Okay, I have 'fought' this urge but now I want a Silkie -- How old does a Silkie have to be before it is DEFINITELY a pullet or a cockerel ???? I bought a young Frizzle who was 'guaranteed' to be a pullet and a couple weeks later 'she' grew a huge comb and started to crow !!??? (re-homed that one) There are 5 very pleasant hens living in our large 'Chicken Palace' and it would be fun to have a Silkie join them -- the breeder from whom I have gotten my hens does not raise Silkies -- (Gregory's Poultry Farm in southern VA -- highly recommended!!!) I am aware of the problems with those cute feathery feet in the rainy season and my chickens do not 'free range' -- We have a local 'chicken sale' the end of November and I'd like to be armed with info. before I go shopping --- Do the different colors have different personalities? Advice from someone, please?????
Sexing a silkie can depend on the quality and the specific bird. poorer quality silkies are generally easier to sex early. Show quality birds can take 5 months or more to be completely certain. If the birds aren't out playing in the mud and the coop is kept clean, you shouldn't have much of a problem with dirty foot feathers. Their personalities don't really vary from color to color. The better quality ones are more laid back than the poor quality ones as they have large crests and beards that block their vision. The NBs can see better than the beardeds can. I'd suggest getting more than one silkie as they tend to stick with their own kind and can sometimes be picked on by other breeds. They're also generally more susceptible to predators than other breeds because of their crests.
I have had some personality characteristics show up in differing varieties. My first buffs, the boys were extremely aggressive to the hens, and in general as compared with varieties. I asked the question and received many responses about how their buffs were usually more mellow. I lost all the males from that line, and replaced with unrelated birds. None of them had that "me first" aggressive personality. At the moment I see individual personality characterics, but none related to colour/variety. Some of the birds with larger crests are more mellow, others are more spastic about being handled--I assume from being startled. I don't know why some handle it one way and others to the other extreme.
I would be really careful about putting a silkie in with other hens due to the crest also. I have some with huge crests and some that can actually see. The ones that can see often run the other ones over. I have a white hen that sits by herself because she simply can't see. (I need to trim her crest). The last few years I let the kids keep the pet quality silkies that hatched and it actually was a relief to not have to spend so much time trimming and making sure everyone could see to eat etc. (now i have to clean those PQ's out of the coop. ugh. Emotional trauma) Anyways, my point is if you aren't going to show the silkie you might be happy with a nicer quality pet or breeder silkie with a smaller crest and less foot feathering. (Even when I had all SQ I let them roll in the mud etc. They are afterall chickens and I wasn't showing.Still don't and they still roll)
