Silkie thread!

[THC1]

Hello:

My wife and I would like to get some chickens and were are considering the silkie. I'm reaching out to the experts here for some advice.

First we need a coop and I am considering simply ordering a kit that has decent reviews. I am concerned about the size though as I "suspect" we'll need 5-6 silkies since their eggs are so small. We do use a lot of eggs and have one teenage son remaining at the house.

Any recommendations for a specific kit or comments stating I should just build my own?
How large should I go for 5-6 Silkies
Is there a supply listed posted somewhere on here so I know exactly what I need?

We have a small fenced yard and we'll let the chickens free pretty often but not overnight or all day long.

Newbie looking for any advice I can get.

Thanks,

Tim

 

[TiaRC]

Hello:

My wife and I would like to get some chickens and were are considering the silkie. I'm reaching out to the experts here for some advice.

First we need a coop and I am considering simply ordering a kit that has decent reviews. I am concerned about the size though as I "suspect" we'll need 5-6 silkies since their eggs are so small. We do use a lot of eggs and have one teenage son remaining at the house.

Any recommendations for a specific kit or comments stating I should just build my own?
How large should I go for 5-6 Silkies
Is there a supply listed posted somewhere on here so I know exactly what I need?

We have a small fenced yard and we'll let the chickens free pretty often but not overnight or all day long.

Newbie looking for any advice I can get.

Thanks,

Tim

not many silkies are consistent everyday layers. out for six hens you may get 3 a day if lucky. so its good to have a back up breed with them for a more consistant egg laying ratio. also silkies are famous for their mothering insinct to hatch chicks. in any case that a silkie goes "broody", after laying the amount of eggs she wants to hatch. she wont lay any more til the eggs hatch and raises the chicks to 3 monthes old or so. then she will lay again. in the case that you just take her eggs as she is broody, she still will not lay til 30 days is up and she is "over" being broody unsucessfully.

 

[chickydee64]

Now that is beauty..........I love her?..........

I have a black sizzle ( think it is a roo)....It leaked a lot of red..............

 

[chickydee64]

Getting a dozen silkie eggs tomorrow.

Here's hoping they all hatch.

Good luck................

 

[laseterlass]

Now that is beauty..........I love her?..........

I have a black sizzle ( think it is a roo)....It leaked a lot of red..............  

I have one very similar. I think she is mottled though. If her feathers ever come all the way in she will look very much like this girl, I am crossing her back to a Silkie as she has a very difficult time keeping in feather and has silkie features but pink skin.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hello:

My wife and I would like to get some chickens and were are considering the silkie.  I'm reaching out to the experts here for some advice.

First we need a coop and I am considering simply ordering a kit that has decent reviews.  I am concerned about the size though as I "suspect" we'll need 5-6 silkies since their eggs are so small.  We do use a lot of eggs and have one teenage son remaining at the house.

Any recommendations for a specific kit or comments stating I should just build my own?
How large should I go for 5-6 Silkies
Is there a supply listed posted somewhere on here so I know exactly what I need?

We have a small fenced yard and we'll let the chickens free pretty often but not overnight or all day long.

Newbie looking for any advice I can get.

Thanks,

Tim

Hi Tim,
Silkies are very pleasant little things and I have seen them melt many hearts. They are perpetual mothers, so much so that I put most of mine to work this year to hatch the eggs from my other breeds. Having said that, mine lay all through winter.
There are some good little flat pack coops on the market. My advice would be that you raise it off the ground to prevent rotting and give it a good exterior paint job. Be sure that you can access the eggs easily and provide low perches as unlike larger fowl , silkies don't fly. Mine will happily go up a ramp though.
If you look around there are many things that can be converted into a coop. We converted a kids fort cubby house and 4 of my silkies have moved into the dog kennel ( may as well, dog won't use it ).
Take a look in the ' coop ' section at the top of the page. There are some great ideas in there.
Good luck with your silkie venture and welcome to BYC.

 

[THC1]

Thank you for the info and advice. My wife had/has her heart set on the silkies but once another user replied to me saying they will rarely lay regularly, we are second guessing our decision. We have pets already and even though any chickens we get will undoubtedly become pets so to speak, we were hoping to break even on eggs v. feed, etc. Before your reply, we had decided on four consistent laying hens and maybe just a few silkies because we thought they were so cute. We did read they get along well with other breeds so that's where were stand right now unless we are told otherwise.

Tim

 

[Chickie Momma]

Get some tame larger breeds and raising them together you shouldnt have a problem unless there are roosters present. Buff Orpingtons, Australorps, Barred Rocks are some great larger selections that I love dearly.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The shed thing we are going to turn into a coop is like 5-8 inches off the ground and ill be using woodchips in their coop instead of hay like with my standards. im hoping to get show quality birds so i dont want the hay sticking in their feet.

Wood chips or hay for sticking to their foot feathers is about the same difference as 6 vs half a dozen. Keep droppings and mud cleared and you won't have too much of a problem with either. Hay can get moldy more easily than wood chips--that is where the difference is in my mind. Some folks use sand and some keep their birds on wire--figure out what works best for you, becuase what works best for one person is not necessarily what works best for another.

 

[PaintedFeathers]

I have one very similar. I think she is mottled though. If her feathers ever come all the way in she will look very much like this girl, I am crossing her back to a Silkie as she has a very difficult time keeping in feather and has silkie features but pink skin.

Is she a double frizzle? was she from a frizzle bred to a frizzle? If so her feathers will always fall out and she will most likely never get them all in. ChickyDee64 her brother/sister is a smooth and has a ton of red coming in all over =) It's a beautiful bird but I didn't need it so I sold it. I just love the solid black <3