Silkie thread!

[poppycock1974]

The ones I had from the feed store where pinking up very early.

Ok, thank you for responding. I haven't seen anyone messing with him just curious.

 

[AWickedChicken]

Not the best pictures but the only ones I can find of them standing next to each other. My silkie roo is bigger than the sex link hens. We have a silkie roo and a silkie hen and two bantam sebright hens. These are pictures from the smaller run where we can actually get pictures of them close together.

 

[hectors0hens]

Yes, Some silkies  just have different shapes of combs  The white could be female, just looked more like cockerel to me.

I thought they had to have walnut type combs?? Mine have different shapes and I was told they were mutts

 

[LittleWhiteDove]

Hi Everyone,
I have a silkie rooster who requires special care. I was wondering what the best type of shampoo to wash him is?

 

[Sylvester017]

I am planning to buy a silkie but I free range all of my birds. How well do they handle free ranging. Also are they nice birds or do they have an attitude?

Free ranging is great for any chickens -- it all depends on how many shelters/covers are provided in their foraging area to quickly hide from aerial predators. We have a pop-up canopy, several doghouses around the yard for them, lean-to shelters, porches, plants, etc, to hide under. My Silkies have free-ranged our backyard for 6 years mixed with an assortment of large fowl that have come and gone, yet the Silkies are our longest lived backyard birds. Hardy little buggers.

I do not recommend only one Silkie in a large fowl flock. A single Silkie pullet will get mercilessly picked on since they haven't developed confidence yet. I have 2 Silkie hens together -- they aren't the best buddies in the world but always seem to toodle around together away from the large fowl, so don't get just ONE Silkie!

Silkies like any chicken breed have different personalities -- but for the most part they are a docile breed and need to be kept away from heavy dual-purpose assertive fowl. I had to re-home our Leghorns and Marans because they were too aggressive toward our gentle Silkies, timid Ameraucana, and docile Breda's.

Timid Ameraucana and/or Easter Eggers are good non-combative birds to mix with gentle Silkies


Breda are a docile breed that mixes well in a Silkie flock


Breda come in many varieties and are a docile breed to mix with gentle Silkies


Silkies are comfortable around large fowl Breda


Silkies love to toodle around together - Breda photo bomb!


Toodling Silkies



Silkie bug patrol


Silkies are busy foragers so be prepared to see Spider Webs and Debris in their "hair"


Old Silkies can still put out a lot of eggs in a short spurt.

 

[Sylvester017]

Hi Everyone,
I have a silkie rooster who requires special care. I was wondering what the best type of shampoo to wash him is?

Gentle No Tears Baby Shampoo in case it splashes in his or your eyes!

 

[Sylvester017]

At 5 1/2 weeks I'm assuming male on this one. Is it normal for a silkie this young to developed such a pink comb? I was worried it was getting pecked on but there's no sign of it.

The hens usually have more grayish or black combs. The boys seem to be the ones that sprout the reddish combs. My 6-month Partridge boy had too-red a comb:

 

[Sylvester017]

Not the best pictures but the only ones I can find of them standing next to each other. My silkie roo is bigger than the sex link hens. We have a silkie roo and a silkie hen and two bantam sebright hens. These are pictures from the smaller run where we can actually get pictures of them close together.

They are all gorgeous birds! One of two possibilities with your giant Silkies is that either they have a Silkie large fowl gene in their background history or else they were crossed with some other large fowl breed but kept their Silkie looks. In the U.K. they have both large fowl and bantam Silkies while the USA has what is considered the "mid-size" Silkies. Confusing, eh? At least your large Silkies have an equal chance in a large breed flock of not getting picked on because they're small !!!!!!

feathersite.com has photos of U.K. large fowl and bantam Silkies on their website. http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Silkies/BRKSilkies.html

 

[Hinotori]

Hi Everyone, 

I have a silkie rooster who requires special care. I was wondering what the best type of shampoo to wash him is?

I use puppy shampoo

 

[poppycock1974]

The hens usually have more grayish or black combs. The boys seem to be the ones that sprout the reddish combs. My 6-month Partridge boy had too-red a comb:

This one is the same age but much smaller than the roo and still black in the comb. No wattles at the moment. Hoping this is a pullet.