Chicken bald back

[debbiedoobs]

Hi all, I'm goin to be buying some hatching eggs and incubating them soon. Does anyone have any tips, help or advice they can give me for my first time please? I'm so excited

Also does anyone know or have any fertilised eggs I could buy? ! Anyone have experience with getting hold of the Mareks vaccines?

Thanks, Debbie x

[mollyripkim]

Hi, how exiting, silkies are so sweet.

Can I ask what sort of incubator you have and are you making your brooder or buying one? Sorry not able to answer your questions but will follow this with interest as I am going to hatch for the first time this year. I'm going to buy my eggs from the lovely Leanne, pekins, not sure if she has silkies, there are always ads in the your chickens mag and on preloved.

I did research the mareks vaccine and asked my vet and having weighed everything up have decided not to vaccinate. There was an interesting thread in here recently.

Don't forget to post pictures.

[debbiedoobs]

Hi mollyripkim, I have a Brinsea octogon 20 eco incubator, autocradle and Electric hen. I have hatched one adorable lavender silkie last year but with a broody silkie, was a beautiful experience. We are goin down the vaccination route as our girls have Mareks, we lost a little blue silkie just before Xmas so decided to have her blood sent off so we knew for any future problems. So unfortunately we don't really have much of a choice I don't think, gutted as I would love to let another broody sit. Although our lavender from last year is ok, fingers crossed, knocking on wood etc.

Could have possibly have been my thread as I asked for people's opinions. I have found many places that sell silkie eggs and after a expensive experience of buying from a ' award winning' breeder that turned out to have only 3 fertilised eggs from 20 and only 1 to hatch I thought I'd ask for recommendations,

[daxigirl]

Having just bought a couple of batches off ebay I'm left disappointed as one lot were all blank on candling,the other lot has had 4 hatch but they are not true / quality silkies with pale skin 1 doesn't even have silkie feathering. Bit annoyed. I'm a hatcher of Leannes wee Pekins, very diddy. just asked to keep a couple.

[debbiedoobs]

Daxigirl that's what I'm bothered about, if arrange with my vet to get the vaccinations and if only a few hatch out of 24 I will be disappointed and rather annoyed as there will be a lot of waste and expensive! I have been looking on eBay and am reluctant after my past experience for a so called high fertility rate!

Does Leanne pekins do other breeds? X

[debbiedoobs]

Daxigirl is Leanne's pekins in Darwen, lancs? If so she is only 10mins away from me so I could collect the eggs myself rather than them bein sent in the post. Do the ones you've hatched have good fertility rates?

[miller30]

Hi im Leanne and no im in Fareham Hampshire I don't breed silkies as they are to hard to sex and I cull all boys at a young age as you can never rehome them sorry to sound negative have you thought about what you will do with boys? I offer people who buy and collect my eggs to bring boys back if they cant rehome or have to many and I will cull them for them leanne

[debbiedoobs]

Hi Leanne, sorry was having a moment of not concentrating and came across someone else. ( completely different name) Was hoping it was you as 2 others had mentioned buying from you. To be honest I was trying to stay optimistic bout the cockerels and hope that I would be able to advertise to get rid of them.

[daxigirl]

I'm thinking it will be best to let them all get going in the egg production before I purchase anymore eggs to hatch. This grotty weather can't be helping any amourous advances or the desire to lay an egg.

 

My aim is to have a little breeding group of silkies (well that's my aim). Got a cockerel just need to find him some girlies.

[debbiedoobs]

Awe daxigirl that was my plan too, to have a breeding group. That was until we found out the Mareks.

[daxigirl]

Your the opposite way round to me, you've got the girlies and just need a fella for them.

[miller30]

I found you some girls the other day Sarah through my contacts and they were only £10 each but all went down the pan when they never venture near kent or Hampshire and they are too far away leanne

[daxigirl]

Just my luck. Gonna look on Saturday just in case.

[Space Chick]

I've hatched Silkies, and having lost Silkies before I hatched to Mareks I did have the vaccine.

 

My vet ordered it in at the cost of around £40, that was enough for 1000 chicks

 

Once the vaccine is activated it needs to be used within about an hour. It's best given at day old, however, we also vaccinated 9 week old chicks that I bought when I collected the hatching eggs

 

Made me very popular in the vet getting my chicks vaccinated as everyone wanted to see the cute chicks

 

It's expensive but I felt it was worth it having had the heartbreak of losing two beloved pets to Mareks.

 

Also Silkie boys can be found homes often.

 

Amazingly, I only had one boy from my hatch that I found a great home for

 

I'd check with your vet before you get the hatching eggs though. Hope this helps

[debbiedoobs]

Hi space chick,

Thanks for your reply, I hatched 15 chicks 7 was ago now and got them vaccinated. We have lost one due to problems with a vaulted skull, I'm devastated she was beautiful, I had to separate her and hand rear her for 5 weeks.

My vet struggled to get the vaccine directly from the manufacturer but he managed eventually. I'm not sure how many cockerels we have but goin with mannerisms there seems to be at least 4. I'm goin to try and keep as many cockerels as I can, we don't have a limited area for them but unfortunately we do have neighbours! They are just so damn cute!

[Space Chick]

Gosh didn't see how old the thread was

 

Talk about giving advise WAY too late

 

Glad your vet got the vaccine

 

Good luck with they boys! Although truthfully you never can never be sure with a Silkie until they crow or lay an egg

 

Sue, who is currently broody and sat on 9 eggs, I was convinced was a boy until she laid an egg

[debbiedoobs]

Much appreciated, Any information is good information. Hopefully it will help someone else.

To be honest I'm dreading the cockerel thing, neighbours I've spoken to have said how much they enjoy the sound of the girls and don't mind us having a cockerel. They might change their mind though, as I'm hoping to keep as many as I can.

[debbiedoobs]

Here's some pics of my beautiful silkies! 17 weeks old!

 

 

 

 

[Beantree]

They look lovely Debbiedoobs. I met someone the other day who had crossed a Naked Neck with a Silkie and then 'Bantamised' the result. The Naked Neck Silkie Bantams took only 4 generations to achieve apparently. She is now working on different colours.

[debbiedoobs]

Would love to get into the genetic side of colours etc. couldn't cope with the culling involved in developing colours. Something for the future methinks, only at the beginning of my chicken journey