brb i got to restart my comp cuz it's not displaying pics.
Chicken Raising 101 - The How To Thread
lol its so fluffy you can hardly see its beak but thats wat traditional silkies are ment to look lik isnt it??
all silkies r beautiful. :0) i'm a liceansed poultry tech so i love all poultry,lol. i'm just trying to show there is a differance between line breeding an not. it's not a case of whos silkies r better quality. that althought it is imbreeding it does improve the lines significantly with many generations and hard work which in the end has great rewards. continuously out crossing causes flaws and brings out traits u don't want. does that make sence?
when someone says silkies that's what i see and picture, little fluffballs like my pullet jem or momma spinner.
This message was edited Jul 19, 2008 6:19 AM
well i have fun with my silkies i am waiting to get enough eggs to incubate (i only need 3) i will probably have enogh by tuesday
kool what all colors do u have? i've been hatching since jan from my flock and shipped eggs. i got 1 or 2 sets of eggs in still then i am done for the year, i so can't wait to shut these off,lol.
well i am well into winter and i need to stop soon but i realy need more silkies so i am hatching 3 then i am done till about november
i have a 1 browny white silkie 1white silkie and 1 white with black in its tail roo silkie
pic is above you cant see the black in the tail in that pick because it wasnt there then it has only been the last 2 months that the black has came into the tail and i am hoping i could get a black silkie of him though i am not sure there is enough black in him to get a ful black chic
do u reckon it would be possible??
josh
i don't think that will do it, to get black i have to cross splash to black or splash to blue to get pure blacks. if he is only smutt color in tail then his babies should have smutt tails or possible wings. i have buffs like that i'm trying to breed that out it is blue. if he is that close to pure white i'd breed the smutt out of him and do the blue or black crossing because u will get way better and faster results. if u used him to try to get black it may take 20 generations to just get some of the black in him in good portion in the babies.
oh well dam looks like no black for me
how long do I keep the heat lamp on these babies? (# weeks or when they get their feathers? or?)
Hi oneanjl--the first week you keep them at 95 degrees, then you drop it 5 degress each week until the are at room temp--basically when they are full feathered. It is really important to keep them out of drafts and give them space to move away from the heat when they want. And don't let their water get too warm--they won't drink enough if it is too warm.
Makes me want more chicks!
well I may have a spare baby roo! lol!
95* at the chicks level right? cause max our lamp puts out ar chicks level is 82*... (DH has one of those fancy thermometer thingies for work) but they arent all clumped together...they are sleeping apart from each other by about 2 inches....
Then they are probably fine---My little fully feathered Nankins still pile up on each other when it gets cool at night. Also they say if they are just gently peeping to themselves they are content. When they are uncomfortable they get very loud and insistant!
naw, they only get loud when I wake them up! lol! or when I have a treat :o)
I just took a pix of their 'nap time' ...figure I should take as many pix as I can cause they will be growing sooo fast! lol!
here is a color chart hope it helps. i'm hopeing by next spring to have black silkies and showgirls going but we will see. right now only my sizzles r.
Blue X Blue will result in 50% Blue, 25% Black and 25% Splash
Blue X Splash will result in 50% Blue and 50% Splash
Blue X Black will result in 50% Blue and 50% Black
Black X Splash will result in 100% Blue
Black Bird + 1 regular Blue gene = Blue Bird + another Blue gene = Splash Bird
Splash X Splash should produce all Splash
Splash X Black should produce all Blue
Black is a Dominant Color
White hides colors.
I went and picked up new chicks last night, tragedy here, but I won't go into that. Anyway, the guy had the chicks in a box built into his barn, solid wood sides, about a foot wide, 4 feet long, with only the lid with wire mesh on it. These chicks are 5/6 weeks old, and he STILL had a heat lamp on them. Mind you, our temps this week have been in the 90's, terribly humid, just nasty. I went just to buy 10 buff orpington chicks he had, but when I saw these guys standing there looking at me and PANTING, I had to take them all.
