Standard silkies?

[pawtraitart]

Does anybody know where I could get some standard silkies as opposed to bantams? Are they only available outside the US? Just curious.

 

[jab91864]

I thought all silkies were bantam ?? I must have missed something along the way...lol

Julie

 

[peeps7]

I don't know that there is a thing. You might have to breed a silkie with a standard cochin and keep breeding that generation with another until you get a standard silkie.
Silkie/Cochin
silkiecochin/silkie
silkiecochin3/4/silkie
Silkie/silkie

 

[silkiechicken]

I think its a eurpoean thing. As for can you get them, I think the "standard bantam" is under 2 lbs, while the "standard" is something above that. I know I've gotten a hatchery silkie bantam that was like 3 lbs as an adult! In europe I think they just divide the birds between big and small. Although a 6 lb silkie would be hilarious.

 

[homecatmom]

This post just jumped out and scared me!! I got up late today and turned on the computer and sent a private email to SilkieChicken called "Silkie Bantams?". I get a nice reply to my questions and then log into the forum. What I want to know is who is reading over my shoulder? Makes me feel like we are in the Twilight Zone!

Cathy

 

[pawtraitart]

It's not fair that the US doesn't have access to many of the European chicken varieties. It's inevitable that the ones that I'm most interested in, I can't get! hehe

 

[Queen of the Lilliputians]

Here's the deal: There are two types of silkies, Standard and Bantam. What we have in the US is sort of mid-sized between the two.

I'm not really sure if you can get them here. Hmm. Might be worth a websearch if you really want them.


-Meghan

 

[flyingmonkeypoop]

Every once in a while there is a lady on ebay that sells standard silkies. She got them by crossing bantams to standard black orps or something. They are large and not to bad looking. Here in America, many of the silkie 'bantams' are standard weights. I have seen silkies that are the size of my standard wyandottes as far as size. I think that they should start weighing birds at shows because the SOP only allows birds to be 20% over standard weights and I know that many of the silkies are 50% or more. I have seen some small tiny silkies from hatcheries but thats it, many are large now. People breed for crest size and feathering on feet instead of type and size.

 

[EweSheep]

Yes I have to agree with Flyingmonkey on this lady that has standard silkies...not too bad either. Needs more work to improve the breed too.

 

[Chellester]

From what I remember from when I had silkies as a kid, the hatchery variety silkies were smaller than what you get from a hatchery today.

When I started getting back into chickens this year, I bought a few white silkies from a hatchery. As they grew, I noticed they seemed to be quite a bit bigger than what I remembered them to be. My mom even commented that the ones I have now are bigger than the ones we used to have.