silkie crossbreeding question

[AceWeasel]

my family got half a dozen bantams about four months ago (4 white silkies, 2 golden sebrights) and we're thinking about getting one or two young standard sized hens from a friend my dad works with to help keep them warm in the winter. he has multiple breeds and some crosses to choose from, but considering we have two precocious silkie roosters (they've both been crowing since 2 months old and one has already started trying to mate with the little hens) I'm interested in which ones would cross well with silkies as well as temperament.

I'm interested in some input on what people here think would cross well. we don't need broodiness, we actually almost didn't get silkies because they're backyard pets (with fresh eggs being a plus, we had bantams for over a decade but had to get rid of all our chickens several years back because of a neighbor that moved in with little dogs and didn't want to fence in her yard and complained our chickens were making her dogs cross the street, they've since fenced in their yard and we really missed the fun of having chickens) and having too many hatchings each year would make getting rid of the chicks a bit of a pain since we can't let the flock get too big but hearing about their sweet temperaments won us over anyway. it does get cold over the winter (I'm in Michigan, we can get pretty hot in the summer and **** cold in the winter) so something that can take the cold would be nice, and of course they need to be a breed that won't be overagressive and bully the silkies (especially since one of the little silkie hens is a very docile bird, sweetest thing ever, but then we had to baby her after she got injured by one of the other chicks walking over her the first week we had them so she's used to being babied and loves the attention, first one to learn her name too).

 

[nchls school]

my family got half a dozen bantams about four months ago (4 white silkies, 2 golden sebrights) and we're thinking about getting one or two young standard sized hens from a friend my dad works with to help keep them warm in the winter. he has multiple breeds and some crosses to choose from, but considering we have two precocious silkie roosters (they've both been crowing since 2 months old and one has already started trying to mate with the little hens) I'm interested in which ones would cross well with silkies as well as temperament.

I'm interested in some input on what people here think would cross well. we don't need broodiness, we actually almost didn't get silkies because they're backyard pets (with fresh eggs being a plus, we had bantams for over a decade but had to get rid of all our chickens several years back because of a neighbor that moved in with little dogs and didn't want to fence in her yard and complained our chickens were making her dogs cross the street, they've since fenced in their yard and we really missed the fun of having chickens) and having too many hatchings each year would make getting rid of the chicks a bit of a pain since we can't let the flock get too big but hearing about their sweet temperaments won us over anyway. it does get cold over the winter (I'm in Michigan, we can get pretty hot in the summer and **** cold in the winter) so something that can take the cold would be nice, and of course they need to be a breed that won't be overagressive and bully the silkies (especially since one of the little silkie hens is a very docile bird, sweetest thing ever, but then we had to baby her after she got injured by one of the other chicks walking over her the first week we had them so she's used to being babied and loves the attention, first one to learn her name too).

Consider sticking with what you have and letting them hatch chicks to make your flock the size you want. Adding bigger hens to an established bantam flock will lead to trouble. But...at the top of this page you will see a square marked BREEDS. Click there and browse. It's a great place to find out about any breed of chicken you wish to find out about.

 

[AceWeasel]

we

Consider sticking with what you have and letting them hatch chicks to make your flock the size you want. Adding bigger hens to an established bantam flock will lead to trouble. But...at the top of this page you will see a square marked BREEDS. Click there and browse. It's a great place to find out about any breed of chicken you wish to find out about.

we have been considering that, but part of the reason we're thinking about getting a larger breed hen or two is helping the silkies and sebrights keep warm in the winter. it does get quite cold here and I've heard some mixed things on how well silkies can deal with cold. also, we are looking for hens of a similar age to these banties and the two little roosters we are very good at keeping the little sebrights in line (they do try to use the fact their smaller, more agile, and faster to tease the others, except for Dumpling, the silkie we had to baby) so I'd assume they could do the same with a standard hen that was close in age to them too.

we actually did consider getting a couple orpingtons the same time we got the banties, but if we got standards as well as banties we wanted to make sure they were hens and we couldn't get sexed chicks where we got them unless we got at least 25 of them so we couldn't then, but this idea has been something we've been thinking about for a while. I was figuring while they're younger (they're not quite 4 months right now) they're more adaptable still so if this happens we'd better do it sooner rather than later. (and my dad has been talking about getting some fertilized duck eggs from a coworker for one of the silkie hens to sit on next year so we can have a duck or two as well, but I shut down that idea, we don't need ducks as well as chickens and even tho we do have couple ponds we could use I don't think we need to mix barnyard fowl.)

 

[nchls school]

we


we have been considering that, but part of the reason we're thinking about getting a larger breed hen or two is helping the silkies I have silkies but my coop is heated so I am unsure of their ability to handle the cold. and sebrights keep warm in the winter. it does get quite cold here and I've heard some mixed things on how well silkies can deal with cold. also, we are looking for hens of a similar age A good idea. You should have less trouble with the birds fighting. to these banties and the two little roosters we are very good at keeping the little sebrights in line (they do try to use the fact their smaller, more agile, and faster to tease the others, except for Dumpling, the silkie we had to baby) so I'd assume they could do the same with a standard hen that was close in age to them too.

we actually did consider getting a couple orpingtons the same time we got the banties, but if we got standards as well as banties we wanted to make sure they were hens and we couldn't get sexed chicks where we got them unless we got at least 25 of them so we couldn't then, but this idea has been something we've been thinking about for a while. I was figuring while they're younger (they're not quite 4 months right now) they're more adaptable You are right in thinking this. Younger birds are more adaptable. still so if this happens we'd better do it sooner rather than later. (and my dad has been talking about getting some fertilized duck eggs from a coworker for one of the silkie hens to sit on next year so we can have a duck or two as well, but I shut down that idea, we don't need ducks as well as chickens and even tho we do have couple ponds we could use I don't think we need to mix barnyard fowl.)

Good luck.

 

[donrae]

The breed that comes to mind reading your post is a Faverolles. They're not the easiest to find, but they have a reputation for being dead gentle. My current Faverolles hen and young cockerel don't roost, they sleep in a pile on the ground with my broody hen and her clutch (I'm not sure if your silkies roost or not). The other bird in the pen is Nervous Nellie, a bantam Cochin hen who freaks out at the slightest thing. I put her in with the Faverolles for them to be a stabilizing influence on her and it's worked, she's finally started laying again.

If you hatched out silkie male over Faverolles female eggs, you'd get adorable chicks. It's my understanding they should be sexable by leg color--males light legs, females dark legs. The chicks will be hard feathered but fluffy, with the 5 toes and feathered legs, crests and beards. I'd think it would be a great cross.