chicken information – VJP Poultry

How to Perform a DNA test on your Silkie Chick and Determine its Sex.

June 25, 2018April 21, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

20180613_103403-1 Silkie chicks are known to be very difficult to sex at a young age. An Avian DNA sex test is a scientific way to determine the gender of your baby chick before you become too emotionally attached to it knowing that if it is a rooster you will not be able to keep it depending on where you live.

Many people live in cities and towns with ordinances that prohibit roosters. Their crowing makes them unpopular with city officials. It would be wonderful to know the sex of your silkie chicks within the first week of life. You could, of course, wait until it crows or lays an egg but with silkie chicks that can take many months.

Many people try and sex silkie chicks based on feather sexing, appearance or behavior. None of these methods are always reliable. Feather sexing is something genetically bred into a breed of chicken. It has to do with the length of wing feathers. Not all chicken breeds can be feather sexed. However, some believe that early feathering of the wings and tail are an indication of a female. Because silkie’s feathers are fluffy and not hooked together, it makes this kind of feather sexing especially difficult.

Luckily, determining the sex of your chick through DNA sexing is highly accurate. They claim that the reliability of the laboratory protocol is 99.9%. Many companies offer this type of DNA test and a quick online search can provide you with some reputable companies.

The first company I looked at was PollyGene through Amazon. They specialize in parrots and other home birds that can be very difficult to sex. Many of these birds are very expensive so it makes sense to spend the money in order to find out the gender. I did not see chickens listed so I wrote a question to them about whether or not they could sex baby chicks. The answer that came back was no, which kind of surprised me. I went on to look at some other companies. IQ Bird Testing specifically states that they do silkie chick sexing. They charge $11.99 per bird and you get the results back in about a week and a half. I also had a customer who tested five newborn silkie chicks that she had purchased from us and had very good things to say about the IQ Bird Testing company.

DNA bird gender determination can be performed with blood samples, feather samples and eggshell samples. Laboratory analysis will test for the Z chromosome or W chromosome in birds to determine their sex. Males will have only Z chromosomes and females will have ZW chromosome pairs. It is the females, not the males who determine the sex of the embryo.

The collection of samples is very easy to do. After placing an order with a company online, they will send you a downloadable and printable Sample Form. Print out the form as you will need it when you are collecting samples. An incorrect collection of samples may cause delay in your bird’s results or even affect the outcome due to sample DNA cross- contamination. Always be very careful in following directions exactly.

Before beginning blood collection, wash your hands thoroughly. Use a pair of clean nail clippers sanitized with alcohol. Clip the tip of any toe nail approximately 2/3 of the distance from the root of the nail. Blood will flow from the nail. Place the circle of the submission form underneath it until it absorbs a few drops. Do not touch the blood at any time as this can contaminate your sample. Allow the blood to dry completely before folding the submission form. Check that your bird is not bleeding anymore and apply an anticoagulant onto the area. The blood sample has a higher chance of finding good quality DNA than feathers or eggshell.

For feather collecting, you want to move aside the surface feathers from the lower chest area and find the smaller ones that are underneath. Pluck at least five of these smaller feathers making sure that they come with a visible quill. You could use tweezers to do the plucking. If the quill comes with some blood, allow the feathers to air dry for one hour. Never touch the quills of the feathers with your hands. Never pluck the wings. Any feathers that are molted or shed naturally can not be used for DNA testing. Tape the feathers onto the submission form and make sure the tape does not reach the quills.

The last way is to use eggshells. After the chick has hatched from the egg, place the shell sideways and allow the inner membrane to dry a minimum of 24 hours. Do not touch the inside of the eggshell. Make sure that you have the right eggshell. Use the one the chick actually hatched from. Once it dries, place the entire eggshell into a plastic bag. Pierce the bag with a needle several times to allow air flow through the bag.

