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Post by sandyh on Feb 16, 2012 20:19:19 GMT -6
Are Silkies and Sizzles bantam breeds or do they also come regular?
I don't really want to hatch eggs or anything, so I don't want a rooster. I just like the different looks of the different breeds and the different color eggs. I would like to start a mixed flock of just hens. Is this feasable?
Thanks!
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Post by chowdownsilkiefarm on Feb 16, 2012 20:27:54 GMT -6
Yes they are bantam. Sizzles are frizzled silkies or they carry the frizzle gene. There is nothing wrong with having an all hen flock. They will still lay eggs and go broody no matter if they're fertile or not.
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Post by Timbo on Feb 16, 2012 23:33:50 GMT -6
Sandy start collecting those various breeds they make for a colorful yard full.
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Post by chowdownsilkiefarm on Feb 17, 2012 12:43:55 GMT -6
Be careful because some breeds can be aggressive towards new comers to the flock. Hens can be as aggressive as roosters and inflict serious damage.
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Post by sandyh on Feb 17, 2012 17:48:39 GMT -6
That's what I'm afraid of. So don't want to mix bantum and standard size hens.
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Post by ellisfarms on Feb 17, 2012 20:32:51 GMT -6
That's what me and my family done at first we had no problem. Never new that it would be so much fun for us we now have about 25 hens 4 roos 23 baby ducks 8 baby chicks 8 Bob quail 16 Japanese quail
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Post by chowdownsilkiefarm on Feb 17, 2012 23:35:55 GMT -6
Some people don't have problems and some do. I'm the some that do. I had such a problem introducing new birds into the flock young or adults. It was always the same. The current residents went in the attack mode and I had to break them up. More like pull the current resident off the new resident. Most of the time it was thehen at the top of the pecking order. Then the others followed. They even attacked roosters. I had slw, rir,pr, ee and ameracauna. The phoenix where easy to introduce new members to. I actually used a phoenix hen to teach some young silkie, sizzle and rir's how to go in the coop and on the roost to sleep. The little goof balls would go to the farthest end of the run and pile up to sleep. It didn't matter if we had bad storms or not. They piled up out in it. Thats when I had to move them from in front of the door because they would pile up in front of the door of the coop instead of going on in. They definately gave the dumb chicken theory a boost. But I put that hen in with them and they learned real fast to roost. My phoenix rooster was a great flock master too. He would take care of the silkies and sizzles. He didn't mind taking charge and the hens where real dolls about it too. They took their charges seriously and taught them what they needed to know.
So the aggressive does go by certain breeds in my opinion. My best experience with docile chickens where those, silkies sizzles and phoenix. I may add more later as I remember. But it seemed every ameracauna or ee roo I got always turned mean. One day they where fine and the next I was getting attacked. I had a RIR that was pure evil but a domonique (sp) that was kind as a kitten. He actually saved his girls from a coon one night. Fast acting roo did the right thing and they where all lucky enough I decided to walk out at 1 am and check on everybody. I didn't hear a sound but when I saw all of them at the farthest end away from the coop in the run I knew something was wrong. The roo was standing in front of his ladies. There was a coon in the coop. They didn't go back till the next day and where very leary to do it then but they where hungry. We disposed of the perp to never return again.
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Post by chowdownsilkiefarm on Feb 17, 2012 23:53:04 GMT -6
Tim has some very pretty phoenix. I saw some little tiny hens one day a couple years back that had their little tiny chicks following them around the yard. I don't know what breed they where but they where tiny. Maybe an oegb. Only ones I know of that little. They sweet birds too. It's late and I get chatty when i'm tired.
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