Silkie Rooster????

[LeghornLisa]

Can anyone give me info on silkie roosters? I ordered 6 pullets and somehow ended up with 2 silkie roos....I am not supposed to have them where I live but I don't want to give them up. Do they get as aggressive as other roosters? Do I need to get more pullets for them? The crowing started Sept 1st and is not very loud, my neighbors don't even hear it. Will this get louder? Right now they are laughing at me because they think they are cute and are not bothered by them. They are only 19 weeks old.......

 

[Pathfinders]

From whom did you order these birds, a hatchery or a breeder? Silkies are not as aggressive as some other breeds, so you may be able to keep the two males in with the four females, but you may not (temperament varies from strain to strain within a breed.)

They will crow pretty loudly as they get older. You may wish to try to rehome them if you are not permitted to keep males where you live.

 

[LeghornLisa]

They are from a hatchery. He only crows first thing in the morning. I was hoping to keep the pop door shut in the morning till 8:00 if it becomes a noise issue with the neighbors....

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

If the coop is fairly sound-proof, and you keep them locked in from dark until about 8am, you may be able to get away with it. Since your neighbors already know about them, be upfront and ask them to let you know if they begin making too much noise, so that you can try to fix the problem. More insulation, light-proof window coverings, and perhaps some other things to keep him from crowing early.

I've never had an silkie who was aggressive towards people. Most even live well with each other.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I had a black silkie that I wouldn't trust when I turned my back. He would run up behind me then stop and act like he wasn't doing anything when I turned back around.

Needless to say he's been taken care of.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I've had ones that tried that--they just need some extra loving. Watch them from the corner of your eye, and be prepared when they get close to rapidly trn around and grab him at arms length. Then put him in the football position and coo baby talk at him as you pet him on his beard, neck, head and hackles. Call him Sweetie, and Babycakes and LuvMuffin and other embarrassing endearments. Offer him some special treats. Trust me; a week of that every time he tries to sneak up on you, and you will either have a very sweet tame rooster who wants as much attention as you are willing to lavish on him, or one who will avoid you entirely.

 

[ZooMummzy]

Quote:
This is exactly what I'm doing now with my two roos...I have a black cochin banty and a white silkie. The silkie is 6 months old just started crowing a couple days ago and it was so quiet and pretty...and he hasn't done it since. The cochin is the dominant roo, so I think that is why. Neither one of them is aggressive though, especially the silkie. He is just a big puff ball lol. The cochin is loud but only loud enough that my immediate neighbors can hear him and they don't mind. We have a very tall fence and I keep the window closed in my coop and also close the two largest vents over night - only on the coolest nights. I also have dark towels over the window. You can also try putting him in a dog carrier covered with a towel. I did that for awhile and it really kept the sound down. For some reason, my cochin will only crow at 10am. Maybe you will get lucky too? If mine crowed at all hours, including in the evening, I would have to get rid of them. That would be too much.

I wish you luck!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Most of the time roosters don't crow in the evening unless something is wrong. That is about the ONLY time I can count on mine being quiet. A dog carrier that is too short for them to stand up tall in is almost certain to prevent crowing.

FWIW, mine generally start crowing about 3am, and crow periodically throughout the day. As an interesting note, there is a place in the Bible, sorry, I don't recall exactly where, but it is Old Testament, and talking about praying at various times throughout the day, where it refers to cock's crow, dawn, mid day, noon, ...

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

My splash silkie cockerel does the sideways dance toward me...attempting to be as aggresive as he can (which doesn't seem to be too much!!). I do just what Sonoran Silkies suggested...pick him up, pet him, rub him, tell him how handsome he is, kiss his head, etc. He is so confused

He knows that I'm not his competition now.

 

[LeghornLisa]

Thank you everyone! I have been doing all of these things. This is all new to me and my biggest fear was getting a rooster and having to get rid of him. Now that they are both here and so darn sweet I can't imagine farming him out or God forbid sending them to "Freezer Camp". They are the most timid of the flock but I still pick them up and smooch them and tell them how handsome they are and what good boys they are!!! Stella is now Stanley and Mickey was able to keep his name. I will keep you all posted along this crazy poultry journey