Lastly, mail your form with the sample collections to the company. They will ask you the species name which in the case of chickens would be Gallus Gallus. If you are doing several different birds you will need a way to identify each bird. Colored rubber bands that are quite small work well with tiny chicks. Place a different color on the leg of each chick and then use that color for identification on your form.

In a week or so the company will send its results back to you. There will be a separate certificate for each bird tested. They will let you know if it is male or female. Of the five birds that my customer tested, three came back male and two came back female. Since the male/female ratio for chickens is 50/50 this is pretty typical. The picture at the top shows the three chicks that came back as male. Would you be able to tell that just by looking at them? I recommend DNA testing for people that can’t stand the heart break of parting with one of their pets. If you do the testing early, it is worth the cost in the long run.

For tips and tricks for raising outstanding silkies check out our Chicken Learning Center at VJPPoultry.com . VJP Poultry is an NPIP and state inspected hatchery located 30 miles north of St. Paul. We hatch out silkies all year long so we always have stock available. Like us on Facebook to get weekly updates on what we currently have for sale.

Victoria J. Peterson

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The Instincts of a Mother Hen

May 6, 2018April 29, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

20180506_123559-1 The “mother hen instinct” is a feeling that someone has, that they must “take care of somebody.” Anybody. A mother hen demonstrates behavioral habits that are different from a normal hen. Her priority shifts from her personal survival to protecting and ensuring the survival of her young. She puts her heart and soul into her chicks, educating them and protecting them from any and all predators.

A broody hen does not start out as a mother hen, but she has a fierce desire to become one. She will begin laying eggs in her special nesting box. She will be very territorial about this spot and not let others near her. She will sit all day on her nest in a trance state and will hiss, growl and peck at you if you try and remove her. She will only get off once a day to eat, drink and poo. She will appear to be all fluffed up and flattened out over her eggs.

To help a hen have the best chance at raising successfully her brood, she needs a secure broody coop. It should be all on one level without any ramps to go up and down. The hen should be isolated from the rest of the flock. Rival hens may attack each others eggs and chicks.

Most hens cover around 12-13 eggs. If she has too many eggs, she won’t be able cover them all. You may want to mark and date them so that you can know when to expect the hatch to happen. It takes 21 days for eggs to fully develop.

A broody my pluck their breast feathers and stomach area to make a bare patch or broody patch which is used to warm the eggs better. A broody will instinctively know which eggs are no good and will kick them out of the nest.

The hen does all the work of turning and adjusting the eggs. The will be constantly fussing with them. The hen’s body will keep the eggs the right temperature and at the right moisture level. If it is too hot outside, she may get off her nest more often to let the eggs cool down a bit. She instinctively knows what is the correct temp and humidity to be at. During the last week of incubation a hen will stay on the nest full time and stop turning the eggs.

Not all hens have the natural instinct to hatch a clutch of eggs. They may leave the nest for too long or let the eggs get too cool. They may totally abandon the nest and leave it after a few weeks. Some breeds make better mothers than other. Silkies and cochins are the most broody breeds. Brahmas and orpingtons also make great mothers.

Leave the broody alone as much as possible. She needs to feel safe and protected. If she is stressed she can’t do her job properly. Not all clutches will hatch and not every broody hen will stay on the eggs all 21 days. Not all eggs will hatch into viable chicks. Some will die emerging from the egg and some just don’t hatch at all. A broody hen will have a better hatch rate than a typical incubator.

If all goes well the embryos and hens begin to vocalize the day before hatching. This vocalization become more frequent as the hatch gets closer. Chicks are able to identify their mother by the sounds of her clucking. They start to learn this sound while still in the egg.

The sound of peeping and tapping will give then hen a clue that the hatching is about to begin. The whole hatching process takes place under the hen. If you were watching her you would not be able to notice that anything was happening. The hen will usually stay 36 hours or longer to provide time for all of the chicks to hatch. During this time she will keep the newly hatched chicks close under her wing. She will then abandon the eggs that do not hatch (you should remove those unless you want exploding eggs).

