Cara Smith ~ President
Silver Pullet Poultry!
Web site!
http://www.silverpulletpoultry.net/
Email!
zelda73@msn.com
Cara is the current President of our club and the artist who won the contest for our club logo, she also created the awesome Best of Breed Plates for our clubs Nationals!
Hi, Here is a little about me....I am Cara Smith, and I live in the Northeastern part of
I am 33, and married to my wonderful and patient hubby James, for 6 years. We do not have any children and this was a choice we made ourselves. Our pets are our 3 cats, 2 dogs and my birds. I work full time during the week as a receptionist/all doer for a Re/Max real estate agency though, that’s not all we do there. I do the real estate stuff, but, I also do Taxes (one boss is a CPA) and house appraisals (the other boss is a appraiser). The real estate office is in the same building as their other business, which is a Hallmark Store/Coffee Shop so I also work the register and make Lattes, Cappuccinos and sandwiches and wraps. All around person.
I started raising chickens after we bought our house, 6 years ago, so we have been raising them for 5. We started out as most people, getting 25 chicks of large fowl that we picked out of the McMurray catalog. We never intended for this to be a addiction, Hubby tells me now that he should have said I could get "A CHICKEN". We used to go sit in the coop every night with the babies, but since it has grown to 7 chicken coops, that is a bit impossible now. About 3 years ago, I started showing a few birds and trying to hatch better stock buying from Breeders instead of hatcheries. They are the inspiration for many of my artworks I do anymore, something that I still try to be more of a hobby than a business once realizing that making it a business, can easily make me hate doing art and I don't want that.
I have done artwork all my life (it was unavoidable growing up) and only since moving to
My hubby works for a Wire line company which perforates wells and does case hole logging. Don’t ask me much about it, but basically, they put large guns into the ground to blow holes and brings the oil or gas to the surface. So technically, he blows stuff up all day. LOL.
I am a member of two local poultry clubs and several breed clubs, and recently started silkies in the last two years. I also raise Dutch bantams and Large fowl, Black Ameraucanas. I try to travel to other shows outside of
We raise goats as well, just a few to sell and we plan on having a new large 30x50 metal building put in next year that will be the birds breeding area and winter quarters as well as a new garage for our cars. During this time then we will update the old coop to make it more draft free and do general maintenance.
Wow, that’s probably enough....Cara
Name – Cara Smith
Email – silverpullet@kci.net
Web Site – http://www.silverpulletpoultry.net/
Club Memberships?- American Silkie Bantam Club, National Silkie Breeders Association, American Dutch Bantam Club, Ameraucana Breeders Club, American Bantam Association, American Poultry Association, Rocky Mountain Feather Fanciers,
Year started? - 2002
Breeds you had than and now? Had Then- You name it I had it.
How many do you have now? I have 3 breeds I raise and a few miscellaneous layers.
Accomplishments over the years?- Gotten much better quality birds than I had then.
Favorite Color?- Blue
Favorite Bird over the years/why? Dutch bantams, so many different varieties, and in general they are sweet birds. Silkies a close second, because they are much calmer than the Dutch and just so darn cute!
Why did you Specialized in ? color? I raise the Dutch bantams because of their temperament (with a few male exceptions) and that there is a lot of different color varieties like the OEG’s, but you do not have to dub them.
Who was your mentor(s)?
I am not sure. When it comes to Dutch bantams, I would say Jean Robocker and Ken Lee. Both have given me loads of advice on breeding. I am too new to silkies to really have a mentor there.
What other breeders do you admire and why? I admire anyone who has the dedication required to show and breed nice birds. It takes a lot of effort to establish a line and do good matches to produce fine birds. Anyone can raise chickens, it takes a breeder to produce some of the best.
What bloodlines did you start with?
I got my first Dutch from Jean Robocker and Ken Lee.
Silkies, my first pair came from George Mihalik, and after that, I got silkies from Premier Farms and Harvest Breeze Farms.
Do you freshen up the line, why? I do not add in new stock unless I start seeing problems, or I lose one of my major breeders like my only cock or only hen. Introducing new birds in my opinion could bring about unwanted traits that you are not aware the new stock carries. They could also carry good genes as well, but, if you are having success with the stock you own, why mess with a good thing?
Do you tinker with new colors/varieties? Not especially. I do own a Calico Silkie, not recognized, but I am not actively breeding her.
When, how many, with what do you hatch with?
I hatch between March and August only. I prefer to have all my hatching done by August, but sometimes I have a goal in mind and takes a bit longer to get there. I use 3 Lyon TX-6 and TX-7’s. They only hold a small number of eggs, but, I would rather set 18 eggs and get all 18 to hatch then set 100 and get 50. I swear by the incubators and no one could convince me anymore to get anything else. I usually get 100% hatch. If its fertile, it will hatch.
Do you AI/Natural, both? If my birds cannot naturally breed, I don’t raise them. I know lots of people who raise birds and AI them, but I feel after AI ing them for so long, birds will lose the ability to naturally breed on their own. If the birds need help, I will pluck the area, but that’s as far as I go.
How do you raise young, cull, feed, house birds?
All of my birds are treated like chickens. They all get to run around and scratch and get dirty and act like a chicken should. None of my birds are kept in cages. I could not keep a bird caged year round just so I can keep it in top condition at the expense of it not being able to be happy and normal. If the bird is in condition when it comes time for show great, if not, I pick another.
