This has been a kind of depressing forum lately :) Here in NH this is the best time of year to have chickens. I work all year to watch them run around in the grass and eat bugs. So, what is going on that is good in everyone's flocks?
My little silkie with the neurological problem is feeling MUCH better, almost totally normal now! Yay!
The girls have gone on a tropical vacation and have really slowed down egg production. I'm assuming it is because they are too busy sunning and hanging out to do any work. lol!
Everyone is getting so big! I have identified one silkie roo and have two others that I am very suspicious of, but so far that is it. I've been carrying around the roo and the potential roos under my arm to get them used to me being in charge of them. We'll see how that works!
What's going on with everyone else?
Tell us something fabulous about your chickens!
Yes ! Its time for Good news! I think we were almost afraid to read the threads for fear of another terrible story!
So heres my good news for the day!
Little Pickles was so very sick with the foul Pox , but she recovered nicely! So now our pretty girl has decided she would start a family! Shes now been on the nest for a week. Everyone keep your fingers crossed!
Hi, My chickens, turkeys, keets and guineas are doing great. The bigger birds (no sebrights or silkies or keets) spent their first day free ranging. I had pictured them running into the woods and never coming back. They never left sight of the coop all day! They DID eat my daylilies, pepper plants and everything "soft" on the side of house!!!! Those turkeys look like ostriches when they run! I am heading out right now with pen and paper to see what I can figure out with the silkies. I know of two males, one who was from Ideal, a red and the largest of my silkies I hatched. I think he is a cuckoo partridge. I will try to get a pic of him. Be back soon!!
Ok heres the run down :(5) White 2 hens, 2 roos and one?
(1) black 1 hen
(1) dark partridge (black top knot) most likely roo
(2) lighter partridge with a lot of blue? cuckoo barring 2 roos
(4) red 2 roos (2 decided to free range today
(1) very light red maybe buff currently running free too !!!!
So, so far 3 hens :( 7 roos :0 and 4 unknowns
I have noticed that the positive roos are larger than the rest, with the exception of the dark partridge well I am sure its just a regular partridge but he is darker than the other ones. He is small like the rest but absolutely beautiful.
mine are all doing great, this is the start of my new flock so i'm starting over. my 3 rir hens are now laying 3 eggs a day which is awesome i've only had them for a few weeks. nice xl jumbo eggs and very tastey. we save them till we get a dozen since there is 7 of us then we all have fresh eggs for breakfast. nothen beats the fresh taste of scrambled eggs in the am with honey,lol.
i've got a partiage silkie soon to be a hen next mth. she is on a nest of 9 polish and salmon favorelles to hatch for me. the rest of the salmons were put in the hatcher today and the other half of polish will go in tomarrow so i will have lots of babies soon!! i still have buff and white silkie eggs in the bator they are about a week and a half behind since i got them later.
i have 3 other smaller silkies about 4, and 8 weeks old. one is a white roo, one an almost pure white pullet and the baby is white with buff cuckoo wings and a tad color on his feet all are bearded. they are growing fast and looking nice and fluffy.
on wed. i am meeting someone to get some white showgirls to add and a nn cross pullet. the showgirls will be 2 roos and a pullet and also some buff showgirls unsexed chicks so i am really excited can't wait to go meet them and pick them up.
this is my broody when she was younger her name is nikki. isn't she cute!! :0) i'll update my pics after the babies hatch and get some new pics to post for all of ya to see.
silkie
LoraK ~ I need to coral all my silkies and pick each one up individually and try to figure it out....lol. They scurry too fast and before you know it they are all together and I don't know what's what. Are you planning to re-home your extra silkie roo's ?? I am undecided what I will do with mine, guess I have to figure out how many there are first of which sex...lol
Hhhhhhhmmmmmm something fabulous.... well I guess for me that would be the feeling I get in the evening when I finally get to sit down after a long day and watch the flock. It's so peaceful...
Julie
That was my problem so I wrote down what color, and toe pattern (that extra toe is almost always different) ei largest of white silkies, has twin toes on his right foot, that means his extra toe and other toe are exactly the same length and on another white silkie the extra toe and other toe formed a perfect "Y" Hopefully it helps in the long figuring out who is who!!!
I have 13 silkies, and they are all different colors so I can identify them all by sight. I only have two that really stump me and they have different amounts of white on their nails ( they are black birds)
It looks like I definitely have a splash silkie roo, a very red partridge silkie roo and it looks like perhaps a black silkie roo. the rest are debatable. I'm just waiting for my big boy splash to start crowing. We'll see!
