Silkie chicken care

[Kadaily]

Hello. I am new to silkie chickens. Getting a few in April. I’m wondering what extra care they need. Will they be fine in an insulated coop all winter? Do i need to add heat or bring them in at night? Are they generally fine with regular sized hens who are very friendly and gentle?
Thanks!
Katie

 

[sourland]

When raised along with full size birds, silkies generally do well. Introducing silkies to an established flock of larger birds can be difficult. The pecking order can be brutal, and silkies with their smaller size, mellow temperament, and diminished vision can be brutalized. Have a plan B in mind if introducing to an established flock. Good luck.

 

[Kadaily]

When raised along with full size birds, silkies generally do well. Introducing silkies to an established flock of larger birds can be difficult. The pecking order can be brutal, and silkies with their smaller size, mellow temperament, and diminished vision can be brutalized. Have a plan B in mind if introducing to an established flock. Good luck.

Thanks! I am going to raise them from Day Old with the other hens so i think we should be fine. I picked breeds that are known to be calm and easy going so my fingers are crossed!!!

 

[Blooie]

I had no issues with my Silkies out in the coop/run setup with the standards. Of course, my chick raising methods kinda fly in the face of convention and they are raised outside in a wire pen in the run where the Bigs can see them all the time and they can see the Bigs, learning from them how to be chickens! I use Mama Heating Pad out there, and my chicks - yes, even the Silkies - are totally integrated with the rest of the flock and off all supplemental heat by 4 weeks old. Here our "spring chick season" can still be pretty doggone cold and snowy....a few years ago we got our last snowfall in June. So yours should be fine arriving in April, and ready to go outside when the weather is nice and balmy.

I live in Northwestern Wyoming, not far from Yellowstone Park, and it gets cold and snowy here! That didn't faze my Silkies - even in the dead of winter when I went out to do chores they were always among the first to head out the open door for the wide open spaces of the yard. I have one photo of them outside when it was 9 degrees with snow on the ground. I think the key is that they weren't overly pampered - they were allowed to gradually acclimate to the shorter, colder days and long, frigid nights right alongside of the others. My coop wasn't heated or insulated. The only concession we made to the weather was to cover our run in mesh reinforced, clear greenhouse plastic. Our run is a hoop run, which made that process so easy. We made the south side plastic a separate piece so that we could roll it up or down depending on winds and weather. It was usually open to let the warm southern sun come in. The north side had a large vent area over the people door. Humidity was kept to a bare minimum - being wet is not good for chickens, but for Silkies with their funny feather texture it's critical. Sealing a coop or run up tight is the fastest way to get an excess of humidity in their setup. Ventilation is key.

I put in a lower roost in the coop for them. Some used it, some snuggled down on the floor together, and a couple of brave ones ignored what the books say about them and got up on the big roost with the standards. As you watch yours grow and change, you'll be able to tell what they prefer. Around here they were just another part of the flock. I've included some photos of them.

 

[Kadaily]

I had no issues with my Silkies out in the coop/run setup with the standards. Of course, my chick raising methods kinda fly in the face of convention and they are raised outside in a wire pen in the run where the Bigs can see them all the time and they can see the Bigs, learning from them how to be chickens! I use Mama Heating Pad out there, and my chicks - yes, even the Silkies - are totally integrated with the rest of the flock and off all supplemental heat by 4 weeks old. Here our "spring chick season" can still be pretty doggone cold and snowy....a few years ago we got our last snowfall in June. So yours should be fine arriving in April, and ready to go outside when the weather is nice and balmy.

I live in Northwestern Wyoming, not far from Yellowstone Park, and it gets cold and snowy here! That didn't faze my Silkies - even in the dead of winter when I went out to do chores they were always among the first to head out the open door for the wide open spaces of the yard. I have one photo of them outside when it was 9 degrees with snow on the ground. I think the key is that they weren't overly pampered - they were allowed to gradually acclimate to the shorter, colder days and long, frigid nights right alongside of the others. My coop wasn't heated or insulated. The only concession we made to the weather was to cover our run in mesh reinforced, clear greenhouse plastic. Our run is a hoop run, which made that process so easy. We made the south side plastic a separate piece so that we could roll it up or down depending on winds and weather. It was usually open to let the warm southern sun come in. The north side had a large vent area over the people door. Humidity was kept to a bare minimum - being wet is not good for chickens, but for Silkies with their funny feather texture it's critical. Sealing a coop or run up tight is the fastest way to get an excess of humidity in their setup. Ventilation is key.

I put in a lower roost in the coop for them. Some used it, some snuggled down on the floor together, and a couple of brave ones ignored what the books say about them and got up on the big roost with the standards. As you watch yours grow and change, you'll be able to tell what they prefer. Around here they were just another part of the flock. I've included some photos of them.

Your chickens are beautiful! I really can’t wait for mine!!! One more question: i am getting 4 regular sized hens and 2 silkies. Should i add one more silkie so they have more for warmth in the winter or leave it as it is? Thanks so much for your wonderful response.
P.s. we LOVE Wyoming. So beautiful. We went to a dude dance just outside of Jackson Hole and fell in love with our state!

 

[Blooie]

Thanks. I had to rehome my entire flock in August and I sure miss them. I can guarantee you that if the time ever came when I could have chickens again, Silkies would sure be in my new flock! Not that that will ever happen, but that's how much I enjoyed them. They were little more than eye candy - pocket lint with legs - but they pack a lot of personality in those fluffy little bodies!

I may have become a little over-enthusiastic about Silkies in general, so I would caution you on one thing....while I don't think Silkies are so delicate that they need all the fussing they seem to get, that first week after shipping can be a bear as far as losses go. They are little and fragile for those first critical days. Once they are familiar with the world, they do great. But they don't seem to handle shipping as well as bigger breeds. Sadly, some don't survive that - they aren't big enough or strong enough for that kind of rough handling. Be prepared for that, and leave the whip in the barn - very seldom is the problem anything we've done as new owners, but we sure can beat ourselves up over it! I ordered one batch of 15 and of those, only 9 survived. I was crushed. But it wasn't my first time with Silkies, and while discouraged I knew that chick losses happen, even when we do everything perfectly. I guess what I'm saying is that when it comes to ordering Silkies for shipment, more is always better.

 

[elliephunt]

Hi! I'm so excited you are going to get silkies, I absolutely love them! Just an "extra care" tip perhaps, but depending on what kind of bedding you use, sometimes with their 5-toed-feather-feet, wood shavings when wet can accumulate and stick to your silkies feet. This can lead to limping or Lord knows what for their feet...but all you have to do is spray their feet off. Just keep an eye on your girls' toes! Good luck!