I once was blind...

This is Polly my exuberantly crested Silkie. She is the one that made me first think of tying up her "hair" into a "do". With her crest down, she can't see a thing. With it tied up she looks around, startled.

I know with some breeds of dog, it is important to leave their fringes in place....but is this amount of crest really desirable in a Silkie? I have two other Silkie pullets from ZZ who can see quite well, although the are very puffy. With Polly, the way the crest forms a rounded helmet makes it impossible for her to see.

I feel bad for her.

I'd give her pigtails........

Wow.. great pic! :) I'd give her a flat top.. even at the risk of being a little butch for a girl... She is such a love.

She is a love. Under all that poof are two big beautiful brown eyes.

Maybe a tight perm?

She'd look like Japanese mafia. That's their hairstyle of choice...

I see a mohawk in her future.. LOL

That is one ADORABLE CHICK, Thanks for sharing that great pic. Cat, don't you have some seramas also? I would love to see some of your pic's. This girl you just showed us reminds me of one of those furry Russian hats. LOL Hay

I DO have Serama, Haystack. A mostly white rooster, Booker, and two pullets--a black one, Natasha, and a brown one, Sarah. The pullets are still babies, but they are very tiny. Booker is a bit of a moose for a Serama--but he is ZZ's favorite color. And she has Dot, who is a mostly black Serama roo--so here is hoping for babies in the future.

Now that ZZ's son has fixed my camera I can take pictures again!

Okay--now I feel better. A lot of Silkie breeders pluck the crest feathers so the bird can see. You may actually get penalized by judges if you don't. I think I will try trimming first. Plucking apparently hurts and I don't want Polly to be afraid of me.

Is there any reason why I shouldn't trim, if there are no blood feathers present?

http://www.silkiechickens.com/showing_silkies.htm

If there are no bloodfeathers, trimming should be like getting a haircut - painless.

Love the picture!

Good gravy! - I just looked at the link about showing chickens. I can't believe the length of the list of things to bring to the show! But I've never shown chickens, so what do I know...

I trimmed Snowball (remember the white silkie who got out in the muddy rainstorm?) all around his eyes - both above and below, because below his feathers were sort of poofy and would puff upwards into his eye area too. So, I trimmed all around. It doesn't look weird, it didn't bleed, and he can see now! He is still a big wuss and just wants to be held.

Just be really careful with the scissors - use ones with rounded ends if you have them. Chickens can move their heads so suddenly, as you know, and I almost got Snowball in the eye with the scissors when he did that. Not a good thing to have happen when you're just trying to help them see!

Thanks, Moxie. I haven't had much luck finding round tipped scissors. The kind you use to trim baby's fingernails? I've looked for them before to trim the cat's mats. And I am worried about her moving suddenly--tomorrow I will hit the drugstore one more time and then try to convince the DH to hold her while I do the deed.

I'll post a picture when I'm done.

Good Grief! One of the things your supposed to pack is tylenol, I can see why, I got a headache just reading the list of things needed and what you have to do to enter them into the arena. Hay

I saw the Tylenol and thought the same thing, Haystack.

I tried showing cats once, very briefly, for a friend who was breeding them; but when the more experienced owners told me not to leave the water container in the cage because some of the other competitors might poison my cat....well....

I am sure chicken show people are much nicer:0)

"the more experienced owners told me not to leave the water container in the cage because some of the other competitors might poison my cat..."

People are warped. Imagine trying to sicken or kill a cat just so you have a better shot at taking home a shiny trophy or colorful piece of ribbon. Yikes.

Catscan, I have a set of clippers that might work..

I'm with you Galles! What happened "For the love of the game" I can't imagine loosing out on the pure joy of doing what your doing because you love meeting like-minded people, and the animal, or bird that your working with. Thats why I love little leauge baseball, and kids. Just the pure fun of it.

In fact thats supposed to be the purpose of this forum, not who's got the most birds, who knows the most, whos been here the longest, not whos got all the answers, BUT, FOR THE LOVE OF PEOPLE, AND THE GAME!!! Haystack

I got the most chicken poo! Nah-nah-nah-nah-nah....

You obviously don't know who you are up against, Moxon.

