Kind of s stupid question..but....

[jenni22776rn]

So I brought home two silkies this past weekend..I have never been around them before and I was doing some research on them. So I have what seems to be a stupid question..are all silkies bantams? Everytime I research the breed they come up as bantams...and if not..how big do they get? Is it true they do not fly? How is their care diffrent then regular chickens? Sorry for the questions...I was not planning on getting any silkies until next year but could not pass up the chance when I saw these ones!! I just love how fluffy they are!

 

[KellyHM]

All silkies in the US are bantams. There are standard Silkies in the UK. They don't really fly b/c their feathers don't "work" but can still flap their wings enough to get up on a low perch, although a lot of mine like to sleep on the ground in a pile or in the nestbox. Care is essentially the same, but you have to be more careful about predators b/c they can't see things coming with their giant poofy feathers.

 

[GotGame]

Plus, silkies feathers do not shed water AT ALL, and most of the ones we had were too stupid to get out of the rain, so we had to be careful with them...as stated above, with their big crests they cant see well, they cant negotiate ramps well due to this, and with their big puffs (butts) the better the quality, the bigger the puff, the harder time they have with breeding, due to the puff getting in the way. Now many silkies you see do better at flying, or hopping actually, have smaller crests and are lower maintenance, as they are only pet quality. Pretty much, to make a long story short, the better quality they are the higher maintenance they are, due to not being able to see, fly or find the door to the coop if they panic in the rain....

 

[phasianidae]

Quote:
Shadowpaints has standard Silkies. Heres the thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=502606

 

[jenni22776rn]

Thanks so much for the information! How hard are they to sex? If I post a picture can someone make a guess? When I bought I was told they are a hard breed to sex until they get older...and everything I have read states the same...either way I can not get over how darling they are..fluffy bottoms and all!

This is the bearded chick

this is the non bearded..

This must be a very popular breed..I really had no idea just how cute they are and was only going to get one..but seeing them I knew I needed a pair!! lol!