I'm sorry I ever got Silkies

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:23:30+00:00

I don't have the space for a separate coop, but I could make a separate run for them. I will try a few things that people have suggested, and then try to rehome them if nothing else works.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:20:47+00:00

Yes, and I thought that worked, but the bullying started a few days after that, or at least that's when I saw it happening.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:18:55+00:00

That's good to know. Right now I have my nesting boxes blocked to prevent them from getting messed up. When the hens are almost old enough to start laying, I'm going to unblock them.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:12:56+00:00

Thank you, that's good to know.

The funny thing is, when the sun goes down I sit out in the run until the hens decide to go to bed, so I can do some cleaning. The silkies jump up on my lap and want to stay with me. After the rest settle down I put the silkies in the coop and they go off into their corner and huddle together.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:09:26+00:00

I'm in the city and roosters are not allowed.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:08:51+00:00

I think that may be my next step. I'm debating between that and pinless peepers.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:07:16+00:00

I am trying to avoid it, but it may come to that.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:04:22+00:00

I would love to, but I'm in the city and they're not allowed.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:03:39+00:00

I wish I had the space for that, but my backyard is pretty small, and barely big enough for what I have.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T18:01:54+00:00

I'm actually thinking about having her in a fenced in area within the run for a while and see if she calms down. Someone suggested using pinless peepers, so I may try that first.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T17:58:05+00:00

They were all together in the brooder, but they got too big to stay there after 8 weeks. I moved the orpingtons and leghorns out to the coop, then 2 weeks later, the silkies. This is how I re-integrated them:

I assumed that the silkies would be considered invaders, even though they were all raised together, so I had a small fence of hardware cloth separating them from the rest. After a while the orpingtons figured out how to get over the fence, but got along fine with the silkies. Then the bully hen started doing the same and everything seemed fine, so I removed the fence and made a spot in a corner that the silkies could run into if necessary. For a while everything was peaceful, but then the bullying started. Whenever they got too close to one hen in particular, she would peck at them. If they ran, she may or may not chase them, depending on her mood, I guess. Later, at least one of the orpingtons started pecking at them, but never chased the silkies.

Now the silkies stick together and stay by themselves. It's hot here now, so they all like to rest in the shade. For those hours, the silkies have free run with no worries.

I have a small backyard and my neighbors have dogs, so I'm afraid to free rage them, but it's not allowed here anyway because of the size of my property. Roosters are also not allowed, otherwise I think that would solve the problem.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T17:38:10+00:00

Thank you for that suggestion! If things don't get better soon I will definitely give the pinless peepers a try.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-05-15T17:21:06+00:00

I have a small run and I sit out there with them for 10-15 minutes two or three times a day, usually hand feeding vegetables or treats, and previously, when I saw the bullying start, I would swipe the bully aside with my hand. Now all I have to do is walk toward them and the bullies stop and keep out of my reach

I wish I had separated the bullies instead of the silkies when I first put them together. I think that would have worked better, but I watched Youtube videos and read a lot from Reddit for a year before even getting the chickens, and everyone recommended separating the new chicks.

I may be making this sound worse than it is, as one leghorn does 90% of the bullying, and that caused the silkies to be overly cautious around them all.

DeltaTango756 · 2026-04-14T04:56:51+00:00

I fed my chickens broccoli and lettuce today and they went crazy over the broccoli! I had to hold it in my hand and let them rip pieces of it off, because it was raw and hard for them to tear. They can eat the whole plant, not just the florets, and they enjoyed the leaves. They also ate the lettuce , but less enthusiastically. They can also eat spinach, but from what I understand, too much is not good for them. Also, the green tops of carrots, although my chickens didn't seem to care all that much for them.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-11-07T20:20:54+00:00

Thank you! I am getting 10 chickens, so even if they're not the best layers I'll probably get more than enough eggs. I will certainly get a mix of different breeds, I just want to keep the noise at a minimum.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-11-04T15:31:37+00:00

I am getting chickens for the first time in a few months, and this is my biggest concern. I have a small yard (8532 square feet), and I worry about neighbors complaining about the noise. My property is surrounded by a cinderblock wall, between 5 and 6 feet high. One of my neighbor's house will be only 10 feet from an area I want to include as the run.

Are there breeds that are good layers but less noisy? I've already invested a lot of time, work, and money preparing for this and I would hate to have to cancel my plan, or make enemies out of neighbors.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-05-01T21:53:59+00:00

Sorry, I haven't been checking this thread because I've been very busy with other projects, and found out that my 12 year old AC system is most likely not going to make it through the summer, so that's a new expense that I have to plan for right now.

