Silkie Questions?

[waitin on eggs]

Hello all,
I currently have 10 all "big girls" and I now have 5 silkies that are only 3wks. Now for the questions....

1. Can silkies live together with the big girls?
2. Do they need their own home?
3. Do they roost at night ?
4. and if so how high should the roosts be?
5. Can they free range during the day? Or should they have an enclosed run? All my "big girls do" However I have heard silkies dont do well with free roam, Is this true?
6. Any other differences or secrets you could let me in on..

Thanks Much

 

[mammat]

I had 2 silkies living with 6 big girls. One has done fine for 3 years. She (Buffy) always roosted with the big girls. The other one insisted on sitting on the coop floor at night. One morning I found her dead. She did not have a mark on her and was not ill prior so I think one of the big girls jumped down off the chicken ladder and broke her neck. Silkies do have a "soft spot" on their heads which make them more susceptable to injury. My chickens are enclosed in a large fenced pen and do not free range because we have a dog. She does not need any additional care. I do give them all a bath once a year in the Spring...even the big girls! My one lone silkie is very broody and just hatched 8 babies

I do know that when we got 5 additional chickens last year it was quite difficult to integrate them into our exisiting flock of 5 birds. The original 5 chased them and would not let them in the coop at night. After a year it is still clear who is boss out there. The "new" chickens are low man on the totum pole still.

 

[MydearWatson]

Having two new Silkies myself, I'm hopping on to get some info. Good post!

 

[waitin on eggs]

Quote:
If you were to get silkies again, would you provide seperate housing? My hubby is currently building me a larger coop, as my chicken infatuation has gotten a teeny weeny bit out of hand So I will have my current coop as they come of age, all I will need to do would be to attach a run. Just seems the more I read, I think they might be better off in their own little play area withouth the big girls. Thank you for your response. Oh also that "soft spot" you speak of, Does that ever seal up? Or is it always there... Good to know

 

[gritsar]

Quote:

 

[wannabchick]

If u have a super large coop, have two doors and a separate pen that comes off that door and can open to the larger one..inside the coop then partition in area for them from off that door..that's what I would do if I had a large coop

I swear it's like where u start them is where they will want to be

But I have mine with the bigger girls too

Iam getting a doghouse converting it to the silkie bordello so I won't have to worry as the big girls get bigger and jump on them by accident

But my silkies will not roost

Xoxo

 

[waitin on eggs]

Quote:
Okay, I think I've decided to keep them in their own "little world" I would just worry myself sick over them getting injured. Since my smaller coop will be available soon, I will just have to adapt it a little and add a run "enclosure" How much space do they need in the run per bird? My coop is 4X8 so I could put a few lounge chairs,swimming pool and a tiki bar inside for those hot summer days! lol

 

[flowerchicks]

Quote:
I have 12 chickens, 3 are full silkies. 2 are silkie roosters, one is a super tiny (the size of my d'uccle) silkie hen. One rooster roosts at night with the big girls, but my super tiny silkie and her boyfriend silkie roo don't. She probably could roost if she wanted to, but there is no way he could get up there. He, by the way, is the head roo, so the big girls don't discriminate. They sleep in a dog crate in the coop, and they seem very happy with it. I have not had any problem with them integrating with the rest of the flock (they are the most recently introduced, last June). They all free range during the day in a 50 x 50 ft area, and are let out into the big yard around 7pm. It would be longer, but my neighbor doesn't appreciate my offspring rooster standing next to the fence and crowing

. I have never heard that silkie's don't do well free ranging, mine have never had a problem finding their way home.