Please tell me about silkies and broodiness

[bargain]

Hi, I keep saying no more breeds, but I still love the look of silkies......I hatched one out that I gave to my friend Pumpkinpup and remember how very very sweet that one was.

Do silkies go broody?

If yes, how many standard eggs can they set?

Wbat's the different between pet and show silkies?

I guess that's about it.............

Thanks and have a blessed day!

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Yes! Silkies are one of the broodiest breeds there are. I think a hen could comfortably fit 5 large eggs under her, maybe a few more. The difference between pet and show Silkies is how well that bird conforms to the Standard of Perfection. Pet Quality referring to a bird with many or obvious faults, and Show Quality meaning the bird has none or very few faults.

 

[onthespot]

plus, if one goes broody, the rest of them will in a few days and you will have a dogpile of fluff that you can fit a LOT of eggs under. I don't know how many a lot is, but it is a lot. LOL.

 

[Brody's Broodello]

Quote:
It's a fluffy carpet as far as the eye can see!

Good for the cold days, just pick up one for each hand, great little warmers!

 

[bargain]

Alright really great answers....Now one of my last questions please, can they tolerate winter temperatures in the 20's as long as they have shelter accessible from the wind/rain/sleet?

Your recommendations of sellers of them on BYC in terms of "show".

Thanks and have a blessed evening.

 

[onthespot]

Yes, well sheltered, dry, draft free they do low temps well enough. They do not have "extra" insulation just because their feathers are silkie. Just similar to other bantam breeds. I have bedded their nest quite deep and put eight large fowl eggs under one hen, could probably squeeze in one or two more, but if you do too many, they settle into two layers and especially in cold weather the bottom ones would quit. You want to put only so many as they stay against her brooding self, actual contact. In hot weather you could probably get away with more eggs, especially if you make sure and rearrange them once or twice a day. I am always pushing the boundaries however. Most people would say four eggs.

 

[happyhensny]

We have 2 Silkie Roo's and 3 Silkie hens. Weather here gets MIGHTY cold. -15*+ plus wind chills. Our Silkie's are in with other breeds but they have been great this winter, no sign of stress.

As for broody, one of the hens went broody and I am not sure she ever even layed an egg!

Show Silkie's need to be as close to "standard" as possible - mine are pet quality. Little lovin' fluff balls.

 

[kathyinmo]

I finally allowed 2 of the 4 broody sistas to sit, after I gave up trying to break their broodiness! This picture was awhile back. My Silkies are also excellent layers. They lay an egg nearly every day, minimum 5 a week. Currently, I have another broody buff in the Silkie shack. I am sure the others will follow right behind her!

ETA: My Silkies all live outside. The temps have been down in the single digits on occassion, and they did just fine. I did house them all together for the winter, for additional warmth. I do have very deep shavings in their house. Sometimes they roost (less than a foot up from the floor), but most times they do not. Their nests are on floor level.

I don't show and I have never sold my eggs. However, I have given away many. I purchased my buffs from someone that hatched them from BamaChicken's stock, and I believe Julie used to show her birds.

 

[Keenonf]

I'm just starting to get into this silkies, I just got 8 from ideal. I'll be watching this thread so please put as much info as possible. Thanks everyone.