Lora, I still hope to catch up with you and see your chickens some day!
I only have Uggie and Purdy Sang, and their offspring Gremlin, left of my Silkies! They are all ( I think) reds , but seem to me to have a lot of Buff in them! I had a pair of whites , that were so different in coloration from the buff/Reds. Im talking about their combs and feet. The whites had blue skin and combs and black feet. While the Buff/Reds have a slate color feet and silver grey skin with Red combs!
What color combs do the blacks have?
Heres old UggieSang.
look at the comb on that one. wow!
Hmmm... that could be a light partridge. It is my understanding that all silkies have dark skin, grey or black. As far as I know, the blacks have a red comb and a blue ear like other silkies. They are a darker red.
My buffs are very light tan, and my partridges have the same color tail as UggieSang, but they are a little darker. I think reds are redder than that. What do you think Lora?
I'm inspired to go take a few updated pix myself....
I tried to take pics of my flock this morning but everytime I squatted down to get more on their level a turkey would jump on my back ...lol.
I think I need to scatter some scratch and lay in the grass to get better pics atleast of the silkies.
Julie
all silkies that are standard of perfection color are to have black skin(gray/blue looking), and blue or black beaks with a mulberry(purple) walnut comb and blue ears if it is a purebreed. five toes on each side. urs looks to be a muddy buff x with a ginger red but he looks to be like he is crossed with something else also. he is the first silkie i have seen with no blue ears and about the 4th or so i've seen with a red comb(usually red combs are culled in breeding programs or considered pet quaility and not used).
my pic of nikki above is a partriage silkie her bum is the same color as her crest, has black skin, blue ears and beak, and a little mulberry comb ect she is standard of perfection color for a partriage although she looks a tad lighter due to cam flash.
here is a pic of a black i used to have. he is standard color with the exception he has partriage in his feathering that is why i sold him since i breed for showing. below that i'll post the white what they are to look like.
hope this helps,
silkie
here is marshmellow she is standard also.
I have two banta chickens that live in my bedroom. I let them out to play some during the day. One is a pretty red and the other is a dark black color. I have had them for a long time and take them where ever I move to. The red one is called fire and the dark one is called coal.
I get so tickled watching my grown chickens when they run fast. They look so funny with their legs all spread so far apart and that funny waddle they do. Cute as can be. When they're out of their pen, they come running when they hear me come outside. Makes me smile every time.
silkiechick, I m so interested to know what to look for in silkies. I am going to try to breed some this spring. I have a splash roo, and he also has a little bit of brown on him, so he is tri colored. That's bad, right?
I have a hen with a red comb who is definitely pet quality. She has a sixth toe on one side, too! I will have to look as to who else is reddish in comb. Right now I am trying to see who is a roo.
yay for all the good reports! My good news is that I recently added 8 Cuckoo Maran pullets to my flock...they should start laying in early september or so. Chocolate colored eggs!
My chickens are all having a ball every day this year out free ranging. They follow me where ever I go and talk all day. They get separated from the others and start to cry out for help and the others head over and reflock. They are hardly eating anything in the laying mash due to the vast volume of food in the garden. No eggs yet but I am anticipating them end of Aug. They are all big and fat and fun.
kool!! i love silkies as ya might have guessed,lol. i have had show quality and pet quality ones both. i know what the standard of perfection colors are but to much to type lol. i will look there is a sight that has it posted. let me search see if i can remember where it is. it will help you out greatly.
if you are just breeding for yourself lots of people color don't matter cause they freerange it just depends on what ya like or what ya want to breed for. some of my pet quality that are pullets i save for the layer pen for pets so they can be broodies, color don't matter there is no male. if it is one i want to show i want standard colors with none or mabe 1-2 dq's so i can select breed to what i want or to show. those pens are seperated.
i have 1 white roo i don't have pics of yet. he is gorgous and show quality but does have a dq if he is shown. he has 5 toes on each but the one thumb is a bigger toe with 2 nails at the end. so i'm doing breeding for a few years to see how his babies will do. i'm excited for when he is big enough to show and breed although he will get points off shown i'm still going to show him next year to see how he does cause he is to gorgous to not try. if i can breed him to good gals and get great babies i will selective breed them down the line till i get them to the point i like.
i have a splash pullet cute as a button she is mostly white but has a touch of light gray and light brown so i can't use her in my all white pen she will be going either in the layer pen to brood or in my showgirl pen to improve those, i'd like to find her a nice splash boy though. i fell in love with her when i saw her so she will be a mommies girl,lol.