Sometimes a hen will kill newly hatched chicks or accidentally step on them and crush them. This is rare but you may want a brooder set up just in case. Check out the perfect chick brooder.

For the first ten to twelve days after hatching, chicks stay close to their mothers. The hen will be very protective of the chicks and will peck, pinch, growl or kick anyone who comes near her chicks. She keeps chicks safe from predators and teaches them life skills.

A broody hen will teach her chicks how to eat, drink and scratch for food. She will call them under her wings when danger is apparent and provide them warmth at night with her body heat.

Chicks have no resistance to diseases that are carried by healthy adult chickens who have built up immunity. The ground that has been used by adult chickens can contain parasites and disease. Coccidiosis can lead to death in young birds. Medicated chick starter and Corid can be used to help fight cocci. Learn more about coccidiosis here.

You will want to place a quart sized waterer and feeder near the mother and babies. Make sure that the waterer is chick sized and not a large gallon adult size. Vitamins, probiotics and electrolytes can be added to the water in the form of Rooster Booster.

Both hen and chicks can eat chick starter and you could also have available some chick sized grit if the chicks have access to other foods in the run. Do not feed the chicks layer food as this contains too much calcium for them.

Chicks are preorial meaning that they are capable of independent activity after birth. That’s why they can also hatch from an incubator do alright learning to eat and drink themselves by pecking at everything. Chickens are attracted to the color red which is why most chick waterers and feeders are red in color. Mother hen knows that chicks will not naturally drink water on their own which is why she will push their beaks down into the water to teach them to drink.

Mother hens and chicks use verbal commands to communicate. The hens knows the sound of her chicks and will not mistake them for other hen’s chicks. She almost constantly gives a low cluck to reassure the chicks that she is there. When she scratches in dirt revealing food, she’ll give a special higher pitched cluck to let them know that food is here. If she feels threatened or thinks her chicks are in danger or are getting too far away, the pitch and speed of her clucks rises.

As chicks become more independent they will spend less time hovering around mother hen but will continue to sleep and warm themselves under her at night. At around 12-16 weeks the hen will start to disengage with her brood. She begins pushing her chicks away and starts spending more time with the other adult hens. Soon she will be ready to start over with a new clutch of eggs.

Victoria J. Peterson

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Pecking Order and Who Rules the Roost

April 29, 2018April 30, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

20180429_133813-1 If someone says that they “rule the roost” at their house you may wonder where that term came from. The top chicken gets the best place on the roosting bar at night as part of a complex hierarchy commonly called “the pecking order.” The pecking order has an influence on feeding, drinking egg laying, roosting, crowing, mating and even dust bathing.

Chickens are a social animal and enjoy the company of their flock mates. Chickens will become lonely for others of their own kind if they are deprived of them. However, the pecking order is anything but gentle and chickens are very aware of their own place in that order.

Everyone knows their place in the pecking order so when a new chicken is introduced, problems arise until the pecking order is reestablished again. Pecking order rank determines the order in which chickens are allowed access to food, water and sleeping spot.

The top chicken is usually the strongest and healthiest. It is their responsibility to protect and take care of the flock, keeping it safe from predators and mitigating disputes between lower members.

The pecking order is a sort of cooperation between members of the flock. It ensures the survival of the flock by giving the best chances to the fittest birds. Unless a member of the flock is removed or added, the pecking order will remain the same for a long time. However, it is a fluid thing and is never permanent. The younger will always challenge the older.

A flock of chickens who were hatched and raised together establishes a pecking order early on. Pullets and cockerels that grow up together will play games of running and bumping chest together. The strongest one is usually chasing a weaker one around the food dish. Serious games of pecking order start at around six weeks.

The most dominant bird will be the rooster if you have one in your flock. The lowest bird will be the meekest and the gentlest. Older birds will be dominant over younger ones until the younger ones start challenging them.

