Keep your eyes on auctions on here, and lurk the Silkie thread for a while. But also, do a little research on what a quality Silkie is. Just because it comes from a breeder, it does not mean that a large amount of the birds are really what you want. Case in point: I was in a similar position. I wanted to work with Silkies mainly for showing in small shows (I'm in 4H), and I wanted quality, but not to spend a huge amount of money on a few birds. (When you're my age, all of your money comes from babysitting and holidays.) I went to a local show, and in the beginning I only found one breeder selling, and those birds were not impressive. They had poor type, they were standing all over each other (not very appealing when they're covered in poop) and I wasn't willing to spend $15 each on that. My favorite of the bunch was even poorly colored. Sulking, I decided to pass. I went back to the show tent, and when I saw a guy grooming a very nice pullet, I introduced myself and asked if he was selling. He said I caught him at a good time because he actually brought 3 blacks with him that day to sell off. When he brought them out, they were so clean and smelled nice and very fuzzy. He wanted $100 for them but said he'd be happy with $80.
They are not the best. 1 was a cull from day 1 because of color (the guy told me ahead of time, and said that bird really wasn't included in the price) so I was left with a pair. Both of whom have their small faults, but generally are not bad. And both have proved thsemselves in small shows. Later on I ended up buying another bird from him at around $45 and he even gave me a pullet for free. Sometimes the best situations are the ones that you have to wait for.
