Silkie thread!

[Duck Drover]

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!

Because they were rescue birds they had already been treated for a month before I got them and they had been vet checked before they were sold. The first Silkies I got were free and they seem much higher quality but they are probably older hens so I don't expect them to be as productive as my younger birds. The white rooster that came with him had Silkie feathers but he did have a weird looking comb so someone told me he was "second generation" which I understod as 3/4th Silkie. I sold him with the white rescue hen because I did not want to breed him and he was fighting with the other two roosters who get along. I bought three 1 to 1.5 year old Silkie hens from someone else for $12 each and they seem healthy. My free Silkies are by far the best looking because they have full crests and beards. I am hoping the birds that came from crowded situations will get larger crests and beards but it is possible they are from a hatchery because they look like birds posted here from hatcheries. I bought hatching eggs from a couple breeders in my area and I am hatching my own eggs so hopefully I will have better quality Silkies that way. I am not showing Silkies but perhaps it is something my daughter would like to do (she is 13). My older daughter was in 4H but we moved and it is not something my younger daughter has done (she is more musical but she loves birds).

 

[Mumsy]

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

?

His face looks Ollie to me. (Cute name)

 

[Jharper]

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:

Looks like a polish.

 

[sillycmoy]

How old do Silkies need to be to sex? I really think I have 2 Roos, and I would like to re-home them before they get much bigger. I've already re-home 6 Roos this year, bad luck, I know, and it seems the younger they are the easier it is to find them a home. If not sex, can anyone tell me what color they are, I'm sure I have a Splash and a Partridge, but the other 2 I have no idea.

These cuties are 6 weeks old today. I know, I know, I should have moved them out into the sun light for photos. #1 & 2 I'm thinking are my Roos, just by behavior. They square each other up all day long, and are always play fighting, plus they are double the size of the Partridge, and then the light cream color is smaller as well.

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[Sanna]

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:

Definitely not a Silkie. I see yellowish feet and hard feathers on the wings but very, very hard to say for sure what breed this chick is by these pictures. They're too small. Well...the chick in the pictures is too small.

I would guess Polish out of the breeds you mentioned.

 

[jllynn601]

First time silkie owner.. I was told she was a 5 mo. old partridge but clearly not. Maybe a blue partridge?? there's a little hint of tan on the edges of her wing feathers and some slight barring.
Also, I put her with a dominique and polish chick I got the same day. Seems like she immediately took to them and I'm wondering why she is trying to cover herself up with pine shavings and why she never wants to get up? Thanks in advance!

 

[ChickNmamma]

First time silkie owner.. I was told she was a 5 mo. old partridge but clearly not. Maybe a blue partridge?? there's a little hint of tan on the edges of her wing feathers and some slight barring.
Also, I put her with a dominique and polish chick I got the same day. Seems like she immediately took to them and I'm wondering why she is trying to cover herself up with pine shavings and why she never wants to get up? Thanks in advance!

Congratulations on getting a Silkie. I love mine.

I think your silly 5 month old sounds like she is being broody - just for the babies maybe? Looks like she is going to be a great mommy.

On the color - she might be what is called Silver Partridge, but if you mix colors on Silkies you still have a Silkie - just no clue what color it is called - so a lot of them get stuck under "Partridge".

As long as she gets up to eat and poop she should be fine... what a silly.

 

[peepblessed]

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

Pasty butt is not that serious. Cleaning morning and evening is fine.

How old do Silkies need to be to sex? I really think I have 2 Roos, and I would like to re-home them before they get much bigger. I've already re-home 6 Roos this year, bad luck, I know, and it seems the younger they are the easier it is to find them a home. If not sex, can anyone tell me what color they are, I'm sure I have a Splash and a Partridge, but the other 2 I have no idea.

These cuties are 6 weeks old today. I know, I know, I should have moved them out into the sun light for photos. #1 & 2 I'm thinking are my Roos, just by behavior. They square each other up all day long, and are always play fighting, plus they are double the size of the Partridge, and then the light cream color is smaller as well.

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They are too young to sex but #1 is likely a male do to the bright orange color on it's wings. Very pretty chicks!

First time silkie owner.. I was told she was a 5 mo. old partridge but clearly not. Maybe a blue partridge?? there's a little hint of tan on the edges of her wing feathers and some slight barring.
Also, I put her with a dominique and polish chick I got the same day. Seems like she immediately took to them and I'm wondering why she is trying to cover herself up with pine shavings and why she never wants to get up? Thanks in advance!

She is either broody or starting to lay. Interesting and pretty color. She does look silver partridge but silver partridge shouldn't have tan.

 

[jllynn601]

Congratulations on getting a Silkie.  I love mine.

I think your silly 5 month old sounds like she is being broody - just for the babies maybe? Looks like she is going to be a great mommy.

On the color - she might be what is called Silver Partridge, but if you mix colors on Silkies you still have a Silkie - just no clue what color it is called - so a lot of them get stuck under "Partridge".

As long as she gets up to eat and poop she should be fine... what a silly.

She IS very silly!! I think she will be a great mother too looked up its of silver partridges and I agree.

I broke my two rules for having chickens... 1. No chickens as 'pets' 2. Definitely no naming of the chickens. Andddd here I am with Cruella the silkie and 2 'pet' chickens to go with my red sexlinks...... As you said, chicken math strikes again.

 

[jllynn601]

Pasty butt is not that serious. Cleaning morning and evening is fine.
They are too young to sex but #1 is likely a male do to the bright orange color on it's wings. Very pretty chicks!
She is either broody or starting to lay. Interesting and pretty color. She does look silver partridge but silver partridge shouldn't have tan.

I didn't think she would start laying at 5 mo.... But with chickens I'm not going to rule anything out