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| The
little incubators I use for hatching the eggs. They're only
12v, so they're suitable to run from a car battery in the
event of a power cut. |
On
04/02/09 I odered half a dozen Silkie eggs. These were posted
via Royal Mail on 10/02/09 and arrived here on 11/02/09 looking
like this. |
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| 04/03/09
- Despite all odds, one of the Silkie eggs is hatching! |
04/03/09
- 6pm and one small Silky chick has emerged. |
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| 04/03/09
- 10pm, chick is drying nicely, becoming very active, peeping
at anything it sees and is very inquisitive. Either that or
it just loves the camera. |
05/03/09
- In the brooding box all by itself. I have checked all the
eggs, nothing else is going to hatch. This is one little fighter
who refuses to give up, we may call him/her Bruce Lee or Rocky! |
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| 05/03/09
- You can just make out the feathery feet. Unlike most other
hen breeds, Silkies have near black skin and 5 toes on each
foot. |
05/03/09
- S/he is very photogenic and certainly doesn't mind posing
for the camera. Still not sure what the colouration is called,
possibly partridge. |
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| 10/03/09
- This clearly shows the 5 toes on the foot of the Silkie
chick. Most hens have only 4 toes |
10/03/09
- Day 6 - egg tooth gone, pin feathers now easily seen along
the edge of the wings. |
Day
9 - Both the above and right photographs were taken on
13/03/09 when Silkie chick is 9 days old. You can
already see the wings starting to develop and the silkie
down growing. The chick is very active and happily helps
itself to the water and feeding in the makeshift brooding
box. The brooder is a cardboard box insulated with polystyrene
on the outside and a red heat bulb attached inside.
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| 16/03/09
- Silkie chick's feet are getting very feathery and tiny tail
feathers are starting to appear. |
18/03/09
- Silkie chick is now two weeks old and has started to dust
bath. |
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| 25/03/09
- Silkie chick is now 3 weeks old and beginning to look like
a scruffy feather duster. |
25/03/09
- At 3 weeks old, it's as inquisitive as ever and tries to
fly whenever given the chance. |
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| 30/03/09
- approaching 4 weeks and she's very vocal when wanting attention. |
31/03/09
- The beautiful, warm, sunny day meant Silkie's first adventure
into the outside chick pen. |
