ChrisEllis Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 I spent some time with my elder chickens today - they are silkie frizzles and are roughly 4 and a half months old, our cockerel is crowing and today we let our chickens roam, i dont know whether this happened because they first saw sun but both my girls espcialy one started to lok like she was poing, but she sat down more and lifted her wings up, i heard this means they will start laying soon, it was very exagerated, i noticed it from way off, she just suddely lifted her wings out as if to poo but stayed there a while and did it a few times. what does this mean? can is tart getting exctied Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted January 17, 2010 Share Posted January 17, 2010 Yup, rest of us call it crouching, she must have heard that cockeral. I've found its about a week from crouching that she'll lay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisEllis Posted January 17, 2010 Author Share Posted January 17, 2010 nice one, very exciting, and when will the cockerel start to mat,e i mean is it a definiate and how can we tell? - also will our big silkie cockerel try and mate with our little polish hens? i want t make sure the polish eggs that will come in a month or so will onl be mated by the plish cockerel we have, if the silkie might try it with them i might have to seperate them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 It does sound like crouching nice one, very exciting, and when will the cockerel start to mat,e i mean is it a definiate and how can we tell? - also will our big silkie cockerel try and mate with our little polish hens? i want t make sure the polish eggs that will come in a month or so will onl be mated by the plish cockerel we have, if the silkie might try it with them i might have to seperate them? You'll only know for definate if you see, but there is quite a high chance of it happening anyway. He will 'jump' on her back and it doesn't take long at all. If you want to be sure they are from the polish cockerel, you'll have to keep the polish hens and cockerel in separate housing and run for a few weeks - the hens have a (I have no idea what the proper name is! ) 'store' which can last for 2 weeks - so at least 2 weeks The polish are younger than silkies and related aren't they? - I wouldn't recommend breeding from relations, although some do, but IMO at 3(?) months old they're still growing and so not yet ready to be bred from because the chicks won't be the best quality and more likely to be cockerels ... maybe wait another few months if you do decide to breed them. Not wanting to start another debate like with putting them outside, just asking/giving my opinion Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 Sounds like crouching to me too. One of my bantams did the same yesterday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisEllis Posted January 18, 2010 Author Share Posted January 18, 2010 oh the polands arent related, we met the women who sold us the eggs and she said she has about 100 polands and that our eggs wont be related which means i can breed them this year, and yes about 3 months old - i wouldnt breed them yet!!! and they are younger than the silkies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I think Craftyhunnypie says she waits until they are over a year because of the high incidence of cockerals Not long for those eggs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lewis Posted January 18, 2010 Share Posted January 18, 2010 I think Craftyhunnypie says she waits until they are over a year because of the high incidence of cockerals I've read in a few places that a year is a good age too - the eggs of younger birds can be too big/small and so produce lower quality chicks, and them being young is thought to give lots of cockerels. I wonder what his neighbours think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
