It’s grown so beautifully.įood is also provided in the coops. This Silver-Laced Wyandotte hen on the left arrived here last October as a day-old chick. They are brought up every afternoon – beautiful fresh, organic, and delicious eggs.Īnd look at this giant hen – I love its golden buff color.Īnd look above – these chickens love to roost in the rafters of their enclosure.Īll my chickens have clear eyes, shiny feathers, and are always very alert – signs of good health in the coop. For most breeds, chickens generally start laying eggs around four or five months of age.ĭawa checks every nesting box daily for eggs. The youngest chickens stay together in one section until all are acclimated.įemale chickens are called pullets for their first year, or until they begin to lay eggs. Once the chickens are old enough, they are moved down to the first coop in the chicken yard to join the others.

While the eggs incubate, they are automatically turned once a day, 45-degrees each way, back and forth during this period. Here, I have 46 Silkie eggs.Ĭhicken eggs take 21-days.

in Savannah, Georgia – a company that specializes in game bird and poultry supplies. On the other side of the stable feed room is my incubator from GQF Manufacturing, Inc. They make around 30 different calls to communicate with each other, expressing everything from “I am hungry” to “there’s a predator nearby.” I wonder what their conversations are like. They also get fresh leafy greens straight from my indoor greenhouse. There is always plenty of food and lots of fresh water for these youngsters – everything is replenished or changed whenever needed. Chicks remain on starter feed for the first six weeks and then progress to grower feed. Starter feed is a protein dense variety of chicken feed designed to meet a chick’s dietary requirements. And, although it is hard to see, the Silkie’s eyes are also black. Their beak is short, quite broad at the base, and is gray or blue in color. Silkies also have bright turquoise earlobes – another unique characteristic of the breed. Silkies are naturally more calm than most other breeds, and tend to be very friendly without any special effort to be tamed. Underneath all that feathering, they have black skin and bones and five toes instead of the typical four on each foot. I have them in my antique bird cage located in my stable feed room, where it is warm and safe. Can you make out my four Silkie chicks? Silkies are loved for their hair-like plumage and incredibly sweet temperaments. Hard to resist any chick, but the Silkie Bantam is among the most popular.

Martha stewart chicken costume