We've got them in a large dog crate inside the barn, they've been here less than 24 hours, and have already went through 2 full pans of feed and 2 gallons of cool water. They aren't panting anymore either. :) Tomorrow, we're putting chicken wire around the section of the barn they are in, so they can get out of the crate in a few days and have more room to wander around in, but still be able to close them up at night. At least until they're big enough to move in with the rest of the gang.
Good choice, Melissa!
do u know wat type they are
Melissa, I don't blame you. I am so glad you took them all! They will be much happier with you!
Christy
Thanks Catscan.
Christy, I'm glad I took them all too. I'd forgotten what fun I have with little chicks. I love watching them explore, and watching their personalities come out. :)
Luckycharm, the majority are Buff Orpingtons, I think I have 13 or 14 of them. There are 3 that I'd guess are Aurcana's, 2 white, I'm not sure what they are, There are a some that are either Red Star or Buckeye, or mixed, it's hard to tell when they're little.
sounds lik an intresting mix
josh
Thanks, yes, and very similar to the mix we've always had. :)
so how many of the mix do u have
Still not sure, they move quick! LOL Hubby counted 24, I counted 25. We have 10 left that are fully grown, so our entire flock is 34 or 35, and I'm hoping to add some more barred rocks soon.
i lik the barred rocks but i dont think i would ever get some
Why not, Lucky? Just curious, as I have never had them either.
i dont know there just so many other breeds i would rather get before them
The barred Rocks have neat personalities, not that they all don't, but they seem friendlier than a lot to me.
Excuse me if I enterject my own ideal in here.. I think I understand lucky's line of thinking on the bantum barred rocks... the barred rocks.. the coloring are, well,, to be rather honest, are boring... if you only have so much room.. why wouldn't you choose something a little more flashier, feathereey-er.. I don't know.. there just seems to be birds out there with more...
That is untill you meet....
NEMO!!!
Here is a photo of Nemo & QTip, Nemo sees the camera and always runs to get in the photo first. He IS a character, Nemo is my dog of the chicken world..
I understand Lucky. I don't have any of the more "common" breeds. I usually try to get one of every rare or unusual. I do have silkies though in every color and polish in every color too, lol!
EVERY color? do you have a blue crested blue polish yet? [i think i do!]
would love to see pics of ur polish!!
oh, and i would LOVE to figure out why my new USB cable is not working. might have something to do with the kids rolling my heavy office chair over it???
but i think it is BCB... and the one i thought was appenzeller spitzhaugen may just be a silve rlaced polish.... he has that wiry look like the gold laced polish do. and his coloring is more of a pattern that could turn into lacing that a speckled dotting...
L2G2 has pics of her polish in her brooder thread, and there is one dotted one in there i was wondering about... more dotted than mine!
just be patinet, when i get the cable problem resolved [more pressing issues here currently] i will spend three days uploading new pics LOL
tf
I totally agree with the 'prettier' less popular birds......hence the peafowl & polish for pretty. I would LOVE to see pix of blue polish. Never could get ahold of one when we were hatching all those birds.
I don't envy you all with all this work. First few years, all good & fun. When do you get to have a REAL VACATION?? You know, leave for a week or so with the kids?? Even with all the work, I DO ENVY your fun right now! Geez, so much for balance, eh......see more chicks in my immediate future, just no hatching this year (not by a bator, anyway).
tee hee Cheryl, you may just get a young cock or two this year....if any of these babies turn out to be males!
Send them on up. I won't be driving to any place HOTTER than here anytime soon
hmmm its a comfy 53* right now :o) come on down!
well i have 2 chickens that have the exact same colouring as them
they hatched from a black-sex link and i read some were that barred rocks were used to create the black-sex link
josh
Ah ha! barred rock do tend to look 'run of the mill'. I'm with you Lucky, prefer the colorful & different breeds. Don't know why, just to be different, i guess.
Cheryl
yep i lik different