I incubate all my eggs in incubators, and all the chicks hatched are raised in Wire dog crates lines with plastic canvas. The flooring is non slip rubber pads for the first week or so, then I brood them on Sand. Works far better for my set up than wood shavings or paper towels. I can just sift the sand every week to remove poo and old food and add more sand as needed.
Feeding is simple. I feed my standard egg layers, lay pellets and give them a supplement of cat food for the animal protein. All my show birds get Game Bird Layena from Purina, because it has a higher protein % and because it is one of the only feeds left that still has animal protein in it. I also have a extreme conditioning formula that I give my birds 3 times a week during show season. Its mixed in with usually egg and regular feed and cod liver or wheat germ oil. In the winter I mix it with oatmeal for a warm mash. I hate soy. Most of the feeds now have vegetable proteins instead of animal proteins as the country wants you to believe soy is better for your animals as it is for people. My birds were poor health, unthrifty, growth was poor and they molted often and hard. I have none of those problems anymore.
If I have sick birds or birds that are unthrifty, my husband does the deed. I have tried to treat birds for some things, but, in general, if the birds cannot recover without extreme intervention on my part, then I question whether or not I want that bird part of the breeding program at all. I do not want to propagate a unthrifty line. For birds that have characteristics I do not want, such as 4 toed silkies or off colors, I sell them at a local swap as pets. Mostly, they go to people who are going to butcher them, but I try not to think about that. If I worried about every bird that I sold and what would happen to it, or tried to save every bird I had that was sick, I would never get rid of anything and would have a lot of mutts and a lot of sick birds.
Vaccinating?
I vaccinate only for Mareks, because in the past I had a bird or two with this disease. My Dutch bantams are the most susceptible to the disease, so its something I do for prevention. I do not vaccinate for anything else. I want a natural immunity to disease if possible. I also do not feed medicated starter.
Treatments; do you do anything different for common things like coccid, etc?
I rarely have anything sick on my property. I might lose a bird or two suddenly, but its not common. I only medicate with antibiotics if absolutely necessary and I am sure to do the full treatment, 14 days and not just stop when they appear to be getting better. I know some people who stop treating at the first sign of improvement and all that does is get the disease resistant to the meds. Of course, those are the same people who stop taking their own antibiotics when they start feeling better. That’s why the doctors tell you to continue the full treatment. Finish it all. The same should apply to your birds.
I do add Avia Charge 2000 or Probios to the birds water during stress times, and sometimes ACV if they are coming down with a sneeze.
Shows;
Differences #s in the past to present? I attend about 2-3 shows a year.
How do you pick a show, birds to show, # birds to show, condition for showing?
I pick shows close to me, which are few. I have to be able to drive the distance myself without help as my husband doesn’t travel with me. I pick birds that are of course in the best condition, however many that may be. If they start sniffling or lose feathers prior to the show, they don’t go, period.
Your favorite show memory?- cant think of one.
How have your birds changed over the years, positive/negative points?
I have stayed pretty consistent with the quality, though I started with excellent stock. I get off colors now and then, but I cull those out. I recently had a buff silkie cockerel who I believe was causing all my buff chicks to have a 4th toe stub instead of a full. He had 5 toes, so it was a surprise. After getting rid of that silkie, and getting a new cockerel, I have no more problems.
Where would you like to see the breed go in the future?
I would like to see more colors accepted into the shows and would like to see judges not want such huge crests on the birds. They look nice, but, they impede the vision so much and make them more susceptible to head trauma I wonder if its worth making it such a genetic freak.
How long do you hold onto stock? A good breeder is irreplaceable. I keep my breeders that are proven to be a good match indefinitely.
Do you train the show birds to coop cages/setting up?
I really don’t have to do that with the silkies, but the Dutch need some time in cages to be used to them. I usually keep them in cages for a few weeks before show if possible.
What judges do you feel are very knowledgeable on the breed ? I do not have much experience with judges and my birds, though a lot of judges don’t seem to know anything about Dutch bantams. They usually judge them like OEG’s, which are different in many ways. Silkies are becoming so popular, that a lot of judges are rating them right up there with cochins. At the shows I attend, the cochins used to always win, but more and more silkies are winning Champion Feather Leg. I wish judges would place more colored birds than they do. Its always Black or White rarely do you see a nice colored birds as champion.
In what order do you place the importance of different parts of the body, why, what do you look for in each area?
Vault/non Vault- I have seen beautiful chicks with no vault have some major crests and vice versa. I don’t think whether a chick has a vault or not makes a bit of difference.
Crest size/shape- I think a bird should have a medium crest. Its important to have one, but not have one so big that it gives the bird problems.
Beard – I want a nice full beard. I do not want to be able to see wattles at all.
Lobes- nice and blue, no red.
Feet (number toes/spacing/nails)- I have had people at one time tell me that my silkies have duck foot because the fifth toe does not curl up so the toe points up in the back. After looking at numerous birds and pictures and reading the APA description of Duck Foot, what they describe is not the same thing. Duck foot has nothing to do with a fifth toe and what direction it curls. Duck foot is if the fourth toe faces forward like the front three. I have never seen that in any silkies I have had. I have learned that Judges don’t pay any attention to whether or not the fifth toe curls up or not in my experience. They just care that its there. Even birds I have gotten from other breeders the fifth toe is there, but does not curl up. It’s a minor detail to me.