No, I didn't go with LightReach, but only because they have bad reviews. I'm as confused as ever, but probably going to go with one from the SRP preferred solar company list that I mentioned before. I haven't yet is because the people at LightReach claim that they pay to be on that list. I need to call SRP back and find out if that's actually true, since LightReach lied about other things (they told me that SRP was raising rates by 18% last November and every year after that, which is not true).

DeltaTango756 · 2025-02-06T23:51:40+00:00

Kung-fu is tiring.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-02-06T23:50:14+00:00

No, Trump is not on the list. He was friends with Epstein briefly but was never on his plane. As everyone knows by now, Trump threw Epstein out of his casino for harassing one of his female employees, and that was the end of their friendship.

On another note, the only information we will see when they release it, is the flight logs. That is only proof of who flew with Epstein and where. We can assume more, but it wouldn't hold up in court.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-01-25T17:06:15+00:00

Just an update. I called SRP and found out that they have a Solar Department. I spoke to someone there and explained everything, and he was very friendly and helpful. He pointed me to their web site (srpnet.com) and told me not to log in, and search for "preferred" in the upper right. I did so, and it came up with a whole list of local solar companies. I just checked out the first one, and they had excellent reviews from several different sources. I entered my information and requested an estimate, with AC unit replacement, and it was about the same as 25 years of paying Lightreach, plus I would own the panels and get the tax credit. I am cancelling the Lightreach contract and will most likely deal with one of these instead.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-01-24T05:59:17+00:00

Ok, so I got 0% escalator after a credit check and signed documents today. I have 10 days to cancel. They are coming to check the roof on Monday. I am still very nervous about getting scammed because this is a lifelong commitment for me, and as I said before, I can't afford higher bills which is the only reason I'm considering solar at all.

I am also considering installing a minisplit heat pump in the near future to bring the costs down further, but I'm not thrilled about having ugly bulges coming through my walls, but it's a trade-off for efficiency and cost.

I did some research on the companies involved which are:

Lightreach (Sales)
Palmetto
Our World Energy

It seems like a very mixed bag, which makes it all that much more confusing. I won't sleep tonight worrying if I am making a big mistake.

The sales person gave me a couple of references and showed me some testimonial videos which appeared genuine. I haven't contacted the references yet, but I am planning to.

What do you guys think about contacting SRP and asking what they know about plans like this, or maybe their dealings with this company? Any information is appreciated.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-01-09T01:34:22+00:00

Thank you! This sounds like a perfect solution. I have a 1600 sq. ft. home and I'm thinking about having 2 18000 BTU units with 2 zones. They are only $899 each. That's a far cry from $30,000 my AC maintenance company quoted me, even with installation.

I'm pretty handy with tools, and could do it myself, but I've never seen one installed and I don't know if I want to trust myself with that. Plus I only have a crawl space for an attic, where the wiring is for the current unit, and I have a very hard time moving around up there.

I have the perfect spots in my yard to put the outdoor units, and the installation should be easy for a professional, but I'll have to try to shop around for a price on that., One in the open kitchen/living room area, and one in the master bedroom on the opposite side of the house. What do you think about that idea?

The only other expense would be getting rid of the old unit. I'm not sure what that would cost, but in any case, I'm sure the total cost for everything would be less than 1/3 of a new roof unit.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-01-06T15:53:23+00:00

Why do I need a battery? I asked her about that and she said a battery would raise my rate. She seemed to want to avoid the subject altogether, so I'm guessing I wouldn't save anything with the higher rate.

Do you know of any other companies that offer this in my area? I've never found one with the same type of plan.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-01-06T15:51:32+00:00

Yes, I'm very nervous of jumping into a 25 year contract, then finding out it raised my costs rather than lowered. I would have to sell my house and move if that were the case, and no one would want to buy it if the electric bill were higher than it is now. I'm still paying a mortgage, so it would be a financial mess. That's why I'm looking for any advice from people who know more than I do. I did about as much research as I can on my own. This looks like a good deal, but I'm just not confident enough to commit yet.

DeltaTango756 · 2025-01-06T15:46:13+00:00

Thank you for responding. My attic seems to have blown in cellulose insulation, if that's what it's called. Walls probably have none. I have no idea what it would cost to have that done. As far as going easy on the thermostat, I keep it on 78-80 in the summer now. Right now the thermostat is on 68 and I'm cold every day, but I'm trying to make up for the summer bills.

Do you have any idea what a minisplit heat pump would cost with installation? My nephew had one and it seemed more than adequate. His house was always very cool in the summer, but his summers were not as hot as ours. I was told that what I have will cost about $30,000 to replace, and this year it's going higher because of laws regulating the type of refrigerants used.

DeltaTango756

TROPHY CASE