their reviews and also see if they will vac.
Marek's vaccine is very easy to give... it is just a subcutaneous injection high up on the chick's neck.
I can imagine that it is difficult to do it to bantams, but I don't see how they can sell mixed vaccinated and unvaccinated chicks...especially when the bantams are Silkies.
The main problem right now is that there is a serious vaccine shortage...
Our silkies really do have wonderful, sweet personalities. For whatever reason, the males WE have are fickle little fellows! One runs at you then pecks you, thankfully, because he has big spurs. The other runs at you with spurs flying but it's funny since there isn't much there. They haven't really hurt anyone but they do take a good stab at it.
We've actually been lucky with all the breeds being really friendly and well behaved aside from some vent pecking when it was really hot and egg eating when they got older.
I don't believe any of ours were vaccinated. I know I had asked or added it to the cart but they said it was not necessary. In the very early days, we only lost a few of the filler chicks. I know one had a rough ride here and a second got too much love upon arrival.
I called Meyers this morning, still the same answer - the Silkies are too small. MPC will vac and sex them, that makes the hens $10 each without the vac.
Know of a good place on line to purchase the marek vac? Will check my Revival catalog too. I won't need much and sure hate for it to go to waste especially since there's a shortage.
Today I can say... IN LESS THAN TWO WEEKS... the chickies will be HOME! (: >
I'm going to look for a Hatchery that will sell Silkies already vaccinated for Marek's. Seems like the easiest way and I won't have the hassle of ordering the vac when it's in short supply.
When I was cruising chicken web sites the top of the order form page for Idea's Site said they don't recommend Marek's Debeaking, Dub & Dewing for small flocks.
I can understand the debeaking, but not the comb clipping, have no idea what dewing is. I sure as heck don't understand why they would recommend NOT using the Marek.
You could also purchase a vial of vaccine and vaccinate them when older. Yes, mareks can be done at any age although younger is preferred.
The problem is that the vaccine is not currently available. Even suppliers that claimed to have it in stock, later called me to admit that it is on back order.
I spoke with someone at VSI who said that the main vaccine manufacturer had a production failure and no one can get it right now.