Beak
Eyes
Neck
Back
Keel
Tail- I have noticed that the trend is more for the Silkies to have a tail area a lot like cochins, more round and full. I like little to no hard feathers.
Wings (splits/twists/shredding) I like a lot of shredding in the wing feather ends.
Hocks
Color (talk about each color)
I prefer blue that you can tell is blue and not have to guess is this black? Or blue?
I am striving for a nice clear buff. Almost all my birds are 95% clear. My cockerel isn’t, he has a lot of black in his tail, but, he is more red than the females and the chicks are turning nice.
Skin color- Have noticed the skin color on newly hatched buffs are pretty light. I hope that will darken as they age. Time will tell.
Feathers (how it lays, feel, barbing)
Feathering of legs/feet
Posture of body (type) I have one splash silkie cockerel who’s posture is so dramatic that his head almost touches his tail. He has the most amazing proud stance I have ever seen! I picture a nice type as a nice gentle S curve. Picture a Cobra up and ready to strike. That’s what I in vision.
Go to her website to see her coops, stock, and art!
Sec. & Treasurer ~ Connie Bergquist
Hello!
Let me introduce you to the “Bergquist Family”. My husband Scott is an auto body painter. Currently he is a very busy Wolf Scout dad who works on his 74 Dodge Charger SE as he can find the time. Although he does not do the daily hands on poultry chores he is the man behind the scenes who builds our coops, cages, show box’s, supports the hobby, and takes care of them when the kids & me are at the shows.
As for myself I stopped working as a Realtor to be a stay at home mom for our two children. But I do have other interests outside of poultry. I have been doing stained glass work for years and recently took up airbrushing. The kids and I also enjoy scrap booking and we have even started a poultry book.
Both the kids have other interests as well as they do gymnastics, swimming, piano, bmx bike racing, and 4H. Our son is busy with his dad in Cub Scouts, while our daughter loves her horseback riding program she is in.
Our path down the road into poultry started seven years ago with some chicks from the local feed mill. Our first Silkie was a non bearded buff “Teddy Bear” who still resides at my parent’s property.
As time has gone on we have purchased eggs & stock off the net and from private breeders to build our current flock. As with most of us who started this way it was a learning curve to find stock of better quality, we did find a couple good ones, but our program went up in quality once we purchased from master breeders like Don Jones, Shorty Polston, and George Mihalik.
In the last two years we have been very picky on what we have added into the flock and made serious cuts down to the best quality birds to work with from here on out.
Premier Silkies now only breeds two of the Silkie colors in bearded variety; white, black.
Last year I started a Silkie breed club (National Silkie Breeders Association) after much encouragement from my friends. It has been a learning curve in the last year and with advice from some people I really respect we made some major changes to the club to put it in a better direction.
Connie : )
Email premiersilkies@aol.com
Web Site www.premiersilkies.com
Farm Name Premier Silkies
Club Memberships?
Year started? 2001
Breeds you had than and now? Standard Egg layers, Call Ducks, Geese, and all seven colors of Silkies. Now we have Cochins & 2 colors of Silkies.
How many birds did you have than and do you have now? We used to have up to 200 at a given time. Now we have around 75 Silkies and 10 Cochins.
Accomplishments over the years? If we are talking breeding programs it would be my whites which I can honestly say are my line of birds after all this time of breeding. If you are talking about shows there are a fair amount of them where we have done well in the last three years. In the breed we have produced and sold excellent quality of eggs/birds to a fair amount of people an put together a club while young is well on its way with some great members. In knowledge we have gained a tremendous amount and made some friends well worth keeping.
Favorite Color? Black, love the depth, sheen, and clean lines that make them look so classy.
Favorite Bird over the years/why? Maddy a white hen, she was the first bird from my white program to take us to Champion Row and made my white program what it is today. She was also one of kind for a chicken buddy. We tried very hard to save her and it was a blow to loose her.
Why did you Specialized in ? color? We have narrowed it down to 2 colors white & black as Eric Kutch suggested to me. I am very glad to have listened to his advice.
Who was your mentor(s)? No one person, but many breeders have helped us since the beginning with great advice that has helped us by leaps and bounds.
What other breeders do you admire and why? Two men who have offered up some great advice to us would be Eric Kutch and Don Jones. Both men are professionals who do not get into gossip or petty behavior that is so common in the breed. They really promote the ABA & APA clubs & shows setting an example more breeders should follow.
What bloodlines did you start with? Lines we started with would be Myron Turk, Royal, Travers, and Hattrick.
Do you freshen up the line, why? We have added in Shorty Polston, Don Jones, and George Mihalik. Kept birds with Royal, Travers, and Turk in them. Sold off all stock with Hattrick blood.
Do you tinker with new colors/varieties? No we do not, but we do enjoy seeing them at the shows.
When, how many, with what do you hatch with? At this time we have a Sportsman and do small batches of chicks year around.
Do you AI/Natural, both? Both, as I will AI hens that I want to keep in condition. But all our males breed natural.
