Mixing silkie chicks with standards

[Foxhound lady]

We have 3 Silkies with 6 standard chickens and they get along just fine. The rooster is a Silkie and thinks that all the big girls are his (to bad they dont know that)

 

[cmom]

If you raise them all together as chicks, it's much easier than trying to integrate them later.

 

[vermontgal]

I'll be getting silkies from the Tractor Supply mixed bantam bin. I have been studying up on pics of silkie chicks so I think I will be able to pick out the BREED if not the sex.

I could try to wait a few days before picking them out. I have no idea how popular silkies are around here, and if they will sell out fast. I think most Vermonters are more into - you know - practical egg-laying chickens.

My idea is:
mid April - pick out silkie chicks at Tractor supply
early May - add day-old EE to 2-3 week silkies
mid July - integrate flock of 2 EE and 3 silkies with the 3 existing chickens, providing the silkies with a small-hole roost area where they can get away from the big girls.

The 5 new chickens will have the numbers over the 3 older girls. If any of the silkies turn out to be roosters, they will be leaving. If all of the silkies turned out to be girls, I'd probably only keep 2. Hmm, maybe that means I should start with 4 so that I can get rid of at least 2 together.