Silkie thread!

[FancyChickens7]

All of these silkies are so cute!

Do silkies make a lot of noise? I'm planning on getting some but I don't want them to be too noisy-I know that roosters will crow, but will the hens make too much noise?

 

[klilly20]

I'm a newby & have 2 silkies. 1 hatched 8-29-14 other 9-5-14. They show no sign of comb or wattle. They came from same breeder. They r so cute. What changes should I expect as they get older?

I have three hatched 09/09/14 my rooster is already crowing and showing comb and my girls has not showing any combs but their face is covered.. One looks like it is wearing a fury hat. I have 2 white and one Partridge

 

[klilly20]

All of these silkies are so cute!

Do silkies make a lot of noise? I'm planning on getting some but I don't want them to be too noisy-I know that roosters will crow, but will the hens make too much noise?

My girls just make some of the sweetest sounds they coo Just such soft sound unless excited

 

[missbecky]

[/quote]

I purchased four silkie bantams today and I am overflowing with questions. The birds I got are still youngsters at approximately 2 months old. I am not planning to breed show birds(yet). So, if these birds do not meet show standards then that is okay. However, I have been doing some reading (usually a bad sign, lol). I have read that a silkie's comb is supposed to be black not red. I have also read the opposite. Which is true? The little cockerel I got has a dark maroon comb and wattles. Also silkies are to have five toes and one of the four I purchased had four toes. Another thing is the feathers. Only one of the four has the same cotton ball fluff feathers you see in all the pictures. The other three are still puff balls just a bit smoother. I know each bird is an individual, but the one who seems to meet breed standard(at the moment) is a real pain in the rear. Every time I pick her up she looks me straight in the eyes and poops on me.
Talk about a love hate relationship. It might have something to do with the fact that I gave her a bath when I brought her home. I had to give all of them a bath. They were scratching in the mud and dirt, then(in the crate) they pooped everywhere and were just filthy.

Your post had me laughing, because I too bathed one of mine that got some poop stuck to his little fluff butt. They all stet out with personalities, and sometimes those personalities change. It could be a rooster showing his assertive attitude lol.

Show quality standards for Silkies are the darker mulberry combs -Not bright red. Their skin, and nails should be black with 5 toes. Wait until they get older to see how their feathering comes out. It may vary from male to female, and bird to bird as they experience different feathering growth rates.

My birds are my babies, so I'd love them no matter how they look, but I did order mine for show. So, if you plan on breeding later on for show purposes you don't want to breed and pass in poor traits, or a bird who may have been a cross breed which will throw off certain undesirable traits.

I don't know where you live, but I still have my 3 roosters (I havent actively looked to rehome them -I'm pretty attached) who are absolutely gorgeous, and would make great daddies if you're looking to breed for show.

 

[Annalog]

We moved Arrowroot, her chicks, and the remaining egg to a floor nest this morning. All seems to be going well so far.

 

[lilpeepers]

Thanks

I am pretty new to Silkies and only have 2 porcelain roosters, 1 porcelain, 1 lavender and 1 white hen, so I need more girls. I have only had them for about a year and a half, hatching them from eggs purchased from Catdance Silkies. I am SO hooked on them! They are such charming characters! I love the Silkie roosters best of all the different breeds of roosters I have. They are so cuddly and their antics are hilarious!!

You have a great starter flock of gorgeous unusual colors! I'm glad you mentioned a silkie breeder who has such beautiful birds. I was going to ask on this forum if anyone has recommendations for breeders. I'm quite far from CA (Virginia!) but I'll contact her and see what she can recommend. I'd love to get some show quality silkies - just because they are beautiful and sweet, what is better than that! I've also been quite impressed with their laying abilities, I did not expect that, but they produce far more consistently than our EE's. I've actually gotten so used to eating the smaller eggs that using the bigger eggs seem kind of strange now.

 

[lilpeepers]

We moved Arrowroot, her chicks, and the remaining egg to a floor nest this morning. All seems to be going well so far.

That's great! So how many chicks hatched so far? Is she still dedicated to sitting on the remaining eggs? So cute that they are all different breeds!

 

[chickee]

You have a great starter flock of gorgeous unusual colors! I'm glad you mentioned a silkie breeder who has such beautiful birds. I was going to ask on this forum if anyone has recommendations for breeders. I'm quite far from CA (Virginia!) but I'll contact her and see what she can recommend. I'd love to get some show quality silkies - just because they are beautiful and sweet, what is better than that! I've also been quite impressed with their laying abilities, I did not expect that, but they produce far more consistently than our EE's. I've actually gotten so used to eating the smaller eggs that using the bigger eggs seem kind of strange now.

Thanks

Catdance Silkies is actually in Washington State. I ordered hatching eggs but I think she said she wouldn't be selling eggs this year, but maybe she ships chicks. Her birds are very pretty and have great personalities. My bantams outlay my large fowl too. My friends love getting those cute little eggs. The Silkies lay a larger egg than my d'Anvers which are itty bitty but I like cooking with them.

 

[Annalog]

That's great! So how many chicks hatched so far? Is she still dedicated to sitting on the remaining eggs? So cute that they are all different breeds! 

I only gave her 3 eggs; two hatched yesterday and she is still sitting on the third egg. All three eggs were laid the same day and were given to Arrowroot the day that they were laid.

 

[Sylvester017]

yeah I agree they are all VERY gentle breeds. I have white leghorns i call them "crazies" i would NOT put my silkies with them but the gentle breeds you have I would put my silkies with.

I agree. White Leghorns are THE breed for LG-XL prolific egg layers which is why so many breeders use them to crossbreed with other chickens to increase egg laying capacity. I ask why crossbreed Leghorns into other breeds for increasing egg output? Just go directly to the Leghorn for quantity eggs. As you say, the mighty Leghorn is not a shrinking violet and knows how to assert its place in a flock - even cannibalism - to be top dog. I love the hardy Leghorn breed but by no means would I ever integrate them with anything but other Mediterranean Class breeds or Dual-Purpose breeds where everyone is on equal political/temperament status. Leghorns and heavier Dual Purpose breeds should never be mixed with non-combative gentle breeds because at some point in their maturity they WILL assert their pecking order status very aggressively. My Marans was around 18 months old when she started her attacks. One White Leghorn was uniquely gentle for 3 years and suddently went ballistic to assert her top hen status. One Buff Leghorn at only one-year-old started to aggressively chase/terrorize the gentle breeds to pull out their crests/beards/muffs.