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I'd love to have silkies but all my chickens run together and I would be worried about silkies getting their heads pecked.. you sure have lovely birds though..
I have 17 week old silkies in with my 22 week old buff orps and they've been in together since Decemeber 5th! They get along great!
there were some pecking order problems the first two days, but after that they became a great little flock!
MORE GOOD NEWS I HAVE 2 Layers now!!!! Marigold laid her first egg yesterday!!
My hatchery stock silkies were my first chickens that I have here now (i've had chickens before but didn't for a couple years). The hatchery/pet bunch rule the property. My daughter's splash silkie roo is the big boss of everyone, and I have 5 mature boys - 2 silkies, 1 brahma, 1 OEGB, and a spitzhauben rooster that I recently took. Oh of all the funniest things in the world is to watch my OEGB Rockadoodle who is 1.5 lbs chase the spitzhauben rooster who is 4-5 times his size...
My oldest birds are suspected hatchery silkies, so of course don't have much crest at all. my more Breeder and Show potential bunch from breeder lines have huge crests, these babies in the pictures are only 10-11 weeks old and you see the size of their crests already! They are more prone to being picked on, but when I am free ranging my birds get along very well. Silkies don't do good free ranging if you have a threat of flying predators, or any predators really because again - those crests make it hard for them to see.
So if you plan to run silkies with the other birds and house them with other birds, then I agree it wouldn't be a good idea. but if you want silkies you should find a cheap wooden dog house and make a small run for a few just for pets and living walking incubators!
(yes I am a silkie enabler LOL )
I'd love to have silkies but all my chickens run together and I would be worried about silkies getting their heads pecked.. you sure have lovely birds though..
I have 17 week old silkies in with my 22 week old buff orps and they've been in together since Decemeber 5th! They get along great!
MORE GOOD NEWS I HAVE 2 Layers now!!!! Marigold laid her first egg yesterday!!
My hatchery stock silkies were my first chickens that I have here now (i've had chickens before but didn't for a couple years). The hatchery/pet bunch rule the property. My daughter's splash silkie roo is the big boss of everyone, and I have 5 mature boys - 2 silkies, 1 brahma, 1 OEGB, and a spitzhauben rooster that I recently took. Oh of all the funniest things in the world is to watch my OEGB Rockadoodle who is 1.5 lbs chase the spitzhauben rooster who is 4-5 times his size...
My oldest birds are suspected hatchery silkies, so of course don't have much crest at all. my more Breeder and Show potential bunch from breeder lines have huge crests, these babies in the pictures are only 10-11 weeks old and you see the size of their crests already! They are more prone to being picked on, but when I am free ranging my birds get along very well. Silkies don't do good free ranging if you have a threat of flying predators, or any predators really because again - those crests make it hard for them to see.
So if you plan to run silkies with the other birds and house them with other birds, then I agree it wouldn't be a good idea. but if you want silkies you should find a cheap wooden dog house and make a small run for a few just for pets and living walking incubators!
