Breeding silkied Cochin bantams to the Standard

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Kind of a terrible picture, but look at how perfect and round this little Splash pullet is already! Absolutely in love!!

 

[NanaK]

Little poof ball!

 

[Chikyboy]

I'm sure you have probably said it somewhere in this thread, but do you breed the silkieds with regular feathered to get new blood?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I have not and hadn't intended to, but it is a viable option if I feel like I need to later on down the line. This is my first year really breeding them myself, so we'll see if it ever becomes necessary. For now, we're doing rotational or clan-style breeding to avoid any potential inbreeding depression as much as possible.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

The brooder babies spent their first night outside! All well this morning!

Just in time for the next batch of eggs to go into lock down tomorrow I've got to get the brooders cleaned up something fierce after the coccidiosis outbreak delayed putting the previous batches of chicks outside!


Oh, and Athena has decided she wants to hatch eggs again, but I'm only getting fertilized eggs from the Blue coop now and I have plenty of babies from them, so broody buster for her. Her babies from last time are very confused and following her around while she's grumpily clucking away, poor things. Fortunately she is not aggressive with them at all.

 

[3KillerBs]

Oh, and Athena has decided she wants to hatch eggs again, but I'm only getting fertilized eggs from the Blue coop now and I have plenty of babies from them, so broody buster for her. Her babies from last time are very confused and following her around while she's grumpily clucking away, poor things. Fortunately she is not aggressive with them at all.

That's cute.

Mocha has decided that the end-of-May chicks don't need her anymore, but Auntie is still hanging out with them and they are trying to sleep with her or with the current broody. (I need to break this one because I haven't managed to sell my excess yet).

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

I hear you on that, I have tons of extras running around still. I think some of the cockerels are going to have to go to the freezer if they aren't bought soon. They're starting to get to that hellion stage of being bold with the older birds and bitey with the pullets that makes them so fun to have around.


Anyway, second to last batch for the year has gone into lock down as of today! And I still haven't cleaned the brooders out yet. Still a few days to get that done at least!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Seeing some draw down this morning and possibly an internal pip or two!! The brooder is clean and for the most part ready now, just need to set everything up and get the heat plate warming up.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Two external pips as of right now, one of which is quite the little talker! I'll probably wake up to some babies tomorrow!!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Two babies out this morning, a Blue and a Black, and two more external pips My phone is low on battery power at the moment, so I'll grab pictures of the newbies a little later when I move them out to the brooder.