I Want a Silkie.. Do they have any special needs that other chickens dont?

[KingR0o5t3r]

I have a small flock of chickens already but i would like to add a silkie to the group. Are there any preparations? Things to watch for? etc???

 

[birdman1994]

iv always wanted to brush one like the cute little fluffy puppy dogs

 

[KingR0o5t3r]

haha that would would be a heck of a sight

 

[Lisasfeathers]

They can't fly because of there silkie feathers so use low perches for them. They are wonderful!

 

[KingR0o5t3r]

Okay thankyou. I've heard about them needing certain temperatures, do you know anything about that?

 

[Debbi]

Mine have been very cold hardy here, with temps getting down to zero and below. They pile up on the floor of the coop, so make sure they have plenty of bedding to snuggle down in. The other most important thing for them is to keep them DRY in the cold weather! Silkie feathers do NOT shed water like regular hard chicken feathers, and they will get soaked to the skin! This is fine in the warmer months, and they love to play in the rain; but when it's cold and they get wet, they will freeze to death. Plan on putting them in a run with a roof on it to avoid them getting wet, and if it's very snowy, you may want to keep them inside the coop, or in a run where there is no snow. If they stay dry, I find they do much better in the cold than they do in the heat! We had an extremely hot and long dry spell here last summer, with many consecutive days of over 100*. I lost two of them due to the heat, and that was with misters going to keep them wet and cool. Good luck, they are a very fun and kooky breed of chicken!

 

[flgardengirl]

Ya they are short and need steps if your coop is off the ground. They love you and will all run under your feet when you walk so you will trip on them and step on them and they are dumb and will just run back under your feet to get stepped on again. They can't see anything due to their poofy crests so walk right into things lol. They won't lay eggs in the nest boxes even if they have 3 of them just a few inches off the floor or get on a low perch. They will sleep in the nest boxes instead- in a big poofy pile. They also all want to sleep in the same nestbox.
I guess they are kinda 'special' in a way.

 

[Debbi]

Hi Lynette!

Also, get at least two or three of them! Silkies like to be with their own kind, and because they need to pile up together to stay warm, it is a must. My other chickens don't even recognize them as chickens, and won't have anything to do with them, so they need friends of their own.

 

[flgardengirl]

Haha, Hi Debbie. Mine will sleep in a pile even if it is over 90F. I really like my silkies but they are kinda silly. I have an extra 'special' lavender silkie roo that decided he is gonna be evil and would not go in the coop at night. He tries to jump up and bite me every time I bend over to pick him up. He goes for the hand...so day before yesterday, he tried to bite my hand and so I moved my hand around him while he was standing and he would turn himself around in a circle trying to get my hand. Sooo round and round and round he went until he got so dizzy he fell over. Then I just picked him up and put him in the coop. It was the funniest thing I ever saw..him spinning around like that till he fell over LOL! Last night, he tried the same thing and same result. I wonder how long it will take him to catch on haha.

 

[KingR0o5t3r]

Haha thanks for all the comments they sound very fun. And I don't think I need to be too worried about the cold, as I live in the desert and when it rains, its around seventy or eighty degrees