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Barnyard Buddies:  Silkies anyone?  |
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dandelionhouse
True Blue Farmgirl
205 Posts
Debbie
Plymouth
Mass
USA
205 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 07:31:55 AM
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Hi girls!
I'm a new here on the connection and having fun! I have a chicken question I'm hoping you can help me with!
We have 4 older girls ( one buff, bared rock,and two aracauna's) that have survived 5 New Enlgand winters. our daughter wants to add the Silke breed to our little flock...
We are thinking about getting them as hatchlings from our local feed store in the spring, then when they are older introducing them to the older girls in their run. Anything you can share with us would be great!
Thanks so much!
Deb~
www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com
home is where we all craft the life of our dreams. |
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sherrye
True Blue Farmgirl
3775 Posts
sherry
bend in the high desert
oregon
USA
3775 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 07:57:10 AM
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goodmorning deb, welcome to the forum. one thing i have found is if you put the babies in a round house when they are young they will not pile up so bad. when chicks pile they climb on eachother for heat or they are scared. the ones on the bottom get smashed. we found that in the first week or so if we used sonna tubes for them they did better. we raise 159 a year. we pull the tubes and let them have room once settled in. you must dip each chick beak in water when they arrive. usually they copy mom. no mom hance you need to show them the water. hold head in water till you see them drink. they will remember it. i use lots of heat lamps for me to keep them from trying to get under only one. i think once feathered out you can put them with your other girls. there is a pecking order so do not be alarmed when they fight. they will just need to get to know each other. let us know how it goes just a thought sherrye
the learn as we go silk purse farm
farmgirl #1014
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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dandelionhouse
True Blue Farmgirl
205 Posts
Debbie
Plymouth
Mass
USA
205 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 11:20:54 AM
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Thank you Alee! Yes, Sherry.... you do raise a lot of chickens each year. We are definitly in hte " backyard chicken " catagory! :) My hubby worked at a chicken house ( 3000 chickens) when he was a young teen growing up in a small new england town. All he remembers was the " odor" from his job there...I wish you could have seen his face when we asked him to build us a hen house for " our baby chicks" that we would be bringing home in the spring... I'ts been 4 years and he has finally forgiven us! He is also always the first one out to clear the snow out of the the chicken run when it snows.. Those silly girls won't come out of their hen house if they can't see the bare ground! Four chickens compared to 30000 is no comparison... We won him over!
thanks for the good wishes... We will continue our search about all things Silkies!
Deb www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com
home is where we all craft the life of our dreams. |
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SheilaC
True Blue Farmgirl
1948 Posts
Sheila
Vermont
USA
1948 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 4:55:13 PM
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We have some silkies, they're very pretty and very cold hardy too! :) MY advice would be to get like double the number that you want, because a lot will be roosters! I don't know if that's true for everyone, but we got 6 and 4 were roosters (hello freecycle to thin them out!!) and then bought another two at a chicken show, the lady was SURE they were both females, but about 9 months later out came the crowing!! We have had them lay fertilized eggs and the kiddos "hatched" them in an incubator--mostly males too, turns out :) We have the Silkies in a different coop from the layers--our layers were so much larger than them that they bullied them easily and I think would've pecked them to death--we put our fiestiest rooster in with them overnight, and by the time dawn appeared, he was cornered, with his head out of the little slit in the door, taking a pecking till we rescued him. Our male silkies were/are pretty mild--they act all tough but then back off when you come close. Anyhow, we like them. They are SOOOOOOOOOOO much smaller than the regular layers, and even MUCH smaller than a pair of bantam black brahmas that my daughter has. (They're in with the brahmas--more body heat for warmth) Oh, another thing we've noticed is that they don't perch and they're not great fliers at all. But they sure are CUTE!!
Hope my 2 cents worth is a little helpful! :) |
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SheilaC
True Blue Farmgirl
1948 Posts
Sheila
Vermont
USA
1948 Posts |
Posted - Jan 24 2010 : 5:01:21 PM
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| oh yeah, their eggs are so tiny and adorable!! :) and just as tasty as the big girls' |
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dandelionhouse
True Blue Farmgirl
205 Posts
Debbie
Plymouth
Mass
USA
205 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2010 : 12:36:58 PM
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Thanks for all the Silkie info girls! Sounds as if we might need a seperate run and coop for them if our bigger layers decide to get " bossy" ...!
we'll keep you posted!
thanks again...
Deb www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com
home is where we all craft the life of our dreams. |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2010 : 10:53:02 PM
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We have some silkies too..one rooster and 3 little hens. My youngest son wants the silkies to be his own little project for 4H. Right now the hens are in with the rest of my girls and the rooster is on his own...to avoid fights with our other rooster. All my chickens are banties and I love the mixed up flock. There are pictures on my blog of the "girls" and one from a few days ago of the white silkie rooster named Cotton. Probably a good idea to separate the little silkies from the biggies. If mine were bigger (the other hens) I would consider that for sure.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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amomfly
True Blue Farmgirl
658 Posts
Angie
LaGrange
IN
USA
658 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 06:07:26 AM
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I have larne abnties and silkies are great i can even add my auracans to the banties and silkies. But no big layers!I have 60ish big layers.
I lost all four silkies in one night due to agression! They may seem ok, but the night roosting was our big fight and the silkies lost! I hope all works out for you. Let us know.
God Bless
Angie-amomfly
#1038 |
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dandelionhouse
True Blue Farmgirl
205 Posts
Debbie
Plymouth
Mass
USA
205 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 6:34:06 PM
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Oh dear...I guess I had better plan on a separate place for the silkes if we do get some! I don't think the " older ladies" will adapt to well from the what you are all saying... we have a buff, barred rock, and two auracana's right now.... what about adding in some pullets of the same or similar breeds? Will there still be hen pecking???
Deb~ www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com
home is where we all craft the life of our dreams. |
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Aunt Jenny
True Blue Farmgirl
11381 Posts
Jenny
middle of
Utah
USA
11381 Posts |
Posted - Jan 26 2010 : 10:20:32 PM
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What I have found is that if you add in new girls..make sure there are just about as many new ones as old ones (even teams!) and that they are about the same size. That helps alot.
Jenny in Utah
Proud Farmgirl sister #24
Inside me there is a skinny woman crying to get out...but I can usually shut her up with cookies
http://www.auntjennysworld.blogspot.com/ visit my little online shop at www.auntjenny.etsy.com |
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1badmamawolf
True Blue Farmgirl
2199 Posts
Teresa
"Bent Fence Farms"
Ca
USA
2199 Posts |
Posted - Jan 29 2010 : 09:06:48 AM
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Silkies are the best brooders by far, if you want eggs hatched, and great mama's, they will out do most other breeds. I have had my Silkies hatch eveything from other Bantam's to goose eggs without a problem. But, I do keep them seperate from my other birds, they are tiny, and the others will peck them to death.
"Treat the earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children" |
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dandelionhouse
True Blue Farmgirl
205 Posts
Debbie
Plymouth
Mass
USA
205 Posts |
Posted - Jan 30 2010 : 5:22:42 PM
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Thank you Teresa! I will heed you good advice.. I think I have decided to add more Auracauna's to my little flock of one barred rock, one goldenlace wyandotte ( which is a lovely hen by the way) and two aruacaunas! They have proven they can stand these long cold New England winters, and their eggs are so pretty and come daily in spring and summer!
thanks again! I'll keep you posted... I bet the barnyard really gets going about all things chickens in a month or two!
Deb~ www.deborahjeansdandelionhouse.com
home is where we all craft the life of our dreams. |
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Barnyard Buddies: Silkies anyone? |
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Silkies anyone?
