Are Silkies hard to care for?

[Old Ben]

I want to add new chickens to my flock, I’ve decided I’m either going to let my Wyandotte’s brood their own eggs, or brood some I buy for them. One of the breeds I’ve always admired were silkies, but I’ve heard all that fluff can really be a pain to deal with. Especially if it rains. How hard is it really to care for them compared to normal chickens? Also, where I live at can get 100 degrees in the summer, or -10 in the winter. It’s not common, and it’s rare that it ever goes to a more extreme than that, but it can happen. So to all you fluffy chicken owners, what’s it like? And what do I need to know other than the famous broody thing going into this? (Didn’t know where else to post this, sorry if wrong section.)

 

[Brahmachicken240]

Don’t have silkies but I do have brahmas which are also very fluffy and have feathered feet.
The feathered feet can be a problem when poop and mud gets stuck to them, I have a thick layer of wood chips in my run and I clean the coop out regularly to prevent their feathered feet from getting dirty.
Free ranged birds tend to be cleaner which is one of the reasons as to why my brahmas are, but I have read that silkies can get lost easily due to them having feathers on their heads.
As for the heat, make sure they have plenty of water and plenty of shade to rest under, you can also keep a fan in their coop to prevent them from getting too hot.

 

[chickens really]

Silkies don't do well with standards and need covered runs..

 

[Kessel23]

I have had a few problems with silkies but nothing to bad at all. I Have to trim their crest feathers so they can see while free ranging. I had one that would always get water on her crest and beard and it would freeze so I trimed that too. I trim around the vent of some that keep getting poop stuck to them. They will do alright in that weather. Silkies really need to be kept away from drafts though, their feathers are not nearly as firm as a normal chicken.
It is common for it to get into the negative teens here and my silkies do well, it got to -30F inside the coop for two days this winter and they were still fine, so were all of my other breeds. It does get up to 100F here sometimes, they survived. I keep mine with standard sized chickens and have not run into problems yet.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Silkies do fine with large fowl as long they aren't roosters trying to breed the smaller ladies.

I bred, hatched and raised probably a couple hundred.. in the PNW where we get not less than 40 inches of rain per year. They did FINE in the rain as long they do have shelter available.

There excessive broodiness WAS a problem for me. My large fowl ladies can brood circles around them but without the excessiveness.

Not sure about their cold tolerance... but heat tolerance was low. It might be better if they have time to acclimatize.. but here when it hits 70, they have their wings held out and panting.

Very cute birds... but certainly not the smartest. Not as friendly as people claim either in my experience. All are individuals. Poo and mud build up were not a problem for any of my feather footed breeds, ONCE out of the brooder. They free ranged just fine with my other birds.

When I trimmed crest... it made them poof into the eyes even worse. Having them familiar with their surrounding and where they roost BEFORE crest fully develops gives them much better understanding of how to operate within their environment. Moving to a foreign roost when half blind equals nest box sleeping.

Overall... it was a fantastic experience. Glad I had it... and glad they're gone now!

Happy adventuring!

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Silkies don't do well with standards and need covered runs..

Mine is the only bantam in a flock of onry large fowl... They know who's boss(my silkie is)

Silkies do fine with large fowl as long they aren't roosters trying to breed the smaller ladies.

I bred, hatched and raised probably a couple hundred.. in the PNW where we get not less than 40 inches of rain per year. They did FINE in the rain as long they do have shelter available.

There excessive broodiness WAS a problem for me. My large fowl ladies can brood circles around them but without the excessiveness.

Not sure about their cold tolerance... but heat tolerance was low. It might be better if they have time to acclimatize.. but here when it hits 70, they have their wings held out and panting.

Very cute birds... but certainly not the smartest. Not as friendly as people claim either in my experience. All are individuals. Poo and mud build up were not a problem for any of my feather footed breeds, ONCE out of the brooder. They free ranged just fine with my other birds.

When I trimmed crest... it made them poof into the eyes even worse. Having them familiar with their surrounding and where they roost BEFORE crest fully develops gives them much better understanding of how to operate within their environment. Moving to a foreign roost when half blind equals nest box sleeping.

Overall... it was a fantastic experience. Glad I had it... and glad they're gone now!

Happy adventuring!

I LOVE my silkie! She is absolutely the sweetest! That being said, no animal naturally loves people. It took a bit of work to bond with my birds, but it is so worth it!it is temporary, but my silkie has been in a uncovered run all year! If it is raining she goes in the coop... She is also my smartest bird...idk why, but she seems to have alot more brains than my other birds. I never have to trim her creast or butt feathers, she stays pretty dog-gawn clean! When it gets really muddy, I have seen it on the front of her creast and beard, but so far no issues! I would not recommend them as free range chickens though... They can't see above them very well,so arial predators get an easy meal! Also, they can't run very fast at all, so any predator is an issue... She isn't a instagator, but she sure does get sassy when a hen (or roo) oversteps their bounds!!! And also, it is not ideal, but she does fine with my massive BO roo! He doesn't mess with her too much.. but when he does, he is careful not to offend her

 

[Table4Six]

To start with, I truly love my silkies. And from my experience, they are very friendly, docile birds, although, I have come across a sketchy rooster every now and then. It really depends on the temperament of the individual bird. If you do not plan to show and they will only be kept as pets, I highly recommend you look for hatching eggs of the non-bearded/muffed variety as they tend to sport much less fluff, typically have an easier time seeing due to smaller crest sizes, and are overall easier to care for/keep clean.

Silkies do go broody very often and are excellent mothers. I also live in a climate with very hot summers and have never had an issue, even with my show birds, just as long as they have constant access to fresh, clean water.

Good luck with your decision. And let us know how it works out.

 

[Old Ben]

To start with, I truly love my silkies. And from my experience, they are very friendly, docile birds, although, I have come across a sketchy rooster every now and then. It really depends on the temperament of the individual bird. If you do not plan to show and they will only be kept as pets, I highly recommend you look for hatching eggs of the non-bearded/muffed variety as they tend to sport much less fluff, typically have an easier time seeing due to smaller crest sizes, and are overall easier to care for/keep clean.

Silkies do go broody very often and are excellent mothers. I also live in a climate with very hot summers and have never had an issue, even with my show birds, just as long as they have constant access to fresh, clean water.

Good luck with your decision. And let us know how it works out.

I will! Thanks for the replies everyone. If it was up to me (instead of my wallet) I’d have one of those big barn coops with around 20 chickens of every kind I like. But alas, I don’t have money to spend $50 on 4 eggs and don’t have the space for any more than 12 chickens in total. (I have 9, 8 once I get rid of the extra rooster.) I’d be tempted to have a broody raise silkies if only I could find hatching eggs that were cheap! If I can’t find any of another breed that’s inexpensive, I might have to just raise more Wyandotte’s.. :/ which I like them, but I wanted more variety.

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

I have owned Silkies and they integrated fine with my standard size flock. I had to keep the areas around their eyes trimmed so that they could see. They tend to be a less hardy breed. I lost both of my girls in less than 2 years. They are adorable, but i will not own anymore.

 

[Old Ben]

I have owned Silkies and they integrated fine with my standard size flock. I had to keep the areas around their eyes trimmed so that they could see. They tend to be a less hardy breed. I lost both of my girls in less than 2 years. They are adorable, but i will not own anymore.

I’m sorry. ;-;