The Tweeses

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

So...my chickens Reese and Twix are expecting! I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but Reese has 12 eggs in the nest!

Reese and Twix are white Silkie chickens, very rare here. Twix is 2 1/2 and Reese is 2. They both have glittering blue ears, feet, and beaks. Reese has black eyes, and Twix has brown eyes, I'm expecting a mix of both eye colours.

Reese is being a great mother, and Twix is watching her, keeping her safe

I'll be updating each day with how the chicks should be developing, and, hopefully, pictures of cute babies in 21 days!

So, today the chicks are developing a lot! What will happen/is happening:

-First sign of resemblance to a chick embryo

-The beginnings of the alimentary tract, vertebral column, nervous system, head, and eye.


Here is Reese, my sweet girl! This was last summer, she looks the same though. Sorry for the weird angle, it's the only pic I have of her on my iPad. I'll get more later

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

Here's the proud dad!

Twix is amazingly sweet, tame, calm, and gorgeous, in my opinion. I love this little (edit:big!) guy!

[Mrs Livingston]

Oh gosh how lovely! My sister-in-law raises baby chicks and there is nothing more exciting watching them hatch. Fingers crossed for you that they all go well and definitely post pictures when they arrive.

h x

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

Originally Posted by Mrs Livingston

Oh gosh how lovely! My sister-in-law raises baby chicks and there is nothing more exciting watching them hatch. Fingers crossed for you that they all go well and definitely post pictures when they arrive.

h x

Thank you! I've only gotten to see 2 chicks hatch before, it's so hard to not help them out though! I'll be sure to post tons of pics when they are here

[Esmy]

How exciting! What will you do with the babies? Keep them?

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

Originally Posted by Esmy

How exciting! What will you do with the babies? Keep them?

I'll probably keep a chick, maybe 2, but if people want them I'll probably sell them, as they're in high demand here.

The great thing about chickens is, Reese lays an egg almost every day, and I can put those eggs with another mother hen if I want to, and then each mother can raise silkie chicks, so one mother isn't worn out.

[jemmalg]

Oh my goodness actual Easter chicks, how exciting! I've never known anyone who's bred chickens, I'm so excited for photos!! I didn't even know you could tame a chicken..! They're so pretty, so fluffy, I love them.

Originally Posted by Colby and the Dwarfs

The great thing about chickens is, Reese lays an egg almost every day, and I can put those eggs with another mother hen if I want to, and then each mother can raise silkie chicks, so one mother isn't worn out.

I don't know if I'm being dumb, I know nothing about chickens, what does this mean? Is she still laying eggs with chickens in?

[Colby and the Dwarfs]

Originally Posted by jemmalg

Oh my goodness actual Easter chicks, how exciting! I've never known anyone who's bred chickens, I'm so excited for photos!! I didn't even know you could tame a chicken..! They're so pretty, so fluffy, I love them.



I don't know if I'm being dumb, I know nothing about chickens, what does this mean? Is she still laying eggs with chickens in?

Haha, the way I worded it was pretty bad! Okay, so in a week, Reese lays 6-7 eggs. I can give those eggs to another hen, who will treat them like her own.

Then, Reese could 6 more the next week, and raise those. She will stop laying if I let her keep the eggs.

Also, raising chicks is hard on the mother. But she will still lay eggs after these chicks are weaned. Back-to-back litters are hard for her, so I won't let her hatch them. But, I can take the eggs and give them to another mother. So I'll still get more chickens, but won't be putting so much stress on Reese.

Oh and it's not a dumb question at all, it's hard to explain by typing!

Reese and Twix are from a breeder who uses an incubator and holds her chicks everyday from the time they hatch to the time she sells them, so all hers are so tame! I prefer to let the mother raise them(better hatch rates), but I hold them often as soon as they leave their mother, and although not as cuddly, they do make great pets! Reese likes to sit in my lap while I feed her corn...spoiled!

Silkies don't have the barbs in their feathers, giving them a ''furry'' appearance. They are so soft and sweet, they are my favorite breed by far, and I'm so happy to bring some more into the world

[jemmalg]

Oh that's amazing, how clever! Does the other chicken not freak out that the chicks aren't hers then? Also do you leave the male chicken with the female the whole time?

Originally Posted by Colby and the Dwarfs

Reese likes to sit in my lap while I feed her corn...spoiled!

That is so cute! This is making me really want a pet chicken, haha.

[HollyHamster]

Chickens have ears? I thought they just had openings on the sides of their heads where the ear canals were.

Anyways. I've seen Silkies up close, and they look so different from your typical chicken. For starters, their feathers more so resemble down than actual chicken feathers, and they have feathers on their feet and lower legs. They also have head plumage that is very wild looking. Also, like you said, they also have blue beaks and feet.

I helped a woman with her chickens once, and she had all sorts of breeds. From a tiny hen and rooster pair which were about a quarter the size of an average chicken, to the kind that was black and white all over, of course the Silkies, and then the huge Leghorns, including a very large Leghorn rooster who, quite frankly, scared me with his bulk and large spurs.