4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[fuzzydoguk]

Hi all, we have 4 birds 2 silkie bantams, 1 bluebelle and 1 blackrock living happily together in the garden.

 

All was well until we returned from holiday to hear one of our silkies crowing loudly!! Now obviously as time has gone on its clear she is a he and what a lovely looking proud boy he is!

 

All of the chickens are between 18 and 21 weeks old and we have had no eggs as yet from any.

 

BUT that has given us a few probems and questions i need answering, firstly the noise was as issue (crowing at 6am in a crowded suburb not good) We have solved this by waiting until there all asleep in the coop then moving Posie the cockerel to a small run and house set up in the cellar!!! She er i mean HE is then fine till about 8 when I let her out before work and touch wood no one has moaned....yet

 

The next problem though is what do we do about the girls, I mean we would love to raise chicks but how do we know when eggs are eggs and when they are fertile?

 

What do we then do with the eggs if we think they are ferile, ive looked at incubators and would like to go that route.

 

Also when is it likely for chicks to be hatched is it only seasonal if so when?

 

Loads of questions and i appreciate any help, I KNOW we dont need a cockerel and i have spoken to all neighbours who say they love the sound of him, I have Promised if anyone complains he will go but he is so lovely and we have had the 2 bantams from 8 weeks old so i dont want to loose him, any advice thanks!

 

James

[Redwing]

Silkies are very tricky when it comes to working out if they are boys or giirls so I bet there are lots of surprise cockerels about

 

You can eat fertilised eggs but its not encouraged that you should sell them

 

Eggs for incubating should be a reasonable size so when the girl starts laying her eggs will be small for a while so you are better off waiting a bit

 

You can't really tell that an egg is fertile, you need to put some in an incubator and candfle them after a few days (then discard them or leave them in the incubator for hatching)

 

One question to ask yourself is why you want to hatch eggs? do you have plans on what you will do with them when they are older?

 

You will need a brooder and lamp if hatching by incubator for the chicks and also separate housing for them when they are older, also bear in mind that due to the difficulty sexing Silkies you may need to wait a while before you can tell the girls from the boys and then waht to do with the boys!

 

Also a cockerel in a small group may make a nuisance of themselves and the girls may start to look motheaten and under the weather after a while

 

A good time to hatch is spring time however breeders may choose hatch all year round with no problems but the egg fertility rate declines when its cooler, bear in mind they need to be indoors longer in colder weather

 

I'm not trying to put you off! at least your cockerel is on the small side so may be easier to handle as the hormones kick in

[laurmurf]

Hi all, we have 4 birds 2 silkie bantams, 1 bluebelle and 1 blackrock living happily together in the garden.

 

All was well until we returned from holiday to hear one of our silkies crowing loudly!! Now obviously as time has gone on its clear she is a he and what a lovely looking proud boy he is!

 

All of the chickens are between 18 and 21 weeks old and we have had no eggs as yet from any.

 

BUT that has given us a few probems and questions i need answering, firstly the noise was as issue (crowing at 6am in a crowded suburb not good) We have solved this by waiting until there all asleep in the coop then moving Posie the cockerel to a small run and house set up in the cellar!!! She er i mean HE is then fine till about 8 when I let her out before work and touch wood no one has moaned....yet

 

The next problem though is what do we do about the girls, I mean we would love to raise chicks but how do we know when eggs are eggs and when they are fertile?

Assumethat he will be treading each of the girls either within or out of your sight - then assume all the eggs will be fertile.

What do we then do with the eggs if we think they are ferile, ive looked at incubators and would like to go that route.

You can still eat - and sell - fertile eggs. they've got to be kept cool though, so the germ (the baby chick) doesn't develop. You won't be able to (or want? ) to hatch all the eggs you've got. And you'll need somewhere for all the hatched chicks to go (your garden? other homes? your freezer?)

Also when is it likely for chicks to be hatched is it only seasonal if so when?

If you hatch at colder times of the year then you'll have lots of chicks to keep warm somewhere indoors and that will need to stay indoors until they're old enough to withstand the rigours.

Loads of questions and i appreciate any help, I KNOW we dont need a cockerel and i have spoken to all neighbours who say they love the sound of him, I have Promised if anyone complains he will go but he is so lovely and we have had the 2 bantams from 8 weeks old so i dont want to loose him, any advice thanks!

 

James

[fuzzydoguk]

Thanks all, great help and really got me thinking, its a fair point what WILL we do witht he potential chicks, have to say im keen to learn about how to kill and gut for food, dont think it will be easy buy its definately a step closer towards my ideal of a semi self sufficent lifestyle.

 

Thanks again all

 

James

[Redwing]

Check out the self sufficiency section for a couse in Oxfordshire soon, the lady normally runs them from Hook in Hampshire