their top pic does look reds but not sure why the markings. my rir's all hatched the red hue color like the mpc first pic and so did my millie fluer d'uccles if that helps. it is like a blonde with a redish brown effect to the ends of the down. millies also had a stripeing. after looking at the 2nd pic close up alot of my partridge look similar sorry didn't notice it till i blew it up. weird part is this last hatch i got some choc and choc red looking ones with no stripes so i'm gonna let them grow see what they come out like i wonder if they r dark partridge? i guess we'll both find out together what we have,lol. u and i'll have to update pics when they grow some see how each others turned out.
silkie
14 DO Silkies Roos? or just cute
I so appreciate you both taking the time to look and be puzzled by all these little chicks.
One thing I notice on the partridges is the speckling.. I know that sounds funny, they are all speckled.. but it almost looks like a dirty speckle.. like they got into the meltes chocolate and shook their head.. lol.. there is also that molted coloring to their bodies.. I don't see that on the yellow-ee chicks..
It will be very interesting to follow all these and see what becomes of them..
Silkie, I did notice your dark chocolate.. what pretty colors.. and did I see one with a lighter head with a chocolate body? now thats going to be cool looking. LOL Is that one a showgirl? Would look like she was wearing her 'going-to-meetin" hat.
no problem at all. lol at the choc i had the same thought. either way u have beautiful chicks!! i like the reds too but i only raise partridge, white, splash, buff and blue now. it will be interesting i can't wait! thanks i have never seen them drk choc colored before so i'm excited to see how they feather in!!! u might have there is one here with a light ginger red colored head w/ a choc body. i sold 3 of them yesterday so one of those might have been similar but lighter i can't remember now and i took those pics halfway through hatch so they r not all pictured. those ones r showgirls. they r so fluffy ya can't see the naked neck most of the time,lol. they sure r tiny little cuties!! i'll see if i can get better pics in a few days when they stand up and stretch more they look to much like silkies with all the fluff. funny part is i got bearded ones and my sg breeders are not so i was tickled to have bearded babies. they all had bowties too which is odd usually i have a few who don't.
I have ordered silkie chicks in every color I could get my paws on. For me, the partridge and the red were the only ones with stripes. The partridge won't have as much buff or yellow color to them like the reds will, but they'll both start with stripes. That's how I was able to tell the reds from the buffs, the reds had stripes.
Look at the eyes on black silkie #3! Cutie!
It's way too early to pick out the boys from the girls just by looking at them. The girls do the face-off just like the boys, to establish their pecking order. The male & female chicks all act pretty much the same. Also, the comb size doesn't tell much about sex the first month or so.
For me, the big sturdy legs are the first clue you've got a roo. They have bigger "drumsticks" and they stand taller than the girls. Then if they develop a lot of red on their face, it's probably a boy.
There's no way you have all 14 roos.
My computer is having problems so I can't watch the video again or give you the link, but on Google Video they had a clip about Ideal Poultry and their operation and how they sex chicks. Searching the words "Ideal Poultry" should bring it right up.
I found it very interesting. Not sure where their eggs come from, but it shows how they incubate them, sex them, and put them in boxes to ship.
If I understood about the tail feathers and gender, I "might" have 10 hens out of the 24. I can hear Granny Goody saying, "I told you so".
I have my work cut out for me trying to figure out how to keep these little guys and gals safe and happy. I've read a few stories recently about how some skunk or dog kills somebody's chickens. We even have a few strange looking red fox that live in town here, and I know we have oppossum. So it looks like I will have to build two chicken houses. A few months ago I replaced the boards in an old livestock trailer and built a wooden gate, so I am kind of looking forward to the challenge of these chicken coops. Anyone have a good site for plans? I need really easy to understand instructions, since I am a novice.
Also, I wanted to know how will a donkey and chickens get along? Seems to me that having a donkey around would discourage predators.
I've been wondering how these chickens have survived all these years. Can you imagine them out in the open fields before man started putting them in cages?
Karen
Been thinking the same Karen.. must be why they had lots of good farm dogs.. roosters... and plenty of extra chickens.. enough to go around.. 10 from 100 is easier to take than 10 from 10.
Sorry I took so long to come over and check out your
new chicks, Frans! They are so adorable. You must be
a very proud chickenmama! I would be proud of DH, too.
The chicken tractor is great! It looks like DH had a good
time building it, as it is really nice. I love to hear he is so
excited as you with the new chicks. I am in heaven that
my DH is having as much fun as I am. Guess I'll keep
him, after all.
