Like many bantams, they need higher protien. Most show breeders feed at least 20%.
Nutrena Naturewise now has a Silkie and Ornamental layer feed that's 22% and I believe has extra vitamins. If I can find it, I may try it on a test pen.
This F3 is the one I thought was a boy for the longest time. She's currently broody and was very angry at me for picking her up like this. Peach on the front part and wing bows but back is white
This old lady is my 8 year old F1. She's what you get when a blue partridge silkie crosses with a wheaten ameraucana.
Here is her half sister of the same hatch. Blue partridge silkie x standard hatchery EE. She's a chunk and weighs about 4 pounds.
They were the foundation of my blue egg...
Hatched yesterday. Mom is getting a leg band to designate her as good to move for chicks. Didn't care at all that I moved her to a new spot yesterday. Put the chicks in front of her this morning and she got up and moved to them. All bonded well this afternoon.
Put them on her for picture...
Offspring should be muddy black if they are pure black. That's just what happens with black bred to most colors. Second gen bred to something else you get a glimpse at what could have been hiding under the black, usually partridge. Depending on color bred back to, gen 3 may be close to back to...
Why couldn't he have hatched a proper partridge. Mother was half partridge in her makeup but was black and father was partridge. He hatched black. He's also only an F2. That hen has great looking chicks.
He has good body shape. No split wing and a very proper tail. Even has a good colored comb...
Well with careful use of tweezers and time, my hen has a healed and open ear canal again. This was the hen with the giant ear infection.
The healed over blockage seemed to mostly be overgrowing skin cells. She's doing good for a 9 year old gal. Doesn't fuss anymore when I pick her up and check...
So my poor hen who got the infection in her outer ear canal is over it. Now there's another issue that I don't know what to do or if I should.
The skin closed over her ear hole.
Not sure if she could hear with how bad that infection got but, it's definitely mostly gone now. Guess I just keep...
Dont know if there is a term for it. I've just noticed the feather change and been calling it that.
Brain was in stall mode from blood sugar earlier so wasnt doing well explaining myself
Im refering to the 2nd feather set they start to get in around 9 weeks that look like adult feathers. Mine absolutely get in more as they get to adult size.
My brain is fuzzy right now so not making much sense to myself