How fun that you can raise chicks - we don't have enough room. Silkies are certainly little troopers. I got them as pets, my DH fell in love w/them, and we were surprised at the size of their eggs for a bantam breed. Now my DH always wants Silkies in our backyard. They are a broody bunch but I'm so used to it we just let them brood their empty nest to give their bodies a rest from being such good egg layers. Even at 3 yrs old our Silkie will lay 3 to 4 eggs a week. The 4-yr-old Silkie only lays a couple dozen every Spring and then stops until the following Spring - after re-homing all the bully single-comb dual purpose breeds she has become the alpha hen - she earned the right after taking abuse from all the previous large fowl bully breeds - yet she remains a sweet easy-going girl. She doesn't terrorize the flock the way large fowl alphas do yet her flockmates will subtly be submissive toward her. It tickles me to see a little squirt be the alpha hen.
We have a patio light we leave on for both security and to deter night critters so our girls always have light. But no matter, artificial light or no, their bodies know when it's time to go to roost and the artificial light makes no difference to them. In fact we have less daylight hours now that it's Fall but my little Silkie started laying anyway. Can't re-program those littles - they do things on their own schedule!
If you figure it out, be sure to bottle it up and sell it to rooster owners who want quiet ones! ;D
