Silkie thread!

[CP Chicken]

I'm so glad someone answered I drove 3.5 hours one way to get them

Well it looks like the drive was worth it because those showgirls and silkies are amazing!

 

[JSossong]

Just got 34 new chicks, 4 of which are silkies!! I'm a first timer with silkies. Any tips, advice, etc?

Honestly haven't done much research yet...kind of fell into getting a few of them. I've heard they're good "homesteading chickens" what does that even mean?!? Either way, looking forward to watching them grow and learning more about them!

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Just got 34 new chicks, 4 of which are silkies!! I'm a first timer with silkies. Any tips, advice, etc?

Honestly haven't done much research yet...kind of fell into getting a few of them. I've heard they're good "homesteading chickens" what does that even mean?!? Either way, looking forward to watching them grow and learning more about them!

I've had/have/and am getting silkies, love them! The reason they are referred to as good homesteading chickens is because homesteading is about being as self sufficient as you can be with what you have and silkies are EXTREMELY broody ladies and super sweet so they are perfect for hatching out chicks and can raise them really well. Some people even have them do duck eggs and they will hatch and raise ducklings. Now some people like to keep their silkies or bantams separate for a couple reasons (keeping genetics pure, because maybe the larger birds are beating on them, and some just like giving them their own place) I however don't. My birds all get along pretty well so I don't mind and I personally don't give a hoot about pure bred anything.
Also you'll probably have to give them a bath every once in a while because they get messy.

 

[Cerise1924]

Just got 34 new chicks, 4 of which are silkies!! I'm a first timer with silkies. Any tips, advice, etc?

Honestly haven't done much research yet...kind of fell into getting a few of them. I've heard they're good "homesteading chickens" what does that even mean?!? Either way, looking forward to watching them grow and learning more about them!

Congratulations! I am not a longtime Silkie owner, but this is what I've noticed from my recent venture into Silkieland (I also have four).

-They are amazingly cute and sweet, gentle and easy to handle.
-They can't fly at all.
-Once they reached three months, their crests grew so big and poufy that they can't see well. Some people use hair ties, some use gel and some just give them hair cuts, if they are not showing the birds. I may give them hair cuts.
-They are not good at defending themselves from aggressive large fowl. I gave my Silkies their own run, away from my bossy Red Stars.
-Their fluffy feet can get mucky easily. I keep my Silkies out of rain and mud, because I don't want to add bird-bathing to my chores.
-I know Silkies are notoriously hard to sex, but I was able to discern the cockerel in my bunch of chicks very early, by feeling for pronounced spur buds. The chick with the prominent spur buds was the one to start sparring with a Wyandotte cockerel, and now he has distinct hackles. (UPDATE! You can ignore this last observation as not relevant, as @Hinotori has shown/explained that this does not happen in all lines.

)

Good luck, and enjoy your Silkies! I am sure there are pros here who can answer your questions better than I can.

 

[Cerise1924]

this is my 2 wk old sizzle showgirl

 

[Hinotori]

-I know Silkies are notoriously hard to sex, but I was able to discern the cockerel in my bunch of chicks very early, by feeling for pronounced spur buds. The chick with the prominent spur buds was the one to start sparring with a Wyandotte cockerel, and now he has distinct hackles.

This doesn't work with all lines. My partridge roosters don't grow spurs. The BBS I had before had very slow growing spurs that were short and blunt that didn't start swelling until around 9 months.

Now the first ones I had from the hatchery grew spurs and combs early on.



2.5 year old rooster. You can see how the spur bud is just a barely swollen up thing. (Please ignore the mud)

 

[Cerise1924]

This doesn't work with all lines. My partridge roosters don't grow spurs. The BBS I had before had very slow growing spurs that were short and blunt that didn't start swelling until around 9 months.

Now the first ones I had from the hatchery grew spurs and combs early on.



2.5 year old rooster. You can see how the spur bud is just a barely swollen up thing. (Please ignore the mud)

That is so interesting! Thank you for letting me know. As I mentioned, I'm new to Silkies, and it is too easy to have one experience go a certain way and then take that for a general rule, which it clearly isn't. I appreciate your educated input.

 

[Hinotori]

Different lines have different quirks. It's best to ask the breeder for any pointers they can give. Sometimes little mutations pop up as well and just aren't selected against.

I hadn't really given much thought to the fact mine don't grow spurs until a few weeks ago when someone had posted a picture of their rooster with large spurs. I'd forgotten what silkies looked like with them.


I have two, 2 month old white chicks that I'm trying to sex. Well one is an obvious female and has been for a while. The other I thought was a male, but right now I'm stumped and will just have to wait until it gets older and more adult feathers in.

If you want fairly easy to sex silkies, partridge are the way to go. The color change in the males makes it easy.

 

[Cerise1924]

Different lines have different quirks. It's best to ask the breeder for any pointers they can give. Sometimes little mutations pop up as well and just aren't selected against.

I hadn't really given much thought to the fact mine don't grow spurs until a few weeks ago when someone had posted a picture of their rooster with large spurs. I'd forgotten what silkies looked like with them.


I have two, 2 month old white chicks that I'm trying to sex. Well one is an obvious female and has been for a while. The other I thought was a male, but right now I'm stumped and will just have to wait until it gets older and more adult feathers in.

If you want fairly easy to sex silkies, partridge are the way to go. The color change in the males makes it easy.

Oh, that is fascinating! How and when do cockerels change colour?

When I was looking into Silkies, I thought I would like the paint and splash best... but now that I have four fluffy Silkies in four different colours (blue, splash, white and partridge) - the partridge is the one that I am dazzled by -- l love the striking gold and black.

 

[Hinotori]

6 weeks old. Male on left, female on right





Same male at 15 weeks





Same female at 14 weeks