Adding adult silkies to a full sized flock

[lokua]

I lost one of my six month old cherry eggers yesterday (egg bound I think) and I'm looking to replace her. There are four hens remaining and I am considering getting two adult silkie hens (wife wants something cute). Is it possible to integrate them? Who has done it successfully? Thanks in advance.

 

[sourland]

When silkies or other bantams are raised with standard fowl they seem to fit in far better than when introduced into an established flock. They will be picked on - it's the nature of the pecking order, and they do look different. Their crests and diminished vision make them vulnerable to attacks from others. Given hiding places and enough space they MAY be successfully added to your flock. One way of integrating them is to have two pens. Place the silkies in the one pen during quarantine and then add the calmest hen in your existing flock to their pen. Wait a day or so and add another and so on so that in effect you are adding the present birds to the silkies. Good luck.

 

[Yoke]

Had two Silkies and a Wyandotte that were raised in a brooder togeraterh. The three are all pals. The big birds don't like the Wyandotte, but they ignore the Silkies.


(I say had . . . because one Silkie missed morning roll call. . . . . there were about 20 Silkie feathers in the run. On the lookout for a predator)

Now it is the Silkie and the Wyandotte. :-(