how to care for silkies properly?

[chocol8bikini]

They also don't with stand the cold very well. Anyone know at what temp it's time to bring them inside?

 

[Gloria o]

What I do is to put a heat lamp in the coop it's high enough so they won't to close they been outside for two years they do just fine

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Silkies originated in the Himalayas (or so its been said). Anyway, I treat mine just like the rest of my birds. Give them a dry, draft free coop and they're good to go. Mine do NOT get a heat lamp (which can actually be detrimental, as it makes it harder for them to adjust to the temps outside) and they are allowed access to their pen rain, snow, sleet or shine. Silkies with larger crests are more susceptible to aerial predators, but as a breed, they're not the delicate little flowers everyone makes them out to be

 

[tjo804]

Silkies originated in the Himalayas (or so its been said). Anyway, I treat mine just like the rest of my birds. Give them a dry, draft free coop and they're good to go. Mine do NOT get a heat lamp (which can actually be detrimental, as it makes it harder for them to adjust to the temps outside) and they are allowed access to their pen rain, snow, sleet or shine. Silkies with larger crests are more susceptible to aerial predators, but as a breed, they're not the delicate little flowers everyone makes them out to be

I am so glad to hear you say that.
It gets down in the high 20's here in the winter I would bring them in but the cats and DH would not be too understanding of that.

The Silkie in your Avatar is Georges! do you breed?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I am so glad to hear you say that.
It gets down in the high 20's here in the winter I would bring them in but the cats and DH would not be too understanding of that.

The Silkie in your Avatar is Georges! do you breed?

Thank you, and yes, I do breed. I've been breeding Silkies and Sizzles for a few years now

 

[enola]

Do you guys know that not only is their skin black, but their meat, bones and organs are blue?

 

[BaileyMChicks]

I was thinking about getting silkies, but I'm rather hesitant because they would be in the same coop as the rest of my flock, and I let my current flock free range in the snow and rain, and I read that silkies can't get wet, so they can't be out in the rain. Is this true, or would it be ok for me to get them? And also, how cold tolerant are silkies, because where I live it can get down to -20 or lower WITHOUT windchill. And I don't use a heat lamp if I can avoid it. I've never lost any bird to the cold yet. And I have yet to see any major frostbite(minor frostbite on the tips of my Roos combs last year, but that was it, none on the ladies). So yeah..

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I've seen a lot of folks say their Silkies are delicate, but that has not been my experience. Mine go out in the wind, rain, sleet, snow, whatever. And they're fine. They get wet, they go in their coop and preen themselves dry just like any other chicken. Mine live in an uninsulated coop, and have been in -19F (thats the lowest we've gotten since moving to TN, but they've dealt with lower when I lived in VA- though temps that cold weren't/aren't that common where I live).
That being said, I don't free range them. Even with other breeds, they're the first to get picked off. They don't see well and aren't as quick to run for cover as other breeds. So, mine stay in a large run. The only time they get to free roam the yard is if I'm there to supervise.

Silkies originated in the Himalayas, they're well built to live in a cold climate. Their walnut combs are great for the cold too, not much to catch moisture on and get frost bitten.

 

[CoopedUpChicken]

I love my silkies. I have a white male and female bearded silkies.
Mine were raised with all the other various hen breeds. They are all about 8-9 months now.

They were skittish about letting me hold them when they were little (they were the only ones that would shake from fear when I picked them up).
Now, they trust me more and I can walk by them without them running.

The little silkie pullet "talks" to me now lol

There is a small dog crate I put up high on our porch to keep out of the way - but the chickens found their way up into it and love it as a spot to lay eggs.
Unfortunately, my little silkie couldn't fly up to it like the others - but it was obvious that she needed to lay an egg and wanted a turn up in the cage REAL BAD - so one day I grabbed her and put her up in the cage and locked it. She settled in real nice and did her business and loved it.

From that day forward she will walk up to me when I'm sitting on the porch and "talk" to me and look up at the cage. She comes right up to my feet waiting for me to pick her up and put her in the cage

She is a SWEETY


The male silkie is sweet too - he gets chased now by the gigantic white rock rooster that he was raised with - but they never fight. Even the big buffs will chase him around every now and then.

The silkies free range with everyone after dawn and before dusk - and they tend to stick together like glue

 

[lindseyteel]

Do they need baths? Our chickens do dust baths and I've never had to do anything else... Do their feet or eyes get infections from all the dander? My daughter wants some SOOOO much