you can breed the red out of the combs but will take generations to do it. ya have to breed it to a mulberry comb one. take any babies from them that have the mulberry get rid of the rest. keep doing it and every so often add new blood with the mulberry till ya get a full hatch with no red combs. same for ones with extra toes or added colors it weeds out the bad genes and replaces with better to achieve the right colors and such. it may even take years to acomplish it but i love working with silkies and to me it is worth the time and effort to improve my flock.
i'll take some updated pics as soon as i can and i'll look for that link also for you and post when i find it.
silkie
for lots or good info check out- http://www.browneggblueegg.com/index.html
here is the link for the standard of perfection for a silkie
http://www.americansilkiebantamclub.org/silkie_standard.htm
Well here are some of my silkies, not great pics, sorry. They are all still babies, the oldest only being just turned 4 mos.
Julie
another shot
another
and.....
awe, they are all cute!! wait till they finish looseing the pin feathers they are so pretty when done molting. my fav thing to do with mine is bath and blowdry them. they love it and sit on my lap singing to the warmth of the blowdryer,lol. afterwards they are a total fluffball!!! it's awesome to see them so fluffy afterwards!!!
another
this has some others in the background
.........and
it is an awkward age, can't wait to see them all grown up and looking fine !!!
what kinda duck is that? it's beautiiful! i know i have seen it before but i don't know what kind it is as i'm just learning about ducks,lol.
man have I bored everyone yet...lol, almost done I promise
this is a better pic of my nikki. she is hatching out polish and salmon favorelles for me should all be hatched by no later than sat. i'll take updated pics of her after she has all the babies with her. i don't want to disturb her while she is on the eggs. i'll take them of the babies that will hatch here and the rest of the flock also.
last silkie pic for now
(that is one of my runner ducks)
Julie =0)
i just got my certification and liceanse for being a pa certified poultry technition. we have to do testing on ducks as well as other poultry. so i'm trying to learn the breeds and more about them. beautiful pics and lots of cuties ya got there!!
Your chicks are cute. They are having fun in the sun. Hope no predators in your area. Are you a yooper?
No not a yooper.... I'm around the first knuckle at the top of the index finger of the mitten...lol.
I have a lot of predators in my area ( I live in the woods) which is sadly why my flock only gets out while I am home and outside to watch....a couple hours in the evening after work and on the weekends.
Years ago when I had chickens I let them freerange all the time but this time around I seem to be worrying more, maybe it's age I don't know, but these guys get the old mother hen treatment...lol.
Julie
The simplicity of living in Michigan. Just hold up your hand and give directions to your house. I grew up around 2 fingers to the west on where the finger meets the hand. LOL
i added new babies to my flock today and i'm so tickled!! i can't wait to take pictures to share, with my fellow silkie fanciers!!! i got 3 white 11th generation showgirls(silkie x naked necks) - 2 cockerals and 1 pullet, looks to be 2 buff showgirls that are newborn and 2 buff silkie newborn also just born today and tiny things. i got a bantam nn, a porcaien du'ccle cockeral and a rooster i think is a jap x rir.
ya know i love silkies and naked necks no matter pure or cross but i must say the flock of showgirls and silkies i saw today made me drool, they were so gorgous. if you don't know what a showgirl looks like if ya ever get the chance to see one in person ya must!! i have never seen such gorgous birds in real life. the breeder i got my babies from has been breeding for years to perfect them and it really showed her hard work and dedication. i was so honored just to take and peek at the breeders. she was awesome really nice and best of all she parted with some of her little darling with me and i am so greatful for her kindness and generosity in shareing the love i have for silkies.
she is going to let me know when the next babies hatch i think it is 3 days and then i will be getting more chicks and some eggs so i have a whole flock of them. today was awesome and i made a new chicken friend on top of it all!!
had to share what a great day i had with all ya,
silkie
....and you didnt take any pictures?????
Please ask her if you can share her pretty babies with everyone through photos,please! I'd love to see some more show silkies.
by the way Silkiechick, What do you use as a shampoo for your chickies?
no i didn't take pics as i didn't have cam with me wish i did though, mabe next time though as she is hatching chicks and saveing more eggs for me.
actually the best thing i found for mine was baby shampoo,lol. i know most things ya use on a person you can use on them but i don't know what is in any of that stuff or if something might hurt them so it's what i stuck with. it is real mild, and also if they have crests keeps it from burning their eyes.
good idea!
I had a friend who had a chinese crested dog and she used baby shampoo on him because he had terribly sensitive skin.
Julie