Tag: weekly chicken blog
Cage Training For The Silkie Show
Fall poultry shows are coming up and hopefully, if you are planning on showing, you have selected your birds that you are bringing and are in the process of conditioning them.
Conditioning means that you have separated your selections from the rest of your flock and have made sure that the boys and the girls are not in the same pen. Separate areas are important as rowdy boys can break or tear feathering on the females.
You should also be feeding them a diet that is high in protein to keep those feathers in tip top shape. Showbird food or Feather Fixer are good choices. I also add vitamins to the water or Roster Booster to improve the over all health and beauty of the bird.
About a month before the show you will want to start training your birds to be comfortable in a small wire cage. These are the type of cages you will find at a poultry show. They are about 24 X 24 in size. Place the cage on saw horses so that they are about table high.
This enclosed cage will be very different from what your silkie is used to out in the coop. I would start with short time spans and then gradually increase how much time the bird spends in there.
You will need to teach your bird how to eat and drink inside of the cage. A good waterer for silkies is the pop bottle waterer. You buy the bottom where the birds drink from and then place a plastic pop bottle with water in it on top. They provide a spring to secure it on the side of the cage but I use small bungee cords and place something underneath the bottom to support it. I use an empty cat food can. I like these because they are small and don’t take up much space in the cage and because the silkie is less likely to dunk their heads and get wet and messy. You will want the judges to see a clean, dry bird. It is a good idea to remove the waterer before judging starts to keep your bird looking perfect.
The food container hangs on the side. I like to put food they really like in there while you are training them. Treats such as mealworms, sunflower seeds and berries, or cracked corn will teach your bird how to eat from the little container. They will begin to associate treats with time spent in the cage.
Learning to eat and drink from these different containers is very important. Silkies who have not had their feathers trimmed around their eyes will have a hard time finding the food and water in the cage. Use pink hair tape or blue painters tape to pin up the feathers in the crest which will allow the birds to see.
Place the feeders and waterers in the front of the cage. This will get them used to being on that side of the cage where the judge will be. A judge does not want to see a bird cowering in the back. They should be up front where they are easy to see and judge.
The judge will have a little baton that he uses to get the bird to pose properly. You should practice with a dowel or stick so that your silkie is used to seeing it in the cage and feeling it against its body.
Shows are very noisy places. You may want to place a radio by your cage so that the bird gets used to loud noises while they are in the cage. I have the radio tuned to the Oldies station that has lots of commercials.
Practice taking your bird in and out of the cage. The judge will be taking the bird out head first and placing it in the cage head first. You should practice the same way. Hold the bird with one hand under the keel one hand on top of the wings. Birds will struggle if they are not used to being handled. Judges would rather not work with struggling birds. Spread the wings out and check all over the bird the same way a judge would.
Give the bird a treat while handling them so that they associate people holding them with treats. Treats include Chicken Crack, Happy Hen Treats, Grublies, and Mana Pro Garden Delights. Roosters will especially need practice in handling. Sit with them on your lap when you are watching tv and cuddle up with them. You will enjoy it and so will they.
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
Silkies For Sale – 10/2/17
When Something is Wrong With My Silkie
Every morning as I open the pens and start the day with my silkies I look at each and every bird to make sure it looks happy and healthy. The best way to observe this is to make sure that each bird is moving and doing normal chicken things. If a chicken is not moving but is hunched in one spot, you should stop and take the time to diagnose what is the problem. Chickens should be moving unless they are sleeping , laying an egg, or are broody. Broodies will always be in the same corner and their bodies will be flattened over a nest. Sick birds are often in an unexpected spot. They may stay outside in the run when the other chickens have gone in to bed.
Chickens are very good at hiding signs that something may be wrong. This is because they do not want to attract the attention of a predator who will prey on the weakest member. The chicken pecking order also can cause a weaker member to be unmercifully pecked. No chicken wants to appear weak. This is why people often are confused as to why their bird is suddenly sick when they may have been hiding symptoms for some time.
It is important to spend time with your chickens in order to have a good idea of what is normal , typical behavior. I can tell in a quick glance which bird is sticking out of a group and not showing healthy behavior. Chickens have a faster metabolism than humans do so when illness hits, it progresses very quickly. Many times by the time the bird is showing symptoms it is too late. You will pick up a bird and find that it is extremely light in weight. This means it has probably not been eating for quite some time. Feel her crop to see if it is squishy or hard. Check her vent to see if it is clean. Check her crest for mites. How do her eyes look? Are they clear and bright? Is she making strange sounds? What does her poo look like? All of these questions will help you to make a diagnosis.
If you do suspect something is wrong, you should separate your bird . Keep it warm and give it some electrolytes, probiotics and apple cider vinegar in their water. Minced garlic or oregano is a natural type of antibiotic which you also can put in their water. Give it treats such as scrambled eggs to encourage it to eat. If you have a chicken that is hunched over, inactive, weak, coughing and sneezing you may want to see a vet. The vet will give them an shot of antibiotics . You could also get some Tylan from your feed store and give the shot yourself.
There are some first aid items that you should always have at home, just in case. Hopefully, you will not need to ever use them, but it is always a good idea to have them handy. Blue-Kote is an antibacterial/antifungal spray for wounds. Nutri-Drench are liquid vitamins and other nutrients to boost energy. I always have Corid on hand for coccidiosis . There are other products out there that are helpful. Check your local feed store and ask what they sell a lot of.
Vet bills are expensive so you need to be knowledgeable of what are typical ailments of chickens and what you can treat yourself. A great source to check out is Backyardchickens.com. They can help you diagnose what the problem is and give you ideas on how to treat it. There are many other web sites that deal with chicken ailments. I own The Chicken Health Handbook by Gail Damerow. Its a great book which I regularly consult.
Some typical problems include, Resiratory issues (sneezing , coughing) , eye problems (I use Visine in the eye) Sour or impacted crop, Egg bound hen, vent Prolapse, coccidiosis (treat with Corid), Salmonella, worms, and external parasites such as mites and lice.
Chickens are living beings and get sick like any other animal. It is important to be observant and treat what is treatable. Left untreated a chicken can die very quickly. Extra attention and love are an important part of the recovery.
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
VJP Poultry 