I just received self blue and gray silkies from Ideal. Apparently grays have stripes too! I'm sitting here panicking thinking maybe they sent me partridge by mistake, lol.
grays look partridge as babies. i have one gray i'll have to see if i can get a pic of it for ya and see if i can find the baby pic too. i got mine from a private breeder but i thought the same thing,lol.
Phew, thanks! I also had a question about the self blues. One of them does not have black feet or a black beak. Its beak is both light and black. The feathers are also not uniformly light blue in color, as they are white around its face and other places. Would this be indicative of a splash(the only color I don't have yet)? The other self blues are very light blue/lavendar in color all over. They also have solid black beaks and feet.
I HAVE to bring the thread back up... black silkie #3 is Shelby.. she is our little bitty sweetheart.. well yesterday she decided she is in her nest and is not coming out until she has something to show for it...
Do I feed her, or let her come out when she wants? Can I add Advils (other blk silkie) eggs under her? I have to lift the lid to check on her, will this upset her? It is so cold.. what a terrible time of the year to go broody.. will she continue to lay fertile eggs for a few days? I have a few of her eggs in the fridge, can I bring them out warm them up and add them? Yes she lives with Simon.. her roo friend. If it continues to get too cold, should I take the entire contents of her nest and move her and it to a cage in the warmer garage?.. oh I feel like a mother hen!
Shelby & Simon
Fran sometimes they will lay a couple eggs but more often not. Yes you can move her and she should be okay with it But make sure she is commited to it leave her there until you know she's really serious i move mine when they get broody cause they are in the pen with others that might disturb them. Get the place where you want to put her all ready then you have to move her when it's dark use a flashlight you can turn on and off quickly.You will need help with this Aproach her nest with no light if possible only use the flash light as needed when you get to her nest try to remove her with the light off and hold her in a way that will keep her calm let the help gently remove the eggs now move as fast as you can again with low light or no light "never shine the light on the hen" take the eggs and put them in the nest you can use the light for that but keep the hen away from the light. if possible keep the light off or low i stick mine under my shirt to dim it take the hen remember keep it dark take the hen and lower her down on the eggs it's important to keep it as dark as you can
as soon as you get her there leave she should stay right on the eggs. You can check back in say 30 minutes and she should still be on the nest. If she is up in the morning and a little upset the mother instinct will take over and she will get back on her eggs.
If you have questions feel free to ask ***Harmony***
I forgot to answer the other questions No you don't have to feed her she will come out and eat on her own and go back on the nest they stay off maybe 20 minutes to eat poo and get a drink.
You can't use refrigerated eggs.
Is she on her own eggs? If so i would just let her hatch her own if you add eggs the ones already in the nest will hatch before these you add now and the hen may abandon those unhatched eggs to take the new chicks out of the nest to feed and water.
Oh wow Fran, that's so exciting. I love the pic of Shelby and Simon. Will their babies be splash? I think she will keep laying fertile eggs but maybe add eggs from other hens too.
Great tips Harmony - glad you're here to help out! I can't wait until I have a silkie that is old enough to go broody. I have a while to wait. I only have one and she's 10 days old. I have more but they are still in eggs. Due out Oct 6.
How weird, new thread to me but says I have read it all. anyway, very pretty
I am back with an update. This silkie run family consists of Shelby, Advil and thier roo Simon. Shelby has been sitting since Oct 1st. I have not benn able to find Advils eggs, I thought maybe she stopped laying because Shelby would not get out of the egg box. It is not a large tractor and I searched every square inch other than the nest. On the 3rd Shelby came down to eat & drink, nest is on 3rd story. I noticed then 3 eggs. On the 6th she came down again.. and sure enough now there are 5 eggs. And on the afternoon of the 6th Advil was up there sitting and cooing with Shelby.
Is Advil adding to the eggs? Is Advil helping her sit? No they are not fighting. If Advil goes broody also, is it okay as long as they get along to leave them together.. and if that does happen, I am assuming I will need to get Simon out of dodge!
And the bottom line question.. in the beginning, I was only asking, now I guess I am serious, I am ending up with staggered eggs aren't I?
Nice thing about her going upstairs and hiding on the first, we are looking at a date of the 21st-ish.. right?
I wonder if I should have started a new thread with these questions?
Maybe so, Fran. The only thing I can answer is that yes, it sounds as if you will have staggered eggs, but it also sounds like an odd situation - that the one hen will allow the other hen to lay another egg and then will go back to setting. How cute! Hopefully others will chime in with answers...
Claire
I don't think it is uncommon...from what I've heard. But the issue of staggered hatch has never come up before. I wonder?