large fowl silkies???

ohh very interesting!! i actually LOVE bantams but just dont feel comfortable having them because i like to let um roam my yard and i just think they're too fragile and targetable...ie hawks.... I'd love a big ole silkie... love love it

 

I don't know if anyone is, but somebody should!!!! I'd love to have LF silkie hens that set as good as bantams so they could hold more eggs.

 

My Silkies are pretty darn big, especially the roo. The roo I lost a week ago was huge and gorgeous. They are *just* starting to lay. I'm excited to see if the size breeds true since these guys came from smaller stock. The breeder was shocked when she found out how big they are. ::::Shrug::: We breed miniature horses and feed them the best feed we can because nature meant them to be whatever height they will be and we'll help them get there, no matter how big or small it is

 

Really to be truethfull our silkies here in the US is a size inbetween the bantam version and standard version over in Europe there is only a slight difference in them and some of our over here are about the size of the standard version over there! But they are working on them over here it will take a few more years to get them down pat and where they want them.

 

Bumping an older thread up.

Will have pictures of my LF silkie I just bought yesterday in a bit.

 

Young pullet with mature beradless and tuftlesss bantam hen


same pair from above pic


Young cockerel with light brahma roo


The same pullet from the first picture with an EE roo


These aren't project birds, or maybe? They have everything a bantam exhibits: tuft, 5-6 toes, white/blue ear lobs, barbless/hookless feathering. This local egg ranch has been selling these LF silkie for decades at their Clovis, CA location for meat consumption(mainly for the Asian population).

 

I would be interested in LF silkies!!!

 

Silkies do not/should not have tufts. Bearded silkies have muffs, whcih are a very different thing. Non-bearded birds do not/cannot have muffs as the same gene that casues a beard also causes the muffs, But tufts are an entirely different beast. The only breed with tufts is araucana. Silkies should have 10 toes: 5 per foot.

Anyways, they are not what anyone would consider show or exhibition quality, but they are silkies. How much do they weigh?

 

Thanks, I knew tuft was not the right word for the muffless silkie hen above. And yes, I do know what tufts are now, since you mention Araucana.

I've never weigh them before. I lost interest in them and got rid of the pair. But I would say the pullet was about 4-5 lbs and the cockerel was about 5- 5 1/2 lbs then. The pair above was still young, but I guess if I didn't get rid of them and let them mature till now, maybe hen would be in the 5-6 lbs and male 6-7 1/2 lbs range. They were pretty large and heavy, since they weren't all fluffy feathers like the fluff ball show birds are like.