Silkie thread!

[photographybycasea]

Im thinking about picking up a few silkie chicks thursday.
Are they really as friendly as everyone says?


Are they good flyers?

Are the roos very loud?


Thanks in advance!

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Im thinking about picking up a few silkie chicks thursday.
Are they really as friendly as everyone says?


Are they good flyers?

Are the roos very loud?


Thanks in advance!

Any chicken can be friendly or not friendly. Hatchery birds just don't seem to be a personable in general as birds that come from a breeder - silkies especially are true in that sense in my experience. The more you handle them, get them used to being handled, etc through the chick and awkward teenage stage - they will mellow out and be extremely friendly as adults.

Silkies can't fly, they can barely jump - they don't have regular feathers and can't get any lift to them at all, they don't like to roost usually so keep that in mind with a chicken coop, they prefer the floor or low to the ground, and if your coop has a ramp make sure its wide and you get them used to it early while they can still see (before the crest fills in good on the better quality birds)

roosters vary, I've had some that barely crow and are soft crowers, and I've had roosters that can out crow in number and volume a 10+ pound Large Fowl rooster. They are roosters, so can be quite noisy.

 

[Sanna]

they don't like to roost usually so keep that in mind with a chicken coop, they prefer the floor or low to the ground

My hens LOVE to roost, especially the older ones. The young ones, I think, are still catching on. They're always on the highest perch, maybe a foot and a half off the ground. There they sit, happy little campers.

 

[LeonieJane]

Any ideas if this darling is male or female?


Tail is down in this pic.


Any Ideas?

 

[peepblessed]

Any ideas if this darling is male or female?


Tail is down in this pic.


Any Ideas?

How old is that cute white fluff?

 

[LeonieJane]

Lemon is approx 14 weeks old give or take!

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

My hens LOVE to roost, especially the older ones. The young ones, I think, are still catching on. They're always on the highest perch, maybe a foot and a half off the ground. There they sit, happy little campers.

Oh yes I have some PQ/hatchery hens who love to roost up about that high off the ground. my ones with huge crests, refuse to get more than 8" off the ground into the nest box to lay, and lay in a pile on the ground or on the shelf thats in there (about same height as nest box) Regular chickens will roost 4-10 foot off the ground. Actually a few years ago I had a silkie hen in with some standard layers and that hen would hop up a foot at a time and get up to the top of the coop in the rafters (about 6.5' ) that was THE funniest thing.

 

[Sanna]

Oh yes I have some PQ/hatchery hens who love to roost up about that high off the ground. my ones with huge crests, refuse to get more than 8" off the ground into the nest box to lay, and lay in a pile on the ground or on the shelf thats in there (about same height as nest box) Regular chickens will roost 4-10 foot off the ground. Actually a few years ago I had a silkie hen in with some standard layers and that hen would hop up a foot at a time and get up to the top of the coop in the rafters (about 6.5' ) that was THE funniest thing.

Maybe the hen wanted to be like the big girls?

 

[Hawkeye95]

Scaredof Shadows-- glad you had good results with loose air sacs. My eggs are on Day 6 now. I haven't checked them yet. I'm going to give them a few more days and see if anything is happening in them.

PhotographybyCasea-- I have 3 silkie roos. They are LOUD! Two of them rarely crow. The 3rd one-- he crows ALL the time. Like constantly. He loves to hear himself. But i love his voice-- it's scratchy and has some character to it. He's a great boy. Zero flying, though. Mine don't get up on the roost at all. They used to when they were smaller chicks-- then about 14 weeks is when they all quit trying to get on the roost. (I have a ladder roost-- so they can hop up a rung at a time) The lowest rung is only like 6 inches off the ground-- VERY low. They don't use it anymore. They pile on the floor in a mass of feathers.

 

[peepblessed]

How old is that cute white fluff?

Lemon is approx 14 weeks old give or take!

I say Lemon is likely a girl but to early to be sure. Cute name!