Hello, my name is Adri, and I'm a chicken addict...I now have Silkies

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Adri

Adri

In the Brooder
11 Years
Apr 29, 2008
91
1
39
yeah, this is probably the WRONG site to come to if I'm interested in recovery. At least my family is sharing my addiction. First it was our first flock of 33 chicks that I obsessed about, and my husband gave me as a Mother's Day present. He built them a lovely rustic shed and yard and they have been a great source of family entertainment. I obsessed about eggs, checking the coop every 1/2 hour for 2 weeks. Finally we got our first and second eggs and that only fuelled my obsession to check the boxes.

At my urging, my DH just brought home a Barred Rock hen and a pair of Silkies from the auction barn. Realizing that it probably isn't a good idea to put the Silkies in with our flock (at least until we get rid of our 3 roguish Polish roosters), DH is now making up plans to build a separate coop and yard for bantam chickens. LOL He's already made up plans for a Turkey coop, and a meat bird coop. Before we're done here, I'm sure we'll end up with a Poultry village in our backyard.

Should we keep the Silkies separated? I do have 2 tiny Polish hens (they are standard, but still about 1/2 the size of the larger chickens). Would that help?
 
*Lol, You have certainly found your people, Adri!! Welcome to BYC!! (Nice that your DH is such a devoted enabler, too!)
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Hi Adri....... I keep all my bantams in a seperate coop. I dont think it is necessary because tons of people keep standards and bantams together. I did it because i am a softy (only for animals) and i couldnt let the bantams have to fight the pecking order against birds so much bigger. Are you going to post pics of the new silkies? And maybe all of your birds? Pictures make everything more fun
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I hear where you are coming from! I have a banty barn, rooster barn, turkey and guinea barn...
I finally fell for those silkies too. They are so delicate looking and cannot roost like normal birds.
So I bought 2 Lowes playhouses on clearance and am having my son build a "silkie shack"..
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no end in sight......
 
I keep my silkies in separate pens. There are just too many bigger chickens that could attack the silkies...the poor things can barely see as it is, so they don't stand a chance to win a fight.
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LOL about the village. We run all of our chickens and ducks and geese together. But at night time, the ducks and geese go in one pen, they just know it is theirs. The chickens go in another pen, and our rogue polish roosters, what is it about them that makes them think they own the barnyard? are another story. As long as the chickens are out running around the yard free ranging, they are all ok, an occasional BRAAAKKKK if they get too close, but we pen the polish up separately at night. HOWEVER, all the others, the silkies, the frizzle cochins, the Rhode Island red Roo, the buff brahmas, the other cochins, all run together and go in the same house to sleep without incident.

I would just watch how they interact with each other and if problems arise, then separate. Kind of like humans, you always have the jerks that just cannot stop picking on someone else, but generally we all try to get along pretty well and take care of each other. Good luck!
 
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Yeah the poor little guys, I have a cochin that can hold her own against the bigger chicks. She is a tough girl! Don't assume just because they are smaller they are not mightier!
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My banty cochin with a crossed beak regularly gets pizzy and chases off a bigger girl if food is involved. I think that she's cranky about looking a dinosaur knees all the time.
 

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