Silkie questions!

[needmorechickens!]

I have silkie eggs in my 'bator (2 are showgirls). These will be my first silkies ever! I can't wait for the hatch, but I have some questions...

1.) If you have a really good quality silkie, how long does it take for them to fully feather out and look 'poofy'?

2.) Do you have to 'groom' a silkie to get the 'poofy' look or do they look like that all the time?

3.) Can the silkies handle the winter ok? what about the showgirls (do i need to knit them scarves?

)

4.) Do I need to put a lower roost in their coop than I normally would?

That's all I can think of right now... Tell me about silkies!

~Rebecca

 

[BamaChicken]

needmorechickens! :

I have silkie eggs in my 'bator (2 are showgirls). These will be my first silkies ever! I can't wait for the hatch, but I have some questions...

1.) If you have a really good quality silkie, how long does it take for them to fully feather out and look 'poofy'?

2.) Do you have to 'groom' a silkie to get the 'poofy' look or do they look like that all the time?

3.) Can the silkies handle the winter ok? what about the showgirls (do i need to knit them scarves?

)

4.) Do I need to put a lower roost in their coop than I normally would?

That's all I can think of right now... Tell me about silkies!

~Rebecca

They should be completely poofy by 8 months
You don't have to groom them unless your showing. They are poofy without that. Look at the thread below that i posted on my show silkie. She has a pic before bath.

they had winter fine, If you keep them dry they will be fine.
You put up a low roost or just give them a pile of straw to bed up in.​

 

[needmorechickens!]

ok more questions....

- what about the blue on the sides of their heads? does that mean its a female?

- when do they start to lay?

- are all silkies considered bantams?

~Rebecca

 

[LilPeeps]

1.) If you have a really good quality silkie, how long does it take for them to fully feather out and look 'poofy'?

Yep, they should be fully feathered around 7-8 months.

2.) Do you have to 'groom' a silkie to get the 'poofy' look or do they look like that all the time?

They will look "poofy" whether or not you groom them. The only exception to that is that their crests may get dirty and to get the "poof" back, you may need to wash them.

3.) Can the silkies handle the winter ok? what about the showgirls (do i need to knit them scarves?

)

I've found that silkies are pretty hardy. I haven't had to put out a heat lamp for them, even when temps have been below 0°. Don't be overly disappointed if your showgirl eggs don't hatch showgirls, depending on whether the parent birds are het or homo for the nn gene, or if one is a silkie, you will only get a percentage of showgirls.

4.) Do I need to put a lower roost in their coop than I normally would?

You likely wont even need a roost at all, as silkies rarely use them; they prefer to sleep in piles.​

 

[LilPeeps]

- what about the blue on the sides of their heads? does that mean its a female?

I believe you're referring to the earlobes. This does not indicate whether a bird is male or female. Both sexes should have turquoise earlobes.

- when do they start to lay?

It depends on the individual bird...may be 20 weeks, may be 11 months.

- are all silkies considered bantams?

They are for the most part in the US. In other countries (mainly Europe) they have both bantam and standard silkies, with the bantam being slightly smaller and the standard being slightly larger than a typical silkie in the US.​

 

[mastiffsinky]

needmorechickens! :

ok more questions....

- what about the blue on the sides of their heads? does that mean its a female?

all silkies have turquoise earlobes

- when do they start to lay?

depends on the line, some as early as 5 months, but as a whole I would say 8

- are all silkies considered bantams?

yes they are, I have heard of standard size ones in other countries, but those in the US are bantams

~Rebecca​

 

[mastiffsinky]

You likely wont even need a roost at all, as silkies rarely use them; they prefer to sleep in piles.

LOL This is so true!

I have also lost several silkie ros over the years when they jump up on the horse/goat troughs and fall in. My best guess is that with the extra toes they can not grip the sides like the regular breeds do. For this reason the silkies have to be seperate from everyone else here.

Katie​

 

[LilPeeps]

Quote:
LOL This is so true!

I have also lost several silkie ros over the years when they jump up on the horse/goat troughs and fall in. My best guess is that with the extra toes they can not grip the sides like the regular breeds do. For this reason the silkies have to be seperate from everyone else here.

Katie

It's not really so much that they can't grip (although sometimes the foot feathering can get in the way), it's that because of the crests and beards, they can't really see to well, and thus their balance is effected. To put it in perspective, compare it to walking on a balance beam with a blindfold on

 

[needmorechickens!]

Thank you for all the help answering my questions! I am ready for them....now can someone make 'em hatch already?

hehehehe

~Rebecca

 

[mastiffsinky]

you are lucky, I want a showgirl soooooo bad