Silkie

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

Last summer, I bought 3 Golden Silkies, one pullet, one cockerel and an unsexed one. I originally housed them with the large flock of hybrids. Unfortunately, things didn't work out for them and I had to rehouse the 3 into a new pen. They do fight between each other despite being nice to you. Into the early autumn, we noticed that the unsexed one start to get weak and couldn't walk. I thought it was a leg issue so gave it a sling and tried to make it better. A week later, I found out it had Marek's Disease, and I had to put it down to save the others. I then gave the pen some really strong chemical treatment and moved the Silkie couple back in. They also don't do too well in wet conditions and have a habit of sitting outside in the rain and getting drenched! TIP: Remember to cut the toenails/claws now and then, my hen hurt her leg and took a while to recover.

Now, due to space issues, they share an fenced area with another coop of an Orpington couple and two Araucana hens. The hen was broody earlier on, and did sit on her eggs. Sadly, the hybrids found there way into the pen and scared her off the nest a lot. Hopefully going to try again in the Spring! Although they are frightened of those hybrids (who cannot get in anymore), they rule their flock and the Silkie cockerel is the dominant of the Orpingtons and the Araucanas, quite surprising!

The eggs are alright but nothing spectacular, not profitable nor profilic layers but are good for home use.

This are by far my favorite chickens. Just adorable, friendly birds!

ahh they are cute

i love my silkie! She is cute and cuddly. the only con I could think of is that she is jumpy whenever you approach her because she can't see. She is an excellent layer and for her whole 9 months of living with me has only been broody once. RIGHT NOW.

I have two of these and a couple of crosses.
Puff and Fluff are broody often, but they are
docile, they lay lots of eggs and they are very cute!
I highly recommend buying this breed
of chook if you have children. Bearded
or not, they're wonderful!

I love my sweet silkies. They are such good natured, calm birds! My toddler can pick them up. They are also such a unique looking bird. They really spice up the coop with their fluffy look!

I love my silkies! I have 2 in my small mixed breed flock. One is a white bearded, the other is a non bearded buff. The white one is as sweet as can be, i can flip her on her back and hold her like a baby. She goes broody pretty often, but she is so darn cute it doesnt matter to me! My buff silkie is a tough little thing. She does not like to be held, and will reach out to peck me if if she is sitting on eggs I am trying to get from under her. She doesnt let the more dominate RIR boss her around, but she is friendly to new flock members. She doesnt fit all the normal characteristics of silkies but she is fun and quirky to watch.
I will always have silkies in my flock.

I rated the Silkie a 5 out of 5 stars. They are full of personality and great little chickens to have in your flock. Always entertaining and full of personality. Generally docile chickens. Very unique apearance.

I have 4 silkies. I love these little chickens. If you want eggs these are not for you. If you cant aford an incubator then get some silkies. 3 out of 4 went broody 1-3 weeks after starting to lay. On they good side they will hatch anything and be a protective moma. Lost a rooster to a falcon, but he gave his life for his hens. I wil always have some in my flock if only to hatch eggs.

The silkies are my favorite chicken. My coop would be pretty boring without them in there. They are pretty, cute, funny, energetic, and sometimes very babyish. I have 4 whites btw and are getting more.

I got mine back in August 2012. They are about 6 or 7 months old now. I like them very much. Can't wait until they start laying. I don't know how old they are when they do start laying. My grandsons have become very attached to them.

I love my 2 silkies! We used to have 5 but now we have 2. 3 of them died. They are sweet and have alot of personality. Especially when you look into their eyes! I'd definetly recommend silkies. They r awesome!

My 14 year old daughter has been breeding & showing Silkies for 3 years. She absolutely loves them!! They are super sweet & lovable. They make wonderful pets. They do crow.
Watch out, they are additive!! My daughter started with 3, she now has 26!!
Easy to care for & super friendly.

love my silkies

I purchased 1 blue silkie hen, 4 white silkie chicks, 1 partridge silkie roo, and 1 partridge silkie hen. sadly, 3 out of 4 white silkies have died from coons, the blue hen got bucholism and passed, the partridge silkie roo got eaten, and the partridge silkie hen now has one wing We now have a CRAZY protected cage! But these birds are great! Cute, fluffy, easy to maintain, dont need a big cage, arent flighty and dont eat a lot of food!

Well what can I say I have one and it shares a coop with 3 other bantams the silkie seems to be the alpha but she is a lovely beautiful bird to keep she is a very kind and effectionate to humans and will eat mostly everything you put out for it, none wasted.

She can be a problem in rainy weather but the other bantams seem to look after her when she is cold but when they all go in and the silkie snowball as I have called it is left out we take it into the shed and blowdry it with hairdryers as it usually can't beed off the water on its back.

Over all, a very handsome bird and a very good buy.

I've had Silkies on and off over the years and they're generally a pleasure to have.

Silkies are very calm and friendly, and very good to have around small children. They let just about anyone pick them up (possibly because they can't actually see anything underneath the pom-pom). I would advise putting in with bantams or other smaller birds; with their placid nature, poor vision, and smaller size, they make a very easy target in a flock of larger fowl. However, I've never seen this happen, even a lone Silkie will defy the pecking order!

Like any bird with leg feathers, their feet often look pretty horrible during winter and get caked with mud very easily. They have a low carriage (or at least, lots of fluff on the stomach and bottom) which can get muddy easily, too. They're not very adventurous - they don't like flying or climbing things.

Silkies are also pretty poor layers.

Silkies have some interesting traits that they will pass on when cross-bred with another breed. I have some chicks who are only 1/4 Silkie and still have the extra toe. Half of the 1/4-Silkies also still have the blue skin and seem to have blue bones, too. Some cross-breeds are also very good layers whilst still maintaining a Silkie look (I have some Sizzles who lay every day).

In summation:

Silkies are a good choice if you're looking for a pet in a family with small children and aren't too concerned about egg production.

Silkies are a bad choice if you want a good layer.

Silkies are a good talking point for when you have guests over!

I have never had a Silkie Chicken, but I want to get one or several some day.

I love my little silkie she is so much fun and she is curious and loves to sit with me and snuggle she is special needs though so she may be a little less prone to wondering but still has great personaity.