Anyone know what kind of chickens these are?!

[doublelibra]

These are amazing - I would love to know what type they are and any important characteristics one should know about them.
Thanks!
Ross

 

[Rebel Rooster]

They look like Silkies to me...

 

[Katy]

Yep...silkies.

 

[doublelibra]

cool - is there anything important to know about silkies before i just run & get some because they look cool?

 

[sfw2]

, doublelibra!

I agree with Rebel Rooster - those are silkies. You will find two very different lines of thought on BYC, where silkies are concerned. There's one faction who believe that silkies are the most adorable creatures on God's green earth.

The other faction thinks they are evil, mind-controlling, avian gremlins.

We'll let you decide which group you belong to.

 

[doublelibra]

hmm, that makes it sound like a pretty big gamble...
i've already got 3 golden buffs in a somewhat small space. would they get along? if they're not friendly i probably shouldn't go there...

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Yep, Silkies. Be aware that Silkies from hatcheries don't usually look this fluffy. Those birds in the picture don't look like hatchery birds to me...but then again, I don't know where they came from. I know from experience that hatchery silkies tend to look totally different. You'll see varying degrees with this breed.

 

[Katy]

sfw2 is joking.......it's just some of us refuse to believe they're even really chickens at all.

Seriously they are chickens and for the most part sweet birds. They are bantams and lay a smallish egg.

 

[sugarjax06]

Silkies - we have 4, a roo and 3 hens. They are a little "slower" than the other chickens we have. Sometimes they look so lost! Which makes them they favorite for children. Because they are slow enough to catch and don't struggle when you hold them. ours are very sweet and our roo likes to do the dance of love for me

crazy thing!

We were told that they may not roost in the coop cause they don't really fly but ours have no problem roosting and al of them do. We put some bars low so they could hop up to get higher rather than fly. However, I know that our rooster can fly up on top of things fine.

We got them mainly for looks but I know that they sometimes start laying a little later than other pullets and their eggs are smaller. I've read that they are great at setting and mothering.

They have an extra toe too

That's all the random silkie things I can think of for the moment

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Yeah, that was a little inside-joke BYCers have around here. These birds are usually very friendly and pretty docile. I can tell you that mine don't move around very much, are pretty quiet, tame, and are sweet to humans and chickens alike.

However, with all of these features comes the possibility that they can be bullied by other breeds of chicken. Depends on the birds as individuals. Silkies also tend to require some 'help'. I know the ones with big crests (the 'poof' on the heads), can get themselves dirty and do best with chick waterers or ones where they can't dip their beards or head-poofs in. People also complain that they can be dirty, but honestly, I find the better housing conditions you have, the cleaner the bird. I don't let mine out to free-range unless I'm outside with them. They just have access to a sturdy wooden coop with shavings. They don't like to venture outside anyway. I put them out and they just stand there. I do love them though. Never had any other chickens like them.