Silkie thread!

[PsycoPeep]

I bought a lot of chicks and they all got put in the same 2 boxes. I can't remember what a coupleof them are. If that's not a silkie, IDK what it is, I can't remember. If it's not a polish, silkie, naked neck, or a cochin, IDK what it is then. I bought 1 silver phoenix, but I know hwich one that is. I didn't buy any EE's, but it doesn't look like one, anyways. Here's one I got to the end of the box and was confused, maybe this is the 3rd silkie I bought:

 

[Brie6895]

Do silkies need extra care when they are very young like different from other breeds of chickens? I'm very paranoid I'm going to do something wrong . I've already had one chick die and one chick become sick and survive.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Do silkies need extra care when they are very young like different from other breeds of chickens? I'm very paranoid I'm going to do something wrong . I've already had one chick die and one chick become sick and survive.

I do not think so. I have not had any more problems with Silkies than any other bantam chicks, you just have to be aware the vaulted ones have a hole in their skulls so they can't get picked on. Actually, I have had less problems with Silkies than I did with some of my other bantam chicks.. Home grown ones - no problems with anybody. Shipped chicks, problems with others, none with the one Silkie.

 

[ChickNmamma]

I bought a lot of chicks and they all got put in the same 2 boxes. I can't remember what a coupleof them are. If that's not a silkie, IDK what it is, I can't remember. If it's not a polish, silkie, naked neck, or a cochin, IDK what it is then. I bought 1 silver phoenix, but I know hwich one that is. I didn't buy any EE's, but it doesn't look like one, anyways. Here's one I got to the end of the box and was confused, maybe this is the 3rd silkie I bought:

You will want to check for black skin dark legs/beak/eyes, feathers on the legs and feet and 5 toes - those are the Silkies. That one looks to have white skin? Polish have top knots and yellow skin, and I think 5 toes?.. Cochins have yellow skin and feathers on their feet but only 4 toes.

I would post good close up pictures of all you have on the "What Breed is This" area - you may get lots of help identifying them.

 

[388chick]

At about 10 weeks we're dying to know what you all think... Ollie or Olivia ?

 

[Duck Drover]

I have a blue rooster with five toes on one foot and four on the other. I had not noticed when I bought him. Is he a purebred Silkie or could he be a crossbreed? He has to have a high percentage if he is a crossbreed but I am not sure how his toes are effected unless he had an injury and lost a toe. He has large spurs like my partridge rooster and I have wondered about that being a Silkie trait. Someone told me the hens can have spurs too since the person I got the partridge from thought it was a hen (not the same person who told me the hens can have spurs) but to me the spurs made it obviously a rooster. These birds were rescued from an overcrowding situation so I have no knowledge about them from the original owner. I bought five Silkies, three hens and two roosters, for $20 because I want to use them as incubators / brooders but I am currenty using incubators to hatch eggs because only one is hanging out in a nest box for part of the day while the others are out in the yard. My blue rooster hangs out in the nest box the most!

With two roosters they are crowing back and forth and occasionally fighting but not too aggressively. What surprises me most is that they will crow and then do a loud hen cackling sound. They make other strange noises as well that sound more like a cat. I am worried the neighbors will complain if they make too much noise. I had not expected Silkies to be so loud.

I have young Easter Eggers that were raised together so they hang out in a group away from the Silkies, although they share the same coop. The EE rooster is still young and has not started crowing yet but I am wondering if I will be able to keep him when he matures because I don't want him breeding with the Silkies. I don't think the Silkie roosters can catch up with the EE hens because they move so much faster. Is it true that birds of a feather flock together? If I end up with Silkie crosses, will it be obvious when they hatch?

 

[peepblessed]

I got my 3 baby girls about a week ago.I hope they all live.



Berten-white silky
Vi-lavender silky
Chewbocca-black silky

Very cute!

Do silkies need extra care when they are very young like different from other breeds of chickens? I'm very paranoid I'm going to do something wrong . I've already had one chick die and one chick become sick and survive.

I notice my silkies get pasty butt more than the other breeds. They are very hardy though.

At about 10 weeks we're dying to know what you all think... Ollie or Olivia

?

Looks like an Ollie.

I have a blue rooster with five toes on one foot and four on the other. I had not noticed when I bought him. Is he a purebred Silkie or could he be a crossbreed? He has to have a high percentage if he is a crossbreed but I am not sure how his toes are effected unless he had an injury and lost a toe. He has large spurs like my partridge rooster and I have wondered about that being a Silkie trait. Someone told me the hens can have spurs too since the person I got the partridge from thought it was a hen (not the same person who told me the hens can have spurs) but to me the spurs made it obviously a rooster. These birds were rescued from an overcrowding situation so I have no knowledge about them from the original owner. I bought five Silkies, three hens and two roosters, for $20 because I want to use them as incubators / brooders but I am currenty using incubators to hatch eggs because only one is hanging out in a nest box for part of the day while the others are out in the yard. My blue rooster hangs out in the nest box the most!