Gender has a lot to do with what the pecking order looks like. If you do not have a rooster in your flock, then the strongest hen will take this spot. It will usually go roosters, hens, cockerels and pullets at the bottom. The order is established by pecking, chasing, blocking from food and water and sometimes violent fighting. If there are several aggressive birds fighting for that top position there can be blood shed.

Pecking order positions are fixed when one flock member confronts another. The weaker will back down and become lower in position than the stronger one. Do not try and interfere unless bleeding is occurring. They need to work it out themselves.

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Flaring hackle feathers with a lowered head is one form of intimidation. Loud wing flapping with the head held high and the chest puffed out is another form of letting everyone know who is the boss. They may also use the wing dance to challenge one another. The dominant bird will come up sideways to the other bird. Then he will lower his outer wing and dance in a half circle around the other chicken. If the other chicken walks away, the dancer is now higher than the other bird in the pecking order.

Roosters who copulate with hens throughout the day are asserting their dominance over the other roosters who are not allowed to. Roosters who are lower in the flock crow less and rarely mate. They only get a chance to when the other rooster is not around.

Alpha roosters will crow to signal their dominance to the other chickens. Roosters who are the flock leaders will look out for the hens by watching for predators, finding them treats, mating and chasing other roosters away from their group of hens.

Hens who are at the top tend to be fearless and boisterous. Hens high in the pecking order will chase other hens out of the nesting boxes. Chickens high in the order get to eat more and have a better spot in choosing where they will roost. Weaker hens have to wait to drink or eat and will often be pushed away by others. If one of the low ranked chickens tries to feed before their leaders, they may get a nasty jab or peck to teach them a lesson. If a bird tries to go out of turn, she will earn glares, pecks and feather pulling from higher ranked hens.

Establishing a pecking order can take anywhere from two days or up to two weeks. Once everyone knows their position, the stress will go down and disputes will be settled very quickly.

The less space chickens have, the more violent they are in establishing and maintaining the pecking order. They need around four square feet of space per bird inside the coop and eight square feet outside in the chicken run.

Use hanging feeders and waterers in the middle of an open area rather than in a corner if you are having problems. There should be three inches of feeder and waterer space per chicken. If you have more than six birds, use multiple feeders and waterers. One inside the coop and one outside the coop if smaller birds are being pushed away.

There should be one nesting box for four hens and eight inches of roosting bar per bird.

Problems can occur when a new chicken is introduced to an existing flock. This upsets the pecking order and an new one must be reestablished. If the new chickens are younger and outnumbered this can create additional problems. Chickens have a habit of ganging up on any chicken that is bleeding and pecking at the red wound. They are very attracted to the color red. Remove and bleeding chickens and apply an antiseptic wound spray. Silkies can be very territorial.

When introducing new flock member, fence off an area inside the chicken run for the new chickens. After a couple of days remove the fencing and let them mingle. For more ideas on how to introduce new flock members, check out “How to Integrate New Members Into Your Flock.”

Humans are also part of the pecking order. Roosters see you as part of their flock and will seek to overthrow your top position. Aggressive roosters can be dangerous especially if you have small children. Never leave them unattended with a rooster who has shown past aggression towards humans.

Doing the chicken wing dance around you and charging towards you are some clear signs that a rooster is challenging you for top spot. Pecking and jumping at you to claw or spur you should not be allowed. Never run from a rooster. Stand your ground or run and chase after him. Grab him and hold him down to the ground. Put your hand over his head and back. Hold him until he calms down and then let up on him.

Segregate any bully birds that you might have. Place them in a crate for a few days. The pecking order will change while she is in isolation and when she is reintroduced, she will be the “new bird.”

In order to avoid problems in your coop make sure that there is always enough space for your birds and enough hiding places for members of the lower ranks. The “hen pecked” chicken is always your most submissive and is often a silkie in a mixed flock. Try to keep to one rooster per pen. A happy, stress free flock will give you more eggs.

