Chicken Memorials

[sheik]

I have just got two bantam silkies from Thornes (white and lavender). They are about 15 weeks old and Frank told me he thought they'd started laying already, but so far we haven't had any eggs (although I'm not worried about that).

 

But, I'm a bit confused, as on this Omlet page, it says:

 

[silkies] begin laying around Christmas when the hen will happily sit on a clutch of eggs and will still go broody even if her eggs are removed! [...] They stop laying altogether during the summer months.

 

Are silkies different to bantam bantams, and will my birds lay all year round? I know they won't lay as frequently as a hybrid.

 

Thanks!

 

/\dam

[pickles]

thats what i read to

i was at thornes last week as well, they had some silkies sitting on a big clutch of eggs though in the next box

[sheik]

I just phoned Carl from Thorne's and he told me that pure breeds lay from March onwards up until about October. So my bantams will lay during the summer.

 

I wonder if the info on the Omlet site has been copied from a reference book written in Asia or elsewhere, so Christmas would be the equivalent of our March, and summer the equivalent of our October?

 

/\dam

[pickles]

might be worth letting barbara know

just checked both my chook books not v helpful just said they will only lay 1oo eggs doesnt say what time of yr though.

 

Let me know how you get on with them, thinking of getting some from Thornes myself

[sheik]

We picked our chickens up on Saturday, so they are still settling in.

This is the only pic I have handy (reposted from another thread):

 

 

The lavender bantam is *ridiculously* fast. I'm hoping she gets tame by the time I let them out to free range as there is no way I'll be able to catch her...

The white one is not nearly so fast, and possibly has a bit of an aggressive streak in her, she was chasing and pecking the poor Columbine for the first two days - so much so that I locked her up in the eglu a few times for approx 30 minutes to give the Columbine some time to relax.

I'm hoping the pecking order is sorted out now though because everything has been wonderfully peaceful the last few days.

 

Neither of the bantams seems especially friendly yet, but that's not surprising after only five days.

 

/\dam

[pickles]

ah lovely enclosure. did you make it yourself?

[Eyren]

15 weeks seems a bit young to be laying. One of my pekins from Thornes started laying straight away, but then I did choose her for her nice red comb and wattles. The other is still young and her comb is still pink and on the small side.

 

What about your girls? I don't suppose you can tell with silkies, with all that plumage in the way!

[sheik]

@pickles: please see this thread : http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=21418

 

@Eyren: I think Frank said 15 weeks, I might be young. He definitely said that they tended to come into lay earlier than the hybrids though. I hadn't thought to check their combs, I'll do it tonight when they're roosting (they let me stroke their head when they're almost asleep, but in the day they are still a bit wary!)

 

/\dam

[Bondinho]

Silkies will lay from March to October as mentioned earlier in the thread - my black silkie laid hr first egg today, decent size too! Just waiting for Helga to lay one now as they have both been crouching for a few days now so knew they were going to pop one out soon.

 

They are about 26 weeks now though I think, poss older.