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Raising Silkies
By Alan Stanford, Ph.D.
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- First and most importantly, keep your flock healthy. (See our General Directions for a Healthy Bird).
- Handle your birds often. This makes them tame for the show and also you learn when they are sick or losing weight.
- Keep the coop very clean. Feather legged birds require perfect foot feathers. Some use wire; others prefer wood shavings. Don't use redwood.
- Keep the birds clean. Once stained, the feathers will not come clean. This means you'll be spot washing birds every week.
- Keep the foot feathers clean. Do not pick manure off the foot feathers. The feathers will break. Just stand the bird for 15 to 20 minutes in a tub of water about 1/4 to 1/2" deep.
- If your Silkies are white, keep them out of direct sun. The sun will turn them yellow (unless your Silkies have the "silver" gene).
- If you see broken feathers pluck them being sure to get the quill that is inside the skin. If you leave a stub, the new feather won't grow until the bird molts.
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