With two roosters they are crowing back and forth and occasionally fighting but not too aggressively. What surprises me most is that they will crow and then do a loud hen cackling sound. They make other strange noises as well that sound more like a cat. I am worried the neighbors will complain if they make too much noise. I had not expected Silkies to be so loud.

I have young Easter Eggers that were raised together so they hang out in a group away from the Silkies, although they share the same coop. The EE rooster is still young and has not started crowing yet but I am wondering if I will be able to keep him when he matures because I don't want him breeding with the Silkies. I don't think the Silkie roosters can catch up with the EE hens because they move so much faster. Is it true that birds of a feather flock together? If I end up with Silkie crosses, will it be obvious when they hatch?

A missing toe is very common in silkies. It is a serious fault and a show disqualification. Silkie crosses don't have silkied feathers. You would see a difference very soon.

 

[Brie6895]

I am very worried about pasty butt because I work a lot. My last little baby had it while I was at work and when I got home it had already dried. It took me forever and that bird a lot of stress to get it gone. She died 3 days later. Not sure If that is what caused it or if she was a runt. She stayed the same size for the 5 days I had her

 

[ChickNmamma]

I have a blue rooster with five toes on one foot and four on the other. I had not noticed when I bought him. Is he a purebred Silkie or could he be a crossbreed? He has to have a high percentage if he is a crossbreed but I am not sure how his toes are effected unless he had an injury and lost a toe. He has large spurs like my partridge rooster and I have wondered about that being a Silkie trait. Someone told me the hens can have spurs too since the person I got the partridge from thought it was a hen (not the same person who told me the hens can have spurs) but to me the spurs made it obviously a rooster. These birds were rescued from an overcrowding situation so I have no knowledge about them from the original owner. I bought five Silkies, three hens and two roosters, for $20 because I want to use them as incubators / brooders but I am currenty using incubators to hatch eggs because only one is hanging out in a nest box for part of the day while the others are out in the yard. My blue rooster hangs out in the nest box the most!

With two roosters they are crowing back and forth and occasionally fighting but not too aggressively. What surprises me most is that they will crow and then do a loud hen cackling sound. They make other strange noises as well that sound more like a cat. I am worried the neighbors will complain if they make too much noise. I had not expected Silkies to be so loud.

I have young Easter Eggers that were raised together so they hang out in a group away from the Silkies, although they share the same coop. The EE rooster is still young and has not started crowing yet but I am wondering if I will be able to keep him when he matures because I don't want him breeding with the Silkies. I don't think the Silkie roosters can catch up with the EE hens because they move so much faster. Is it true that birds of a feather flock together? If I end up with Silkie crosses, will it be obvious when they hatch?

Hi there, and welcome to the wonderful world of owning Silkies. Lots of questions there, lets see if I can answer some from my knowledge of Silkies/Chickens.

Purebred Silkies can have 4 toes on one foot. If they have 5 on the other they have the gene for it - but because of some factor while incubating the other toe didn't grow.

Hens can have spurs. I don't think I have seen any on my Silkie girls - but I haven't looked for them either.

$20 for 5 Silkies is a good deal - as long as they are in good health.

It does sound like one wants to go broody - stick a bunch of golfballs in the nest and see if she settles down for you.

And yes, the silly roosters will stay in the nest box too - but the won't lay an egg for you. Some will take care of chicks for you.. I have heard of that.

Yes, your Easter Eggers and the Silkies can cross breed. The Silkies can be pretty fast - and if the hen allows it (squats for him) he will breed her. Same thing the other way around.

It is NOT true that birds of a feather flock together with chickens. Probably is only true in wild birds where the colors of the feathers denotes different species or where one feather pattern is less desirable for predator protection... But chickens raised together will tend to stick together - unless you separate them into separate coops. Anytime you separate one bird from the rest for a few days - the others seem to forget they knew them and they have to come in again like an outsider.

If you end up with Silkie crosses it will be VERY obvious. EE x Silkie will give you chicks with black skin, 5 toes and smooth feathers when their regular feathers come in. If its from your EEs eggs, its a cross. If its from the Silkie eggs you will have to wait for first wing feathers, silkie feathers look shreaded - if they come in normal then its a cross.

There you go... have fun with your birds!

 

[PsycoPeep]

Oh. I didn't know silkies were black skinned. Okay, so go look at them again and if they have puffy heads/faces, dark skin, feather legs, adn 5 toes more than likely it's a silkie...right? I know the lady sold me a paint and the dark one in the middle I thought was unique looking, so I grabbed it from a different person. But I also grabbed something from that box that IDK what it is. He said the box was silkies but when I was looking at a turken some kid was looking at the box of silkies and I remember him saying "Oh, that one's a _____" So maybe I grabbed that one not knowing what I was doing?