Debbie's Silkies

[2ndTink]

We've gotten nearly 5" of rain this past week. A couple pens got mucked up but we took care of that.

Most of the chickens stayed outside in it...a strange lot they are.

But the best news is that CC, who is nearly 6 months old and been called a pullet, then cockerel, then pullet, then cockerel, once soaked, I could tell....CC is a pullet. Yey! The only one of the four. Peachy, Pierre, and Mocha are her siblings, all cockerels but I'm happy about that.

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Awesome! We'll get to see CC chickies next year then

 

[2ndTink]

RIP Blueboy. 5/12/23 - 11/3/24.

Found dead in our yard of absolutely no cause. Possibly a rooster fight I missed. No blood, no feathers pulled, nothing. Our dogs would generally break up any fights, but it was pouring rain when it happened, so they were in their dog houses or in the house. He wasn't a fighter either, so not sure. Maybe he just died.

He had the best butt. We weren't friends, but we got along fine.

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He had the best of the fluffy butts, I'm sorry for your loss Debbie

 

[Debbie292d]

The chicks in the pen up by the house got a little addition (a small old pen added) to give them more room. This pen hopefully is for only two more weeks. It's not HWC, so it's up near the house surrounded by solar lights at night.

Tina, a buff got added yesterday as she seemed to be repressed, mostly trying to hide in a corner or under bushes and not staying with the rest. I think Pierre or someone might be behind that, but she's improved in one day being in here.

Next to her is Mystery, the silver partridge, then the two paints. Nosy, the crossbeak to the left, Louie the gray cuckoo laying down, then Iris the blind pullet, and Mystery in the new addition.





This is Nosy, the cross-beak. He's a little piggy.


Iris (the one eating) is doing very well. I think she's regained some eyesight as I had left the door open for a couple of minutes yesterday while refilling their water and came back and she was out. No others came out, just her. That's a jump to get out as well, so she'd normally have struggled there.



See the white chick behind the paint? When it hatched, it had at least one black dot on it, and its feet were black and white. It is pure white now.



I imagine it's still a paint though. Just would be weird if I was selling her to tell someone that's a paint.

I'm leaning that those two are both pullets but they're only 14 weeks so it's just a guess.

 

[The Coop Crew]

Look at nosy! So stinkin cute and special! Cross beaks are extra work but SO worth it

 

[Debbie292d]

Look at nosy! So stinkin cute and special! Cross beaks are extra work but SO worth it

Thank you! I've never had one before and he wasn't hatched this way. He developed that when he was around a month old, and he's two months old now. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse, but I'm going to take @Lacy Duckwing's idea and buy a fingernail grinder and maybe do a little bit of the tips of his beak. He does okay so far though.

 

[The Coop Crew]

Thank you! I've never had one before and he wasn't hatched this way. He developed that when he was around a month old, and he's two months old now. It doesn't seem to be getting any worse, but I'm going to take @Lacy Duckwing's idea and buy a fingernail grinder and maybe do a little bit of the tips of his beak. He does okay so far though.

My girl wasn’t born with hers either. I can’t remember the exact age that she developed it but it was probably around a month old as well.
I used the pet grinder and she didn’t seem to mind except for the fact that I was holding her head
Her tongue sticks out though and I did get it a tiny bit but she didn’t even flinch and it was only a tiny bit of blood so now I have to figure out how to hold her mouth so she keeps her tongue out of the way.

 

[Debbie292d]

My girl wasn’t born with hers either. I can’t remember the exact age that she developed it but it was probably around a month old as well.
I used the pet grinder and she didn’t seem to mind except for the fact that I was holding her head
Her tongue sticks out though and I did get it a tiny bit but she didn’t even flinch and it was only a tiny bit of blood so now I have to figure out how to hold her mouth so she keeps her tongue out of the way.

I'm not sure on that. Maybe one of your kids could tap her tongue while you are holding her beak open? Guess I'll find out soon enough if I have that same issue!

I should have asked you which one you use. I just found one on a sale, (three more hours left), and bought it.

 

[TwoCrows]

I use this on old birds with long beaks, removes beak material fast, little if any stress on the bird...

https://www.chewy.com/patpet-steel-grit-dog-cat-nail/dp/306664

 

[Debbie292d]

I use this on old birds with long beaks, removes beak material fast, little if any stress on the bird...

https://www.chewy.com/patpet-steel-grit-dog-cat-nail/dp/306664

I put that in my cart to save it. I'll try out the one that's coming Monday and if it's too whimpy, I'll get this one. Thank you!

 

[TwoCrows]

I put that in my cart to save it. I'll try out the one that's coming Monday and if it's too whimpy, I'll get this one. Thank you!

This one comes with a cap which I believe is used with dog claws. I remove the cap to grind beaks, I use the slowest setting so it doesn't cause the beak to get hot. Make sure the grinder is always turning away from the beak, not toward it.