Victoria J. Peterson

A Look at the Silkie Standard of Perfection

April 24, 2018April 30, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

20171020_121935-1 The American Standard of Perfection is a wonderful book published by the American Poultry Association. In it you will find all kinds of valuable information on all of the breeds of chickens that are recognized by this group. Their main purpose is to list characteristics of each breed at their highest level. This information is used by judges to help them judge the qualities of individual birds against what has been decided as the “perfect” bird of that breed and variety by the American Poultry Association. It is also used by breeders to improve their birds through breeding towards the standard and by exhibitors who want to place well in poultry shows who use the standard as a guide for choosing birds.

In judging, there is a scale of points that equals 100. Points are assigned to different attributes of the bird. Points will be deducted if the bird does not meet the standard given. There are also disqualifications that can be given which will eliminate a bird from competition. Since silkies have crests and beards their point system is adjusted to include points for those areas.

The disqualifications specifically for silkies include : Bright red comb, face and wattles. Shanks not feathered down outer sides. Feathers not truly silky (except in primaries, secondaries, leg, toe and main tail feathers.) Vulture hocks. There are other disqualifications that are for all birds, not just silkies. You would find those under “General Disqualifications” elsewhere in the book.

The standard weight for a silkie cock is 36 oz. The standard weight for a silkie hen is 32 oz. The standard weight for a silkie cockerel is 32 oz. The standard weight for a silkie pullet is 28 oz.

The standard then lists descriptions of each of the areas of the silkie’s appearance. This is all part of the bird’s shape. It is best to obtain a copy of the standard so that you can read in detail what the standard entails. I will mention a few of the items of interest but there is much more information listed in the book. I will be discussing the Bearded Silkie only.

The comb should be walnut shaped. In the males it should be circular shaped and have a horizontal indentation across the middle of it. Females should also be walnut and smaller. The wattles should be small and concealed by the beard in bearded silkie males. The females should be very small and concealed.

The crest should be medium sized. The beard and muffs should be thick and full. The neck should be short and gracefully curved. The back should be short and broad and rising back in a curve towards the tail. The cushion of the tail should be broad and round and very fluffy. The tail should be shredded at the ends.

The wings should be closely folded and carried well back being nearly horizontal. Primaries should be concealed by secondaries. The tips should be well shredded with tips being concealed by saddle feathers.

The silkie needs to have five toes. Three in the front and two in the back. One toe in the natural position and the other placed above it curving upwards and backwards. Feathering should be to the middle toe.

Comb should be deep mulberry colored. Beak should be slaty blue and eyes should be black. Earlobes should be turquoise blue. Skin should be dark blue and toes slaty blue.

Silkie’s feathers come in different colors and not all colors are recognized by the APA. Here are the ones that are recognized: white, black, blue, partridge, buff, gray, splash, self-blue (lavender) and paint. There are separate descriptions for each of the different color varieties indicating what is accepted and what is not.

Symmetry, as well as, condition and vigor are also important in judging. The overall shape and balance of the bird is important. The silkie should look like a “S” curve with the bottom part of the “s” continuing upward. They almost look completely circular, like a bowling ball when they stand correctly.

There is much more to the silkie standard than I have talked about in this article. If you would like to purchase a copy, you can get one through the American Poultry Association here.

There are also old copies and knockoff copies at Amazon that are not printed through the APA. I think that they are basically xerox copies and have the same information.

Hopefully this will answer some of your questions concerning what the standard of perfection is. As a breeder, we are constantly trying to improve our silkies and have them come as close as possible to the standard that has been set. It is important to show your birds as a breeder or attend shows so that you can talk with judges and other people who are knowledgeable about silkies.

Victoria J. Peterson

Information for this article was taken from The American Standard of Perfection 2010 published by American Poultry Association, Inc.

