Silkie

We have a splash and a buff Silkie and LOVE them! They are adorable puff balls and comical in appearance with the pig poof on top of their head. They have beautiful dark eyes, when you can see them through the fluff. They have raised 2 different groups of chicks for me. When the chicks are getting too big for the brooder, I put the little chicks with them at night and they instantly adopt them and care for them for weeks! Silkies sleep together on the floor in nest boxes, they dont perch or navigate ramps very well. Sweetest chickens ever, but will put others in their place if needed because they are at the top of the pecking order here, maybe because we got them first so they are the oldest chickens in the bunch. They are usually very quiet and such a joy!

Silkies are great! They are easy for any one to handle. They have very funny personalities! They are easy going and great around kids. They are bantams so they are a nice size. They are just a unique chicken that would do great with anyone!

Loved my little Silkie so much, she was adorable, if a little nervous. She was completely bonkers and one of the daftest chickens ever but that just made us laugh. I did notice though that many of her breed (her included) have a genetic problem causing their toes to develop badly - she had clubbed feet, with others it's less serious - wonky or curled toes- but it's something to look out for if you're buying chicks.

Love my Silkies, they are a fun addition to the flock. My roo, Prune, is a splash, he is just now becoming assertive with the flock. Maybe we'll get some fertilized eggs soon. My hen, Lovey, hasn't laid yet (since I got them) and she is quite assertive, she tells the other hens whats up. Though she doesn't like to go back into the hen house at night, tries to roost anywhere else. One morning I woke up to find Lovey not in the coop at all, she was out roaming around. She must have found a nest spot in the hay stack. Silly girl. My silkies are very aloof birds.

The silkie chicks i have are very tame and soo cute. They will eat out of my hand. The only thing is they dont fly very well at all. some might though, if you are lucky.

would like a silkie hen or 2 to add to our brood. thanks

Overall, my Silkies are super awesome! They have already incubated my sizzle eggs and have 5 beautiful chicks she is raising! I would recommend these bantams to anybody!

My Silkie rooster has NEVER attacked me (or acted like he wanted to). He is the sweetest little thing.

Great characters, all different. Friendly and very tough, last winter got down to -15 and they got through no problem. Have a lot of roosters together and apart from the occasional bust up they mostly tolerate each other fine but can be noisy. Luckily I have understanding neighbours!

Think they are slightly less destructive in the garden than my other mixed breeds and don't tend to stray as far.

Have to keep an eye on them in summer for chicken lice.

Still my favourite breed.

Does anyone know any show quality breeders in Arizona for silkies?

The silkie is a good chicken breed to keep around kid because they are very nice and lovable but sometimes the roosters can be noisy BUT not ALL silkie roosters are noisy because i have a rooster that i like but i have another rooster that is annoying

I just Love my Silkies. I have two bearded black ones. Bella and Bonnie. They are the greatest lil birds ever.
Especially as pets, and for show. I am new at raising chickens so my opinion is that of not much experiance.

I bought my son one of these because he loved the way the feathers look like hair. It is so docile and quiet. Within a week, I had bought a few more. I would highly recommend this breed !

It may be because of where I purchased them (from a kid who must have been a 4h member), but my silkies don't exhibit the typical characteristics that I've read about. They're tolerant of being held, but extremely skittish. They also chase after my little ones and while they don't violently attack, they can be pretty bossy. I'm unsure as to how healthy their genetics are, because my two blue silkies have extra thumbs (7 toes on each foot) and they're the most easily frightened.

I recommend Silkies to everyone. Though they lay little, their overall temperament makes up for it. They are like the cat of the chicken world
Mine like to be pet and cuddled, and you really can't say that about many other chickens.
If you can, get one, they would be a great addition to your flock.

Loved my silkies! They were so unique, and soft. But the fluff on their heads can be an obstruction..I had one rooster fall into a grain bucket that I had filled with water and left under a tree--not thinking that he would find it and drown! The hens were excellent mothers.

We've had silkies for about 3 years now & just love them. They tend to stay close even when free ranging, the roosters do not get nasty (important because we had a young child & she had become very afraid of roosters after encounters with other breeds we'd kept), the hens are terrific mothers. Since adding silkies to our flock we had a population explosion. Because we use lots of eggs & eat surplus birds, we have been happy to have the extras. The silkie crosses we occasionally got were also wonderful, they retained the mothering/broody instincts of the silkies & were often very beautiful birds. We got into them because my son wanted to show poultry in 4-H and they were a big hit at the fair. I felt like they really helped to encourage responsibility because they did need a little extra care in the brooder. Their fluffy bottoms & feet attracted poop & my son had to consistently check each chick over to make sure they all were clean. They also do need a secure pen or yard. Their fluffy heads make seeing predators difficult.

I would absolutely recommend silkies to those interested in a bird with great mothering abilities, unusual appearances, wonderful colors, & gentle temperaments. We also get a descent number of small eggs from our hens - so long as you make sure to take eggs a couple of times a day so the hens don't have the chance to set long - they will go broody quick!

I decided to stick with silkies because of both their appealing nature and personality. It also doesn't hurt that they are in high demand, so there's never far to look for a buyer. They do seem exceptionally bad at staying alive once they're in between the protected baby stage and the 'wise' adult stage, but that may be because of their limited vision.
In general, a silkie will not fight you or any other predator, and seem to freeze up and hope the threat goes away. While this hurts their survival, it also makes them great around children and other animals. In a mixed flock's pecking order, the silkies will usually be middle at best due to their gentleness.
Their eggs are sporatic and impossible to predict, as the entire can go broody at once at any time. If they are laying, they are laying well, though, so don't discount them from being good layers!

We had some silkies and they were the cutest things. As chicks they were the first to spot anything edible making them great foragers. They were bright and inquisitive. I know people can spend time with them and make them very good pets.

Also, I bought some after hatching a mixed group of chicks. The purchased silkies were so kind and mothering to the younger mixed breed chicks - both male and female were mothering. They really looked after the younger birds.

I've heard (and agree with) having a flock of silkies is like having a "flock of kittens". Their feathers are more like long fur. Their bright blue earlobes are so pretty.

I know they go broody which some people like but it could be a con.

The eggs are smaller but I didn't mind that. The silkies weren't the main birds in my flock, they were for fun.

My nieces loved them, they want me to get more but they cannot fly as well as other chickens due to the fluffy feathers they have and therefore cannot escape predators as well as other breeds. We free range our chickens with no fencing and the silkies didn't last long. So as much as I'd love to have them again, I won't for their sake. If I ever have a large safe chicken yard that is fenced with roof netting I'll try them again.

My uncle's sister had a white one named Pearl that she had for years and hers are free range birds. But she has other farm animals that probably help keep predators at bay. I've heard livestock can really help keep your birds safe.

The silkies are the first to draw attention in my small flock everyone loves them