Need information and advice on Silkie chickens

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Mary Andersen

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Hello! My name is Mary Michaelene and I live in the Midwest in Indiana. I am a nurse but always wanted to live in the country and raise animals. I love animals. Presently I am interested in raising Silkie chickens and am researching the subject. My husband is an old farm boy but he is not interested in doing this. I know that the first thing I need to do is to find out if my area allows me to have a small brood within the town limits. These chickens will not be for eating, just eggs and pets.
It is nice to meet everyone and I welcome any help.
 
Welcome! There is a section here on town ordinances that you can try to look up yours, that or you can call your city hall, they can often direct you to the right person! I'd take a peek at the coop section on here too, it's fabulous for getting ideas! HOw many chickens are you wanting?
 
Silkies are so much fun and I have loved mine but have unfortunately lost a lot of them to predators due to their very small size, the coyotes and the hawks go for them first. So, if you plan on free ranging, that is something you have to take into consideration.
 
G’Day from down under Mary :frow Welcome!

I hope that you are able to keep chickens in your area.

I also hope you enjoy being a BYC member. There are lots of friendly and very helpful folks here so not only is it overflowing with useful information it is also a great place to make friends and have some fun.

You might want to also Find Your State Thread and pop in and say hello.

The Silkie Thread may also be of interest to you.

Good luck!
 
Welcome as well.

I can say I truly have enjoyed the Silkies that have been in my flock. They can be amazingly decent layers (when they aren't brooding...which can be frequently).

Overall they can be sweet tempered (except when brooding when they get a bit snippy).

They are susceptible to Marek's, a viral disease which is very prevalent, so you need to buy from a reputable breeder who breeds for resistance in your area or purchase Silkies that have been vaccinated.

They don't do well in range foraging as they are simply hawk bait. So, if you have aerial predators, Silkies are not your best choice.

They also waddle more than run, so again, not very predator adept.

I keep mine locked 24x7 in a pen that is heavily netted and wired for their protection.

Since I have lots of rain, they have a bark chip run to prevent them from becoming mud balls as they are heavily foot feathered and low to the ground. I also have a tarp covering over their run as they are not the best for rain weather.

So you do have to pamper them a bit, but not a lot.

The other bantam I can recommend that is sweet, marek's resistant, with similar traits is the bantam Cochin. They go broody a bit less often, are gentle natured even when brooding, and seem a bit more cold/rain hardy. But again, they are not good for free range or predators as they waddle more than run.

Good luck with finding your new little flock.

LofMc
 
Agree wholeheartedly with Lady of Mc. Also silkies' wing feathers are not made for flying, so another major factor making them predator bait. They accept confinement well and will be just as happy in a safe ,secure run.:welcome
 

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