How do you raise your young stock, cull, feed, house birds? Chicks are in the furnace room of our basement with the Bator. We use Tupperware tubs for the young stock right now, and than we have brooders built into our larger coop. For older birds we use old doors screwed together, show prep cages, black wire dog crates, and cages that my husband made a few years ago. We keep them on plywood & cement floors with shavings. Tiny tots have paper towels and play sand bedding. The feed for chicks is medicated gamebird starter & grower, older birds get the custom feed mix with layer feed added in as needed. Young stock also get soft food and the adults will get it as weekly treats or times of stress. For culling we have a local swap spot that has buyers for the Asian market in
Vaccinating? We used too, but no longer do and have had no problems.
Treatments; do you do anything different for common things like coccid, etc? Our stock is healthier than when we first started out in poultry. Not sure if it was the culling, freshening up bloodlines or in some cases getting rid of certain lines. But we have also not bought eggs or so many birds off the net either. Our feeding program has improved and we keep our numbers lower so we do not have crowding. But if a bird does get sick and I have already earmarked it as not a key bird in the program we cull it. I do treat birds that may get the sniffles from weather/temp/stress and use standard antibiotics, vet RX, vitamins, and plenty of cuddles.
Differences #s in the past to present? I believe it is picking up each year for our breed here in the
How do you pick a show, birds to show, # birds to show, condition for showing? Picking a show is sometimes about the time of year good for our birds, the show itself, the people their, or it may be a meet for our club. As for which birds that will go to that is up to what bird is in condition at the
time of each show.
Your favorite show memory? That would have to be this falls Western National for our club where I took Champion FeatherLeg with our white pullet “Samatha”. I am very happy with our line of whites and the progress we have made each year.
How have the birds changed over the years, positive/negative points? I have only seen the quality of birds across the board getting better each year.
Where would you like to see the breed go in the future? Some of the colors still need more progress to make them more consistent in quality and hope some of the breeders stick with it on those colors like the buff & grays.
How long do you hold onto stock? I hold back young stock for each years hatch outs, but some of my stock is 4 to 5 years old and will die with us.
Do you train the show birds to coop cages/setting up? No we do not.
What judges do you feel are very knowledgeable on the breed? To name a few off the top of my head would be Glenn See, Marty McGuire, Pat Lacey, Eric Kutch, and Dave Anderson.
NSBA Silkie Questionnaire
In what order do you place the importance of different parts of the body (1-20), why, what do you look for in each area?
In putting these in order it is impossible for some not to be at the top. For without the type, crest, beard, and fluffy tail that is the trademark of the breed. But you can also say the same for the skin color, toes, and earlobes. So in the end it gets tough to put these in any order of one more important than another. It is about the whole package coming together.
Vault/non Vault #19, while cute it has lil bearing on the size of crest and can be more of a negative in terms of the bird getting water on brain if you are not careful.
Crest size/shape #2 I will not own a small crested Silkie, it is one of the major factors for us on keeping a bird in the program is the size/shape. I like a medium crest, but also have large crests which are helpful in the breeding program. We do use hair tape on birds to help with sight issues for food, water, and breeding. If the male cannot see the girl how is he suppose to get excited, LOL But the standard says medium so we will breed with that in mind and the upright globular.
Beard #3 Nothing nicer than a big ole saggy smile of a beard. It does not bother me to use scissors to trim up the face area, or pull feathers.
Lobes #16 I have yet to see a bird without the proper color of lobe so it is not real high on my list.
Feet (number toes/spacing/nails/webbing) #8 In the beginning this would have been higher on my list, but we do not have a high percentage of problems with this in our pens.
Beak #12 Very low number of birds pop up with issues for the beak, which could be more about damage or diet than genetics.
Eyes #11 There is only one line in the white program that is known for the lighter shade so with that in mind we keep watch for any young stock from certain breeding to cull them out.
Neck #17 We like a shorter thick neck bird with a nice S shape happening for type.
Back #13 Short, wide, and not an issue in our programs.
Keel #14 This is something we just learned about along with hips & tails. So it is standard when I go through the birds to keep an eye out for this as young stock to cull out the ones that are off.
Tail #4 Needs to be soft, full, round, and a straight bone.
Wings (splits/twists/shredding, etc) #5 Right now it is more of a problem across the board period with slipped wings, twisted feathers, and dropped wings. I heard it from both Nationals we attended and more than one judge. It is not a certain breeder, this was many different ones over the last three years of us showing. The breeders just need to start addressing the issue and learn how to cull.
Hocks #18 Have no problems in either program.
Hips #15 Need to be straight and in alignment, some of the bigger birds you need to keep an eye on.
Color (talk about each color) #9 People need to start reading the APA standard for each color and get familiar with it. It has been fun for us to make flash cards to help with the process. We love the AOV’s even though we do not have any and hope the Lav’s get into the standard in the next 5 years. We only do the two colors so:
Our whites have a very strong silver gene now and it is an issue at some shows with some judges not caring for the males down being as gray as it is.
For blacks we have the depth and sheen, but as with most of the breeders the off colored hackles are going to be an issue.
Skin color #10 Super, but I do love on the birds from
Feathers (how it lays, feel, barbing) #6 I call it fluff factor, how the feathers lay on the body, whether it is close or like someone plugged them into a light socket. You want the fuzz! Some bloodlines are well known for it. As well as the length of the feathers and how dense they are on the body. All major factors with how the birds look in the final molt.
