If My Chickens Had a Web Cam – Wordless Wednesday
Henny Penny, Buttercup (the rooster) and Hazel.
Posts tagged ‘Silkies’
Apr 7
4 Comments
Mar 10
If Looks Could Kill – Wordless Wednesday
Buttercup is giving me "the look" after kicking him out of the veggie garden
Mar 6
It’s Time to Get Chicks! We Got Ours!
Well, I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a couple chicks to add to my flock. I currently have two hens and a rooster but originally planned on having four hens. Both my chicks last year turned out to be roosters so we sent one to my mom’s farm so he could crow his little heart out! (He was loud.)
Just last night I picked up two chicks at our local feed store. One black one and a white one – both Silkies.
Once we got the chicks home we put them in our little homemade brooder with water, food, straw/shavings and a heat lamp. Our brooder consists of a clear plastic bin with a wire hardware cloth lid. First we showed the chicks how to drink water (and helped them drink some) and where their food was. Since these guys are a little small, I put about half their special chick food in the blender to make sure it was small enough to eat.
Unfortunately, even with all our precautions, the white one (a little runt) didn’t make it through the night. We learned a valuable lesson about picking smaller chicks just because they’re cute. We’ve decided not to replace the chick since we have a small yard and may need to get another chick a couple years down the road and don’t need too many chickens all at once. We really got two so they’d have company.
Since we already have Silkies we’ll probably introduce the chick to our hens once she’s big enough to withstand a little cold. They do snuggle up already so the chick will be fine outside in two-three weeks. This is what we did with our last chicks – the hens loved them and protected them instantly.
So, without further ado. Here’s my new black Silkie:
She doesn't have a name yet, but isn't she cute!
She's trying to figure out what I'm doing.
Our brooder with a large rock on top to keep the cats away.
Since we have two kittens we’ve also placed the brooder in the bathroom so we can close the door and keep them out. This also keeps our chick a little warmer.
Jan 27
Three’s Company In the Garden
My Silkies: Buttercup, Henny Penny & Hazel
Buttercup the Rooster
Dirty Silkie Eggs
Hazel, Henny Penny & Buttercup in their Coop
Pets With Benefits
Our chicken coop
We finally finished the coop last night. Of course we still have a few finishing touches to add but it’s good enough for now.
The hens are living in their new home and are still a bit scared. This is expected since they came from a farm with farm noises and now live in town with loud town noises. We’re a couple blocks from the train, a hwy, the post office and main street – it can get pretty loud.
Every hour they seem to get a little more comfortable with their new home and venture a little further out. They’re slowly getting used to us and no longer squack and attack us when we enter their coop.
It appears we have a quiet passive hen and a fiesty loud one. It’s great to see their personalities already.
Scared chickens
We named the hens Henny Penny and Hazel. Penny is the copper colored hen while Hazel is the brown one. They’re both Silkies and were born about this time last year.
They’re not used to climbing up ramps, having a hen house, or sleeping on roosting poles. So, I need to make a couple modifications to the ramp & hen house to make it a little cozier for laying eggs.
I’m sure we’ll get it right one of these days. Until then, we’ll just take it one day at a time.
Baby chicks
We also have two Silkie chicks in the house; we weren’t sure if either of the hens we brought home are the mother and didn’t want them to freeze to death outside. Even though it’s pretty warm during the day it can get pretty cold at night. We also like having them in the house since they’re cute.
I put together this brooding box to make sure they are warm and safe. The wire top is to keep Pepper (cat) away from the chicks, even though he could care less.
I’m sure this isn’t the last time you’ll hear about these guys. I love having pets and I was able to justify (and get approval for) chickens since they also provide eggs. They’re a pet with benefits.
Gardening in My Rubber Boots 