Reputable source for day-old Silkie chicks?

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:
Actually there are some LF Silkies in the US they are just very hard to find. There's a guy on ebay been selling them for 2 years that I know of, you just have to catch it when he has some listed.

A private breeder is always they best way to go if you want nice silkies though, lots of the hatcheries are junk. I wasted a lot of money getting ours go threw so called bearded hatchery birds. Never kept the first one back, gave them all away and bought real ones for our stock. I you just want a "silkie" they are by far the cheaper way to go and will give you mainly pet quality birds, but they'll be silkies .

Lots of the hatchery birds i ended up with had single combs, white skin, 3-4 toes instead of 5, some had bright red combs, none were ever bearded though they all say " both bearded and non bearded" So just depends on what quality you are looking for in them

Didn't realize there were any in the US. I'll have to keep my eyes open

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

wish I could remember his user name on ebay. I have bought from him before on there with great results on his eggs, but never the standards. If I run across him again, I'll copy and paste his user name on this thread. From his pics, they look huge!

 

[LittleChocobo]

Quote:
PLEASE do! I like standard-size birds better than bantams and was beginning to think I couldn't get standard silkies! Thank you so much! (Maybe check your past buys, or your feedback, to see if the names ring a bell?) I've been looking for weeks!

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

I've seen standard silkies before a friend of mine's ex-girlfriend had them (She lives in Winsconsin now I think) but my friend ended up keeping a couple chicks from her, he only has one hen left but she is BIG. I think I may have a picture somewhere I'll see if I can't find it, he sent it to me back in Feb this chicken is beside a Giant Cochin and the silkie is nearly the same size. his is a partridge but she's got the black skin, blue ears, and 5 toes. gorgeous bird!

Goodluck on finding them here in the US though! They are few and far between I know his ex girlfriend paid big $$ to get these birds from someone in Canada I think it was.

Bantam silkies are awesome though, I have them and I adore them, best chickens I have, my adults are 3 hatchery stock and 1 is from show birds but she's beardless. I have had some show quality silkies before though and it doesnt matter personality wise most all silkies are very friendly and good natured. (though I am getting rid of my #2 roo cause he was sold "pure stock" and is anything but he's a definate cross and mean as all kinds of get out.

 

[LittleChocobo]

I think it's not so much that there's no demand, it's that there's no supply, so people don't realize that they're not just bantams! Man, I wish I knew where she got them. I've been actively searching for standard silkies for almost a month now.

I'm looking in Canada but can't seem to find any large hatcheries, or any ones close enough to ship to Oregon comfortably..

They really are gorgeous birds, especially at full size. If I can't find any standard chicks by the time I get everything I need for my brooder, I'm going to get bantams instead.

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

I tried to look threw my feedback, but there's over 650 of them, kind of a needle in the haystack there as it was too far back to have the info listed still. Will keep my eye out for you though. They were in Texas, I do remember that much

 

[LittleChocobo]

Thank you so much for looking. I know it's a long slog through a lot of repetitive and dull information. Even just the Texas part helps me narrow my search quite a bit though!

 

[BoiseBubba]

Sorry to pop any bubbles here, but nearly ALL Silkies are neither standard nor bantam, but "Medium" Silkies are what you get from hatcheries, a cross between Standard and Bantam Silkies, possibly with some other breeds , whereas SOME show quality Silkies are more Bantam-like. There are a select few Standard Size Silkies. I have two Standard Sized Lavender Cuckoo Roos, but they stay with me for breeding.

Good luck on your search

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

The average silkie by standards is no bigger than what about 28-30 oz for the rooster ? (randomly trying to remember - forgive me if i'm too high) just like most other bantam breeds. The one standard silkie I've ever seen which looked like some of the show birds I've seen just HUGE and she was atleast 7 lbs. thats a BIG difference. my silkies hatchery stock and out of show stock are a little big at about 30 oz - 45 oz, and they are decently bigger than the average game banty but still. (p.s. yes I say banty sometimes - i heard it so much growing up I still do it too

)
Standards are hard to come by in the U.S. and if you manage to find them I can only imagine the prices you'd pay for them.

I'd be scared to even consider it! I know the friend of mine's ex paid incredibly high amount cause of the freight shipping but still I believe she paid in the price range of 20$ a CHICK if I remember right, I just know I was thinking when I was told I laughed my tail off at the crazy price for a baby chicken. but the one my friend has Gloria...is BEAUTIFUL. i'm still looking around for a pic, I hope I can find it!!!