Feathering of legs/feet #7 This is where I differ with a few others, I like a full leg, cushion, tail, and foot feathers the longer the better. I do not believe you should see daylight through the legs. Probably the reason why we like the Featherlegs period with our Cochins & Silkies.
Posture of body (type) #1 Without this there is no bird to begin with. First you build the house and than you paint it. We have two body types in our pens, the S curve with the head in the tail an chest sticking out and the tip forwards who look like Mac trucks for the boys and girls who act like a German pointer when they run through the pen.
Amy Jo Piehl ~ MN State Rep.
11*22*08
Simple Abundance....
I believe things happen for a reason. We can go down kicking and screaming or we can analyze the situation and look for solutions. History proves to be a great teacher, but it doesn't always prepare us for the monkey wrenches thrown at us.
I was one of those stereotypical animal crazy kids. I grew up in town, so I was limited on what I could have for pets. Of course I had hamsters, turtles, guinea pigs, parakeets, etc. My parents wouldn't let me have a dog or cat, so I helped all the neighbors with theirs. When I was about 8, my mom married my stepdad. We moved across town and were with a block of the local auction market. My new dad also owned the local feed store. Every spring, we'd get in lots of chicks and bunnies. Our family also ran the feed/supply stands at all the regional poultry/pigeon swaps and shows. Of course I spent more time with the animals than at home.
I took advantage of every opportunity just to be around animals. I wa in 4-H for 12 years. I always had pet, vet science, and horseless-horse projects. I volunteered with Camp Courage and Riding High... handicapped riding programs. I was in 4-H knowledge bowl competitions. In grade school, one of the local Arabian horse facilities took me under their wing. I rode and showed for them until a dispute with one of my relatives ruined everything. I went on to lease a horse from a friend for a few more years. When I turned 14, I bought my own horse without any help from my parents. He was my everything. If I wanted to keep him, I had to maintain a job to pay the bills and keep my grades up in school. He was our high school softball mascot, he gave rides to handicapped kids, and he took me to state level competitions in both western pleasure and games for 5 years. While I was busy with my horse, my siblings got involved in showing poultry and pigeons.
I followed my dream to be a large animal veterinarian. My grades were more than acceptable and all my volunteer work looked great on a resume. I was accepted at SDSU in the pre-vet program. After the first year, I was drowning though. I couldn't afford to keep my horse and go to school at the same time. My parents refused to help me out. They never liked the to begin with and loved every excuse for me to get rid of it. I finally caved in my sophmore year and pretty much gave by beloved horse to a family with 5 girls. I went into a serious depression and my grades plummeted that year. I started drinking and gambling hardcore. Most of my friends from back then are now in the state pen.
Somehow my college advisor pulled me out of that slump. He got me involved in the horse unit at the school. I got to work with the 20 or so draft horses and 30 rescued horses that the school took in. I finished out 5 years at SDSU with a bachelor of science degrees in Biology & Animal Science and minors in Chemistry & Zoology.
I went on to intern at a local vet clinic for a year and a half. What I saw broke my heart on a daily basis. I loved the animals, but came to hate 99% of the owners. There is that 1% that truly care about their animals. The rest disgust me though. The are the ones that disregard their animals as simple possessions. If they want to go on vacation for a week, they just have their animals put to sleep...since its soo much easier to get a new puppy than pay for boarding on the old one. Its the one that would rather slap on a shock collar than sit down and teach the pet a few manners. Its the people that can't properly socialize an animal and then blame it for when it misbehaves. Its the people that spend no time with them and then wonder why the animal is neurotic. I could go on for days....
I quit! I no longer wanted to finish out my DVM. I didn't want to spend the rest of my life catering to those people. I found an abandoned dairy farm just outside town. The old guy was having some serious heart problems. He didn't want to give up his farm and yet he couldn't take care of it anymore. My family took over fixing the place up for him. He enjoys the animals and gets rent check from us. We get to bring pretty much anything we want out there for animals as long as we build pens and feed it.
I started out by going into a partnership with my sister. We bought 3 of the best young APHA fillies we could find. Bought them based on bloodlines and conformation and had lots of professional training done on them. My brother brought all his waterfowl out. My sister started breeding lionhead and jersey wooley rabbits. My mom got alot of miscellaneous poultry. She loves collecting every variety of peofowl that she can find. I fell in love with the silkies.
It was too good to be true. I had my horses that I loved. I was back to showing and putting on clinics for 4-H kids. Spring of 2002 I was taking hay out for the horses one day and my mare charged me into a railroad tie post. It dislocated my hip and left me semi-handicapped for a while. So much for riding...Every day I wake up and wonder if I'll be able to walk that day. My back is permanently messed up and my hip falls back out of place if I turn wrong. Just this morning I had to be hauled to the emergency room because I couldn't even get out of bed by myself and stand up.
I still have my horses and even adopted an elderly Arabian since then. My mare that actually hurt me is no specially trained to carry me. I have to use a bucket to mount and she has special cues since I'm very weak with my left leg. No more barrel racing for me...Maybe a few trail rides a year now and i pay dearly after each one. This is when I got more involved with my Silkies. I can still show them and I enjoy just having them around. I grew up going to poultry shows. Most of those people recognize me as the kid from the supply stand that used to hang around with them all the time.
