A Question About Silkie Hens

[CYGChickies]

I read in one of my chicken books that Silkie feathers can smother chicks when they're raising little ones. Is that something I need to watch out for? I ordered my birds yesterday so I don't have anything yet but I got some blue silkies to hatch my guinea eggs. I want to know if I should take the babies away as soon as they hatch to avoid smothering. I'm very new so if this is a stupid question please bear with me! Thanks everybody!

CYG

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

The only "stupid question" is the one that doesn't get asked...

As for chicks smothering in Silkie hens feathers.....I've never seen that happen, and I always let my Silkie hens incubate/hatch/raise their chicks when I can. I have seen pictures & reports of chicks getting tangled in the hens feathers and dying. An easy way to avoid this is to do some trimming of the hens' leg feathers. Just my opinion, but I always feel that chicks do better when they're raised by a "mom" for a couple of weeks.

 

[CYGChickies]

Thats good news and thank you for the advice about trimming the feathers! Now I just have to hope I get some females in the chicks I have coming. I can't wait to see them!