Hi Y'all Back when I showed at dog shows we worried about the PETA people coming in a poisoning the dogs. They would put antifreeze into the water or let the dogs out of their cages. A number of dogs died and a few escaped and get hit by cars but most dogs just stayed in their crates.

.

Catscan, bring on the poo, I will match you, and raise you 5!

Wren - that is awful! I can't imagine poisoning the poor dogs with antifreeze. That's just twisted for an organization that purports to be about "ethical" treatment of animals.

I heard a tape recently of one of the P.E.T.A leaders explaining their long term goal: The elimination of all domestic animals. According to him, dogs, cats, chickens, cattle, goats, etc. are all human created abominations.

I say, has no one ever heard of a symbiotic relationship? Even ants farm aphids....to the benefit of both.

I am about to spend the day shifting poo....20 or 30 years from now I will have the most fertile 1/4 acre on the face of the earth. It will take that long for all the layers to break down.

Cage match!

More poo, more poo
I have, than you
Tis honestly true,
A glut of doo-doo
I sit here and stew,
but never do I rue
The day that I knew
The poo I was due
At least hens don't moo
Else cow patties too
Would come from my zoo
Then what would I do?
and now I am through
My poem about poo.

Howz finals, Lovey? Lovely poo-em. Poo-etical even....

With apologies to grownut (who should scan and correct it) and the librettist of "Oliver":

Poo, glorious poo!
Chicken, turkey and go-at.
While I'm in the mood,
Cow pie, muffin or donut!

Just picture a great big pile --
Turned, watered and stewed.
Oh, poo,
Wonderful poo,
Marvellous poo,
Glorous poo.

Poo, glorious poo!
Don't care what it looks like --
Brown!
Moinded!
Crude!
Don't care what the smells like.

Just thinking of shoveling that --
Our senses are reeling
One moment of knowing that
Fed-up feeling!

Why should it be left in place?
Do nothing but brew?
With poo, fabulous poo, magical poo, marvelous poo, wonderful poo, beautiful poo, glorious poo.!
And compost.....

Lovely, ladies!! Boy when we wax poetical do we ever wax!! Think I'll leave it as stands ---poetical license and all........

Uh, oh...Did I need a license?

I once was lost, but now am found
Was blind but now I see...
T'was grace that taught my heart to fear....

I love your Pooetry Claire..
I just got done cleaning all the runs. I dig up all the runs and I buried all the poo.. brought in clean fill dirt for the lil kid's pens... let EVERYONE out to graze.. and even brought the turkeys and boo boo babiez out for a stroll...
The weather is beautiful, there is a nice breeze.. I was sitting in the shade with Dot on my tummy.. while he was falling asleep, so was I. LOL

No, no, no....it is totally different if you say "I once was lost" vs "I once was blind".

Okay--so I need a crutch--not all of us are natural poets....:0)

That's what pooetry is for..........

Think I shall sit back, shut up, and just enjoy this marvellous exchange. It is wonderful having this front row seat, and the ticketts were free. WOW!!! Hay

I'm sunburned now.. sat out there all day! What a wonderful chicken day I had.

I'm with you Haystack...

If you still need blunt scissors here is a web page that has a number of them
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_hg?url=node%3D12923371%2C518178011%2C518214011&field-keywords=blunt+scissors&x=17&y=23

Wow, Catscan outdid me on that one! Excellent poosical, I mean musical, efforts!

I've been studying for my last final....groan....wind law. I can't wait to be finished. Poo....

wren - good find. Mine are similar to #2 on that page. For some reason, the silkies don't seem to like their head being "confined" in my hand, so they do tend to move it about. Another good tip, use a long bladed pair, even if it doesn't have rounded tips, open the scissors wide, and do the trimming with the part of the blade closest to the middle joint part, so that the points of the blades are further away from the eyes. Again, less chance for a random poke in the eye.

What a great picture Catscan. That is one beautiful chicken. I like pigtails!!! :D

I just realized, Catscan, that you have not in fact renewed your pooetry license, not to mention your poosical license, nor your permit for dancing the poolka. This is a very poo(r) showing on your part. Of course, if you proceed with the silkie trim and post pictures, we might let you off the shovel, I mean, hook. Otherwise the fee for said licenses may increase dispropootionately.

I smell litigation in your phewture..........