I am now 32 years old. Myself and the family take care of lots of animals at the farm we rent...thus the name "Piehls Poultry". I work as a dealer and pitboss at one of the major casinos up here. No kids, but lots of boyfriends. When I'm not playing with the birds and horses, I'm out four wheeling or fishing. Besides the farm animals, I have 2 amazon parrots, an elderly chihuahua, and a lab puppy to keep me busy too. I still have no idea what I want to be when I grow up!
Let go of old grudges and don't dwell on the past. Cherish every moment like it may be your last!
Amy xoxoxo
NSBA Silkie Questionaire
http://www.photobucket.com/ under destiny_56085
Club Memberships?
American Silkie Bantam Club (District 3 State Rep), American Paint Horse Association, American Pigeon Association, American Pouter Club, MN State Pigeon Association, Brown County Pigeon & Poultry Association, Minnesota State Poultry Association, National Silkie Breeders Association (MN State Rep)
Year started?
I got a few birds back in 2001, really started raising them in 2002, and showing in 2006.
Breeds you had then and now?
O boy....Everytime mom sees something she likes, it gets brought out to the farm it seems like. I've always had a few silkies. Had standard & bantam of most of the following: polish, cochins, frizzles, mille fleur d'uccles, belgean d'anvers, sultans, light brown leghorns, wyndottes, light sussex, phoenix, rocks, and old english. Now we are down to the silkies, bantam light brown leghorns, standard cochins, standard BLR wyndottes, and standard SC minorcas for chickens. We also raise lots of waterfowl...african geese, pomeranian saddleback geese, call ducks, mandarin ducks, and a few rouens. There's aout 30 heritage breed turkeys and at least 20 peafowl. Fancy breed pegeons: pomeranian pouters, modenas, komorner tumblers, bohemian pouters and american show racers.
Accomplishments over the years?
Overcoming my shyness and OCD. From years of showing horse, I am used to putting lots of effort into getting animals ready for shows. If I commit to something, I make sure its done right. Stepping out of my shell and just meeting people has been a major hurdle. I've recently been named the ASBC district 3 MN state Rep. I've made the front page of my local paper twice in the last 6 months with the silkies. I go to shows to meet people and learn. Winning, while it would be a nice reflection of my work, isn't the main priority.
Favorite Color?
Do I have to pick just one? A white that is gleaming in the show is brilliant. They are also a pain in the butt to keep looking that way. A perfect black is just as gorgeous, but very hard to capture in a photograph. The splash and partridge are so much fun since they change colors so much over the first year. A clear golden buff is something I have never seen in person yet.
Favorite Bird over the years/why?
There's been quite a few. Henry was a splash jersey giant. My first chicken ever and he thought he was a lapdog. Vin Diesel is my black shoulder peacock that sits and visits with me while I'm doing chores every morning. I rescued him out a snowbank one year and he now doesn't have any toes. I think he's eternally gateful or maybe just being nosy. There's Louis Vitton the royal palm turkey tom. He knows his name and will come when called. He'll also dance and strut for all my friends at their feet. He also knows the difference between those and the door to door salesman. He acts as my guard dog and won't let them out of their vehicles. There's Richard and Ruthie the mille fleurs that live in my brothers pigeon coop in town. The neighbors actually love the lil farts and petitioned the cops to let us have them. I have so many favorite silkies that its hard to start naming them. Some love getting ready for shows and they love watching tv while they dry.
Why did you specialize in any color?
It came down to a matter of pen space and quality. There's soo many I'd love too keep, but if I want to keep them separate from the ones I plan on breeding, then I better get a degree in carpentry. It costs me an arm and leg to hire people to build them for me. I'm expanding as finances allow.
Who was your mentor (s)?
Dr. Larry Insley...he was the professor out at SDSU that turned my life around. He too in extreme rescue horses through the University and called them his "teaching horses". He eventually lost his job because the school thought that those horses should be sent off to a slaughter plant and no more money wasted on them. Doc walked out and quit.
As far as the birds, there are many...Al Christle, Merle Frank, Trevor Nau, Bobby Kosek, Doug Grams, Paul Lepinski.
As for the biggest inspiration...it has to be my brother Joe. He hates the silkies and it gives me all the more encouragement just to prove him wrong about the breed.
What other breeders do you admire and why?
Bobbi Porto, Danny Ledford, Deb Steinberg, Shorty Polston, Eddy Travers, Connie Bergquist...They value their birds and take care of them. The value quality over quanity. While they have extremely good birds, they also practice humility. They aren't trying to monopolize the breed and discredit other breeders in their quest for perfection.
What bloodlines did you start with?
O man...do I really have to admit this. I made the standard newbie mistakes at first. I bought whatever I could get my hands on at swaps. I had no idea what quality was back then. Then I wanted more than just whites. so I sent for hatching eggs. More crap! It took until at least 2006 to get my act together. I bought those Shorty Polston whites from Danny Ledford. I then realized the huge difference in quality.
Most of my other colors came from Bobbi Porto. I got a couple pairs from Jenny Linton when she got rid of some of her old birds. This last summer I added more black & whites from Connie Bergquist.
Do you freshin up the line, why?
I don't keep hundreds of birds. Even with carefull records, I could soon be doing a lot of inbreeding if I never added new birds. I like how predictable my old birds are, but I'm always on a quest for better. It also takes a lot for me to keep a bird back for my breeding program. I make cuts all year long to the babies I save back. Sometimes a new bird gives me a shortcut to fixing something in my own program.