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How To Integrate New Chickens Into Your Flock

April 13, 2018April 30, 2020 by vjppoultry, posted in New Silkies

Chicken Math is a very real thing. We enjoy adopting new members to our flock and we want it to go as smoothly as possible. Every year new birds are added and older birds are replaced or die off naturally. A hen may chose to raise a clutch of chicks or new breeds catch our eye and we then must figure a way to incorporate these new birds into the standing social order.

Chickens are very social animals. There is an order of dominance or what is called a “pecking order.” The correct integration of new birds is important. You need to manage the pecking order so that new birds and chicks do not get hurt and the original flock does not become overly stressed.

When you first acquire new adult birds, they will need to be quarantined before you can mix them in with your home flock. This is for the safety of your flock. Do not quarantine them in the same area as your current birds. Have a separate pen or crate away from the others. They will need a place they can stay for thirty days. You do not need to quarantine chicks that you buy from a hatchery as these are not exposed to an adult flock that may contain germs.

Each flock of chickens has their own germs that make them immune to certain things in their environment. A new bird will not have that immunity. This would be a good time to give it some probiotics or Rooster Booster to help supplement its immune system. A feed with extra protein will help it deal with the stress of being in a new place.

The new adult bird may also have some hidden issues. Check for lice, mites, breathing problems or discharge from the eyes or nostrils. A little poultry dust in case of mites or apple cider vinegar in the water for general health wouldn’t hurt. Disease can take up to a month to show itself in a healthy bird. Make sure that you practice biosecurity and wash your hands when handling new birds.

It is best to introduce new birds in pairs or more. Do not buy a single bird and expect it to smoothly be accepted by the others. Being alone and new is a double disadvantage. If there is more than one bird introduced at the same time , they will then have a buddy to hang out with. There is also more than one bird to take all of the pecks that will be directed their way.

Always add birds of a similar size to the flock. Larger breeds are always more dominant and will bully the smaller breeds. If you have a flock of Jersey Giants it would be difficult for a small bantam to be accepted. Try to wait as long as possible to introduce young birds. They should be done making baby noises and be as fully feathered out as possible.

The first step is to separate them in the coops and outside runs. The idea is to keep them separate but visible to each other. Seeing but no touching each other. They may try to fight through the fence but they can’t hurt each other. Poultry netting is a good way to separate them. Even just a dog crate sitting in the run will work. Do this for a few days to a week.

When it is time to actually put the birds together there is a few ways you can do it. Some people think that the best time to do it is at night after they have gone to bed. Stick the new ones on the roost and they will all wake up together the next morning and may be more accepting.

Another method is to do a free range situation. Let the new birds out to free range first. Then let the rest of the flock out. There is plenty of room for the new birds to run and hide or just plain get away from any unwanted pecks.

If you don’t let your birds free range, you can put the new birds in the run first and then let the older flock out. By letting the new birds out first, they can find out where the food and water is first. Distract the flock with treats so they won’t be so focused on the new chickens. Make sure that you have multiple feeding dishes and watering stations. The older flock may try and block the new birds from eating and drinking.

Make sure that they have plenty of room. Overcrowding will stress everyone out and make the older birds resentful. Put out more food and treats than they actually need. Flock blocks can be helpful. Hiding places are also important. Just placing a piece of wood against a wall can provide a hiding place for a scared bird.

I know that it is hard, but the less interference from humans the better. Unless there is blood it is best to let them work it out themselves. If a bird is super aggressive towards a new one, put it in a dog kennel for a few days. When it comes out, it will become a “new” bird and be taken down a peg or two.

Two or more roosters will not get along unless they are raised together and are not where they can see hens. Ten hens per rooster is the recommended amount. Don’t introduce a new adult rooster to a flock that already has a rooster. They will fight for dominance.

After you have introduced new birds, watch to make sure that they are eating and drinking. Give them plenty of places to hide behind. Put everyone on the same food and have separate dishes of oyster shell.

The introduction of new birds can cause your old flock to stop egg production for awhile until things settle down. It will take a few weeks but soon everyone will have a new place in the pecking order.

Victoria J. Peterson