How much does a SQ Silkie cost?

[blaundee]

I would like to know how much I can expect to pay for a show quality Silkie- not exact quotes, of course, but what a reasonable price range is.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Depends. Probably $50-$500. Lots of factors come into play: age, gender, condition, breeder's reputation, quality of the specific bird.

 

[TinyBirds]

Do you mean for a grown-bird that has already placed very well in the big shows? If you're willing to start with chicks and take a gamble on getting a show-quality bird, I recommend getting chicks from someone like Amy (BYC name Destiny). I tried tons of hatching eggs, but for some reason most of the chicks either didn't make it out of the shell, or else hatched and then died within weeks. I still have every single chick that Amy sent me though (30!) and they are doing great!! So maybe it's something wrong w/ my incubator on the hatching-egg situation. Even though I get the chicks to hatch, they get pasty bottoms and just don't thrive. The eggs from our farm-birds though seem to hatch and thrive though, so it's a puzzle to me. Maybe it's due to the post office trip being rough on them.

 

[blaundee]

Thanks. I don't have a specific age/gender/etc in mind yet, I just wanted to know what the range could be. I am planning to go to the Farmington, NM, show in November, and talk to people there.

So what criteria does a bird usually have to meet to be worth approx. $500?
What gender/color/age is the most expensive? (I'd imagine youngsters to be on the lower end)

 

[SQbrahmas]

I dont think I would ever pay $500 for a single bird. If you were to buy from a well known breeder and the bird is full grown, I would say 100$ a piece.

 

[ultasol]

SQBrahmas,.. again, it depends on the individual bird. If you are buying a bird with a proven show record the price goes up.

Also, it depends on how you define show quality, if you mean it lacks any disqualifications then you can buy a bird that is showable but not as competitive for less.

Again, it depends. REmember, if it has a minor fault but is from great lines, the bird may throw some stellar young.

 

[josh44]

I remeber seeing, a Hatrick silkie sell for over $1,000
They can be expencive.

 

[SQbrahmas]

Quote:
Yes I agree, It all depends on the bird. If the bird is perfection yes it could easily be worth that. I would throw a $500 at one bird. If the bird did well at say the Ohio national or crossroads its worth something.

It also seems that silkies are more expensvie as they are in high demand and very much represented at shows.

Just my opinion as this is what I see.
I do agree there are some birds that are over $500 but it is rare.

 

[xyresicchick]

what about silkie chicks from show quality parents?

(only wondering because I am apparently getting 12+ "SQ" silkie eggs... lol.

how'd that happen?

)

 

[debstein]

There is no such thing as SQ eggs - even if both parents have done well in shows, the resulting eggs are still a crap shoot. This is a real "hot button" for me, as bad as SQ chicks. Only when the bird has matured enough to properly evaluate its potential, can it ever be called "SQ" and even then you are talking about potential, not reality. Any silkie can be shown, as long as you pay the entry fee, so I try never to use the term "show quality" unless I have either shown the bird successfully, or would be proud to show the bird, and that's where you have to look at breeder quality also.