Do you tinker with new colors (varieties)?
I did for quite a few years. I had calicos and tortoise that were gorgeous. There's only so many of them you can place in pet homes though. I got sick of feeding a lot of good birds just to send them off to an Asians dinner table. I do have lavendar running in my splash birds. I was also given a beautiful lavendar cockerel from Bobbi last year. If I get some lavendars, hey cool, but I'm not concentrating on them. My silver gened whites are also throwing a good number of nice greys and a few red pyles each year too. They aren't something I plan on, just sell them off.
When, how many, with what do you hatch with?
As for in the house, I have a separate room in the basement set up just for the incubators and brooder tubs. I have 2 of the old 400 egg redwood incubators. I have 2 of the styrofoam hovabators if all else fails too. I use huge plastic rubbermaid tubs with heat lamps for brooders for the first couple weeks. After that they are kicked out to a larger pen in the garage with heat lamps.
I keep less than 60 silkies for breeding. I have two 10x12 pens and five 4x10 pens. I keep them separated by colors in those. I have about 30 hanging wire rabbit cages that I can put pairs or trios in. There are 2 growout pens outside for the older cockerels. Inside the barn there are 2 more 10x20 pens for young birds. Soon to be more...I have all the wire and 2x4s ready to go. The ducks and geese have a separate 2 acre fenced off area with an old manure pit for a pond and a old shed to go in.
All together, we hatched probalby about 800 babies this last year. About 400 of those were silkies. About 90% are sold before they are a week old. Lots of peachicks, turkey poults, ducklings, goslings, and other chickens.
Do you AI/Natural, both?
Yeah I know how to do AI on pigs, sheep, horses, and cattle. I had to learn that back in college. Yes, I felt like a pervert every time I had to do it. I've seen instructions on how to do chickens, bu have yet to try it. Its not exactly something I'd brag about at work when I get the common question, "So what did you do today?"
How do you raise your young stock, cull, feed, house birds?
I have a separate room set up in the basement for just incubating and brooding. They stay down there til they are big enough to go out to the garage pen. If they are still around, they go out to the grow out pens in the barn. I've been fortunate enough to sell the babies usually by the time they are a week old.
I keep back the very best out of the first 2 batches in January. Then I have something to show in the fall. If they turn out to be cockerels, they get sold. I also keep back a few out of the last batch in summer just to get some pullets for next spring. Everything else in between is for sale as soon as it is hatched.
Culling starts at day 1. Slipped legs and stuff like that are put out of their misery right away. I don't bother with taping or wiring legs. I haven't seen a crossbeak in 2 years. but they also get the same treatment. Most of the chicks are sold by the time they are a week old. If by chance they are still here at 4-6weeks, I evaluate them on quality. Pet quality is sold at chick prices at swaps or for snake food. If need be I have a list of Asian buyers at my fingertips too. I'm looking at toe spacing, feathering to mid toes, combs, skin color, etc at this stage. Older birds also get sold if they aren't up to par with their siblings.
I don't do anything too special for feeding. The get chick starter til they are big enough to eat pellets. Then everything goes on the 18% Kent Multiflock Showtail formula. They get that as adults too. In winter, I might add some crack corn and black oil sunflower seed for extra fat and energy. Those pellets already have added vitamins, minerals, and probiotics. I don't need to supplement layer mash, oyster shell, or anything. Nothing special for housing either. They get heated pet bowls in winter and water is changed daily. The barn has concrete floors. I use sand and kitty litter as a base in the pens. In nice weather, I use just that and rake it out once a week. Now that its colder, I use a few inches of shavings in the pens too.
Vaccinating?
My pigeons get done twice a year for PMV and Paratyphoid. Chickens are au natural.
Treatments; do you use anything different for common things like cocid, etc?
I do spray all my birds with Adams Flea & Tick about once a month. I use Ivermectin in their water and a couple drops on their legs twice per year. If I do notice any sniffling, I might treat their water with Tylan. Never had a problem with coccid yet. Then again, I keep things clean. If I do get a bird that seems to be losing a lot of weight, I'll separate them up to the front rabbit cages and see if they pull out of it. The burn barrel is close enough.
Differences #'s in the past to present?
I'm seeing a lot more of the new poultry people steering to the silkies. I'm seeing them as pets more than anything now. More and more towns are allowing poultry and silkies seem really popular as housepets. I've also seen a lot of them used therapy animals in hospitals, schools, and nursing homes.
How do you pick a show, birds to show, # birds to show, condition for showing?
Finances... Right now I can only travel so far and afford to take limited time off work. I'd love to eventually go to national shows, but I also have to have enough money set aside to pay my current bills first. I won't rack up a huge credit card debt just for a bird show.
Number of birds depends on the entry fees, how much time I have available the week prior to bathe birds, and how many birds are currently in condition. Vehicle space isn't the issue. I can always take the horse trailer if need be.
Condition for showing is self explanatory. If you keep them in breeding pens, the birds pull out feathers and of course they aren't looking as good as they could. Then we always have that molting factor in fall. Sometimes you can sign one of your best birds up and it never fails...its usually about 2 days before the show that they start dropping all their feathers. Its also fun when you have a pullet or hen that goes broody on you at the last minute.
Your favorite show memory?
