Hello! I have some questions regarding silkies and if they would be a good fit for my flock or not. I currently have 16 chickens (5 RSL hens, 10 EE hens and one EE rooster). My plan for next spring is to add some black copper marans to the flock, cull the EE rooster (he's a whimp 
), and keep a marans rooster so I can breed marans in future. Obviously, this is all just an idea and plans can go awry fast.
Anyway, the hatchery that sells marans also has a nice variety of silkies (NOT bantams), and I've always wanted a few silkie hens, for obvious reasons. All the chickens we've had over the past few years are either quite high strung or just not very friendly and I've always wanted a more docile, friendly breed, so I thought silkies would do nicely.
What I'm worried about is that some people say to NEVER mix silkies with a regular flock, due to bullying and silkies being more fragile. I find little to no bullying in my flock (other than the usual pecking order over food and the roost) and they have LOTS of space outside to enjoy. My biggest worry, though, is the winter months. We have very harsh and long winters here, so the chickens spend a lot of time solely in their coop (it is heated). I don't notice any bullying between my current flock, but maybe silkies would do poorly in the confined area, along with the winter temps.
Also, if I did end up getting some silkies I'd try to put them under a broody with some marans as day-old chicks. Would they grow up well with the bigger breed?
I just love the thought of having a few silkies in my flock, but would never want to add them if they would get picked on, etc. Any thoughts or experiences?
), and keep a marans rooster so I can breed marans in future. Obviously, this is all just an idea and plans can go awry fast.Anyway, the hatchery that sells marans also has a nice variety of silkies (NOT bantams), and I've always wanted a few silkie hens, for obvious reasons. All the chickens we've had over the past few years are either quite high strung or just not very friendly and I've always wanted a more docile, friendly breed, so I thought silkies would do nicely.
What I'm worried about is that some people say to NEVER mix silkies with a regular flock, due to bullying and silkies being more fragile. I find little to no bullying in my flock (other than the usual pecking order over food and the roost) and they have LOTS of space outside to enjoy. My biggest worry, though, is the winter months. We have very harsh and long winters here, so the chickens spend a lot of time solely in their coop (it is heated). I don't notice any bullying between my current flock, but maybe silkies would do poorly in the confined area, along with the winter temps.
Also, if I did end up getting some silkies I'd try to put them under a broody with some marans as day-old chicks. Would they grow up well with the bigger breed?
I just love the thought of having a few silkies in my flock, but would never want to add them if they would get picked on, etc. Any thoughts or experiences?
