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My two Silkie pullets used to play fight and chest bump every morning. I worried that they were males as well. Now my cockerel doesn't do it with the hens, and I don't see the hens chest bumping either. If my partridge hen sees the cockerel doing anything she disapproves of (like backing around...

Yup. They're all in the incubator now. I'm going to give it a few more days to see if they're developing embryos. I know it can take up to 10 days to see signs of development. If these eggs aren't fertile I'll try hatching some quail eggs and then see if Mr Roo is doing his job yet.

I have two hens, one's a Silkie and the other is a bantam cochin. Neither of them are broody. The Silkie makes a big fuss, cackles, squawks, builds a nest for herself and sits in it for hours. Then when she lays - she gets up and walks away. The eggs I was incubating were stone cold when they...

Thanks! I once bred some fancy pigeons that needed their butts trimmed to fertilize eggs. I thought maybe Silkies with their fluffy butts might need a trim too. I guess my little guy is too young yet, he's only 5 months. I suppose that explains why I've never seen him mate with the hen. Oh well...

I give mine a mix of chopped greens every day. I save the scraps from chopping my stirfry the night before and they go into the mix the next day. They get everything from romaine to bok choy greens, carrot, spinach, celery, broccoli etc. I mix in a bit of calcium/d3 powder and trace mineral...

I'm just wondering, how old does a cockerel have to be to fertilize eggs? With Silkies is it necessary to trim the feathers around their vent so the roo can mate successfully?

I bought that incubator as well. So far it's been doing a good job keeping the temperature steady and turning the eggs. I just find I have to watch the humidity (at least in the early stages) because it gets too damp easily. I'm not sure if my eggs are fertile but I should know within the next...

My Showgirl is all grown up now and starting to crow. I've put him in with my partridge Silkie pullet (hen? 3 months short of 1st year). They seem to be getting along, she sometimes pecks at him and he just squats down and waits until she's done. I plan to rehome him because of the crowing...

I kept them separated because he had been raised without contact with other chickens and I didn't know how he'd react to her. I also wasn't sure if putting them together too soon could cause problems like fighting or the pullet getting hurt when he tries to breed her. He's been kept in sight of...

How old do Silkies have to be in order to breed? Right now I have my cockerel in a separate pen where he can see the pullet. He has started crowing but only occasionally. He's about 5 months old and the pullet is about 8 months. She has been laying eggs regularly for about 2 months. When the...

Just a quick update about Divine. He's definitely a cockerel, he crowed a couple of times yesterday and today. His comb is a lot bigger and redder but so far only a hint of wattles. I've moved him into a pen next to my partridge hen, as I'm planning to breed them. He's in a closed room where I...

I know what you mean. This is my first year with chickens. I bought three Silkie chicks, one died suddenly after two months and then my white pullet got sick and died around Christmas. I still have my partridge pullet left and she's in good health laying eggs now. But I'm still paranoid about...

Good! I'd have taken her, she looks just like my white girl who just died. But - Canada :sick

While doing research to choose a treatment for my white Silkie who recently passed, I found this website with a listing of poultry diseases. It's pretty handy if you're trying to figure out what might be wrong with your chickens, or if you want to learn about diseases you've heard of but want to...

Wow, I didn't realize anyone was paying attention to my ramblings! :) This morning I was awakened by the triumphant egg song of Ms Partridge. I checked her pen and she was tucked away in a corner, busy building a nest by pulling a neat heap of shavings around herself. She was even picking up...

Well, she passed away overnight. Her partridge "sister" is looking around the pen and calling for her. When I found them this morning, the partridge was sitting next to the white one's body. Normally the two of them would be roosting side by side on their perch. I feel sorry for her. I'm going...

The good news is that she's still alive and somewhat improved. I've been syringe feeding her a mixture of Kaytee with a bit of organic yogurt every few hours. I put a heat lamp over her (but not too close) to add a bit of warmth. This morning she was lying flat on her side with her feet out and...

It looks like I'm going to lose my white Silkie pullet today. She has never kept up in growth with my partridge pullet, who is now laying eggs. She's always been scrawny and small for her age. Then last week she stopped eating, showed signs of laboured breathing and after a couple of days...

I like the black heads. They should breed them as a separate colour. Or do they only occur on the males?

The comb on a black Silkie can be impossible to see from a distance when their crest is fully grown in. Their combs aren't like other breeds, they have what's called a walnut comb. It's an oval shape, grows right at the top of the beak and does not extend further back on the head like most...