I was at the MN State Pigeon show this fall. The modena breeders are hardcore about their showing. Well one of the main guys dyed one of his white modenas all different shades of blue, pink, and yellow. He entered it as AOV. He'd keep bringing it up for the classes and "Oh its not his turn yet?" Everyone got a good laugh over that.
How have the birds changed over the years; positive/negative points?
I've seen bigger crests for sure. Good in a way, but some are getting too large that they cannot see without some grooming. I'm seeing better quality as far as feet and foot feathering. Combs have gone from nickle to quarter sized down to maybe dime sized. Less bumpy and less points coming off of them. I'm seeing more wing faults now. People are finally starting to crack down on keeping colors separated.
Where would you like to see the breed go in the future?
I'd like to see more incentives for breeders to keep on showing. I want to see more club involvement at shows. Shows are intimidating to newbies. Have somewhere that they can even just meet other breeders from the area and ask questions. Awards at the breed level would be a great addition.
How long do you hold on to stock?
Some are here for life. They have earned their status. I have a couple old hens that no longer lay. They pull their weight by hatching out peafowl in the summer for me. Pullets and cockerels are watched closely to see if they are throwing noticeable flaws. I don't care how perfect they look, if they are throwing crap they are gone.
Do you train the show birds to coop cages & setting up?
Not really...those hanging wire rabbit cages seem to help with that. It tames them down and they are used to people constantly in by them then.
What judges do you feel are very knowledgeable on the breed?
Since I don't show a lot of the national shows, its hard for me to comment on this one. I believe that every single one has different interpretations of the standard and slightly different priorities than each other.
In what order do you place the importance of the parts of the body, why, what do you look for in each area?
*I arranged them from the most important to least...
Posture of Body (type)~ self explanatory; heck otherwise lets try crossing a leghorn with a silkie to get them laying more and less broody...Just Kidding! Just because it doesn't have barbicels in the feathers, don't make it a silkie in my eyes.
Feathers~ After all if it doesn't have silkied feathers, it might as well be shown as a cochin or wyndotte right? I do give preference to those that have the double down and abnormally long down.
Feet~ I have no tolerance for birds with 4 toes or that throw them. I do see an occasional 6th toe or claw, but its just something I don't like. I'm also very big stickler on toe spacing. I raise enough birds that anything less than perfect can hit the road.
Skin color~ I like the deep mulberry. Occassionally I'll allow a bit lighter in the splash. Red is gone.
Combs~ I hate the huge bumpy combs! I want the nice lil wad of bubble gum. Single combs are automatic goners. I tolerate a couple of points off the comb so far, but its something I'm working on in the future.
Crest Size & Shape~ I like to see the huge crests, although most of mine are medium. I do keep multiple roosters in pens over winter, so crests aren't always looking perfect on mine al the time.
Wings~ This one is one of my most recent priorities. I've never really had a complaint about it til this year. Its been popping up in some of my blacks. I'll still have to use one of the roosters this year that is causing it simply because he has no off color in the hackles.
Color~ I've worked the last 2 years to get any off colors out of my blacks. Still too common of a problem all over the US. I have the silver gene whites. Some are so extreme that they look like the have a pewter undertone. I like to keep my splash vibrant. I don't like the ones that look washed out. I have dark blues, but I'd like to lighten up the color a bit.
Feathering of legs & feet~ I want massive feathering at least to mid toe. I give preference to those that have it all the way to 5th toes.
Tail~ I like them nice and full with as little hard feathering as possible.
Beard~ I want a full beard. Period. None of that sparse crap where you have to wonder if you pluck a couple feathers whether or not they could be shown as NB.
Back~ I like it nice and short.
Hocks~No vulture hocks, its pretty rare to have them pop up here anyways.
Vault & Non Vault~ doesn't make much difference to me. My blacks are coming out with such huge vaults that they are having problems pecking out of the shell by themselves though.
Beak~ I had a few cross beaked birds show up a few years ago. Elimanated the hen causing it and haven't had one since.
Keel~ Another thing thats not much of an issue. They can find PQ homes pretty easily.
Lobes~ Eyes, Neck, Hips~Haven't had problems with these so for.
Ken Splett ~ South Dakota
Email: kenj@gwtc.net
Ken started down his road with Silkies 4 years
ago with blues and now has blue & splashes.
He has only just started showing his Silkies in
the midwest this year, but he is already doing
very well.
NSBA Questionaire
Year Started?
2004
How many birds did you have than and do you have now?
Started with 6 and now have 14.
What do I want to accomplis over the years?
To get a bigger crest and better toe seperation.
Favorite color?
Blue
Favorite bird over the years?
A splash named "Becky", the one the whole family fell in love with the first time we seen her.
Why did you specialize in any color?
1. We like the color blue.
2. Not to many around.
Who was you mentor (s)?
No one till I met Connie Bergquist
What bloodlines did you start with?
Hatchery Pullets
Do you freshen up the line?
Yes
Do you tinker with other varieties?
No
Do you AI or Natural, both?
Natural
How do you raise your young stock, cull, feed, house birds?
I start to cull after a couple weeks of age starting with the toes. I have to have good seperatio right away.
Vaccinating?
Not on a regular basis
How do you pick a show, birds to show, # birds to show, condition for showing?
Start with picking birds with good toes, body shape, and crest.
How long do you hold onto stock?
One or two years.
Do you train the show birds to coop cages & setting up?
To a point.
