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I'm not telling you not to get them just letting you know there are some risks when you start adding birds. Yes, Renee has silkies or at least she did.
I agree with Katy. NPIP doesn't test for everything. If you quarantine your new birds for several weeks, you should be fine. You have horses. You can tell a sick horse when you look at it, right? I would go check out the silkies near you. Talk to the people. Ask questions and look their set up over. If you are comfortable with it, go ahead, but then isolate ANY new birds you introduce. This is alway advisable, whether bought from a backyard breeder, reputable breeder, hatchery or at a swap meet.
I would not put them with your turkey right away.
Keep your chicks separate from them... you will have to anyway. Many times older birds will pick on the younger ones.
Read up all you can about silkies. Yes, they are broody little things, but they also have some funny quirks.
Remember to keep in mind the fact that you have chicks coming, and you have to keep in mind what kind of space everyone will need once they are big birdies.
Yeah, I was thinking about that last night. I don't have another area to go separating more chickens (or more feeders). The coop can hold 18 chickens... but I just wanted to stay under that. I ordered 10 chicks just to try to control myself.
Thinking it might be less worry to just add a silkie to my order instead-- except they were all straight run. I might not get my hen. I guess I could call them and ask if they might sex them anyway? Or just forget about the whole thing entirely. This whole biosecurity thing is a royal PITA.
