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Member Reviews: Silkie

Positive Reviews

hiddenacres

Silkies are aswome

Posted
By hiddenacres

Pros: they are broody mothers, they are funny to watch, eat slugs in gardens with out harming plants, FLUFFY

Cons: there eggs are kind of small and they dont lay as much due to the broody factor

I love this bird because they are good for show and they are also broody mothers alot. The eggs are not very big but look at the bird they are kinda small to me. They do like to eat slugs and they do not always eat plants. They are easy to let free range but hawks are a big issue due to not being able to see very well (feathers block view).
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Shayna

Love My Silkie Chickens!

Posted
By Shayna

Pros: Interesting, cute, small, wonderful disposition, and great broody mothers!

Cons: Egg laying can be a con since they are often broody. They also require a little more TLC than other breeds.

Silkies are a wonderful bantam pet breed in my experience.  They have funny personalities and are friendly, even with children.  They make great, nurturing mothers and even the roosters are often good with chicks.  This is why some use silkies to hatch eggs from other types of poultry.  The silkie girls were born to be mothers and often go broody.  They are dedicated and determined to hatch!  I say they require more TLC than other breeds, because they cannot see well with their large puffy crests.  They are a very easy target for predators and should be free ranged only under close supervision.  This also makes them fall easy from attacks...
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leggomyegg0

fun pets

Posted
By leggomyegg0

Pros: sweet, easily tamed, super cute, great for children, friendly

Cons: Not for egg production, and eggs are small sized. Not too bright!

I have a small flock of 4 adult hens and just bought another 12 chicks. These guys are NOT great production birds... they are ornamental and fancy... I have black, white, partridge, and buff adults. Show quality of the standard colors are around 7 bucks for breeder quality chicks. I recently bought some of the fancy colors, Porcelains ran about 15 a chick... and for self blue (gasp) $30... I only have one of them, and she appears smaller than my others and not quiet as bright eyed and active as the others... the last blue I hatched myself failed to thrive, and I'm not sure if this is just that they need more development as a color type or just bad luck on my part...   Silkies...
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Negative Reviews

barredbeans7

Cute but not my favorite

Posted
By barredbeans7

Pros: They are adorable and the best Easter presents

Cons: Their feathered feet don't stay clean and they are not social

They are the cutest things on earth and they are so Fluffy. But they don't lay big eggs and they are not social
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squeakyballs

retardacular

Posted
By squeakyballs

Pros: make great mop heads

Cons: No personality, couldn't brood eggs properly, ratty, always broody

So spectacularly retarded that you could say they are retardacular.
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More Reviews

Maggizzle35

Silkies are Wonderful

Posted
By Maggizzle35

Pros: friendly, soft & fluffy, easily handled, great adoptive moms, protective roosters

Cons: can't always see peripherally, easy target for predators

I have loved my silkies from the start.  I have a pair of white silkies and black silkies.  I have one small buff silkie hen.  I have had great experience with the hens hatching their own chicks and adopting chicks that have already been hatched, that are full size chickens.  They are wonderful all around.  Sweet dispositions, easy to handle and one of my favorite breeds.  They never seem quite like a chicken and they usually smell nice. The white hen with Christmas eve babes and the black hen with her adopted eggs and chicks. My Silkie Rooster, named Romeo and of course the white hen is Juliette.  The chicks are Kringle and Holly born on Christmas...
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justin24

Silkies

Posted
By justin24

Pros: very nice chicken cute and great mothers and very broody

Cons: none

none this is what i have heard and seen
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Hawkeye95

Sweet Silkies

Posted
By Hawkeye95

Pros: Mine are calm, docile, and like to be pet and held

Cons: Wouldn't be too useful for a layer since their eggs are small

I have black, splash and white silkies.  They all have similar temperaments, in that they are calm and docile.  Very sweet birds, and they are easy to get attached to them as pets.  So far, mine are doing well in our temperatures of very hot summers to cold winters with snow.  However, in the summer, I did set up a water mister system in their pen and made sure they had plenty of shade.   They did learn to use the ramp up to the coop, and can flap their wings enough to get themselves up to the bottom rung on my ladder style roost.  The lowest rung, by the way is only about 4 inches off the floor.  I've never seen them go higher than that on the...
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mandelyn

Great Pets!

Posted
By mandelyn

Pros: Friendly, good mothers, pretty!

Cons: Not the best layers

When anyone thinks of a broody, they think of a Silkie. 5 stars for mothering ability. 2 stars for laying ability since they all seem to want to mother something, at least the ones I have had. The roosters are sweet and calm, cute as can be.   They are predator bait, being small and usually having obstructed vision from the hairstyle. They cannot fly either, with the consistency of their feathers.   To the untrained eye, it can take awhile to tell gender on babies with their unique look, and with their size it can be dangerous to vent sex them. If you can't have a rooster, it's best to buy these when gender is for sure known, from someone you trust.   Great...
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chickenlover89

Great Chickens! Love them!

Posted
By chickenlover89

Pros: Cute, Fluffy, sweet, fun to watch

Cons: Not great egg layers, broody often

I have one silkie. From the time we got her, she layed 3 eggs a week and was so sweet and friendly! Then, she went broody 3 times in a row But she came back to us just as friendly as the first time we held her! She is so sweet and soft and fluffy and fun to play with! I love her and would recommend this breed to anyone.
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Chickie Mama

Mixed Feelings

Posted
By Chickie Mama

Pros: Broody, Hens are Docile, Look Interesting

Cons: Rooster is Aggressive

I like my Silkies. The hens are sweet and one of mine has been very broody lately. My rooster is VERY aggressive- despite being hand raised. He attacks me, my husband, and my sweet 80lbs dog (who thinks the rooster is playing- and LOVES it!). Based on my experience, I would not recommend a silkie rooster for a family with young children.  That being said, he is very good at his job. He keeps an eye on his free ranging flock and runs to their aid if he hears one in distress.
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farmlife

Cool birds!

Posted
By farmlife

Pros: Cute. Friendly to all flock even chicks.

Cons: Does not fly well. Easier for predators to catch up to.

I have 3 silky roosters that we got thinking they were hens.  They are the sweetest chickens and fun to watch.  One of the roosters even adopted baby chicks after their mom left them.  He stands up and waits patiently while they settle under him on their roost in the coop:)  I have the picture to prove it.
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MoodyBroody622

Fluffy and perfect!

Posted
By MoodyBroody622

Pros: Fluffy, cute, funny looking, sweet!

Cons: None!

I have had a total of two silkies, and I love them! I had a roosters named Chewbacca and had to sell him due to fighting with my other rooster ( I pushed my luck by keeping two) But anyway I sold him, now I have a gold silkie hen named Elko! I love her she is so sweet and fluffy! I put bows in her hair! She puts up with it! Silkie lover forever!
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