Silkie thread!

[Sylvester017]

Big news on the farm! First chick to be hatched under a hen, and not the incubator, was hatched today! A little Lavender (self blue). Whoo hooo!

Pam Pittman

Blessings!

 

[Sylvester017]

I know there will be a variety of opinions but i was wondering if you could answer my quick poll:

Do you separate your silkies from LF?

If no, do you have a LF roo with your silkie pullets?

They only thing(s) I do for silkies that I don't do for my LF is/are:


I am getting m first silkie girl and her clutch in a few weeks and am trying to figure out what will be best. Almost done with the broody coop and pen

Are you ready for all the opinions? Some can come out sounding strong. So do what's best for you. I can't testify about LF roos w/Silkies but here goes my 2 cents experience - not a recommendation but just what happened to us:

First we got 2 Partridge Silkie day-old hatchlings of unknown sexes which my friend kept w/ the day-old LF chicks she picked up at the same time from the same breeder as me. My 2 Partridge Silkies grew up with the LF chicks but started getting picked on as smaller juveniles so spent a lot of time hiding in the pen.

We finally brought home our 2 Silkies but one grew out to be a roo and went back to the breeder. Meanwhile the breeder gave us a White Leghorn pullet who bonded with the Partridge hen. Then she gave us a Marans pullet. The Silkie always hung out with the Leghorn and did fine and the Marans just followed them around.

6 months later we added a Black Silkie pullet who was attacked by the Marans when the Silkie reached POL at about 6 months. The 7-lb Marans also went aggressively after the White Leg so was instantly re-homed .

The Black Silkie was kind of a loner as the Partridge Silkie and White Leghorn buddied together and the Marans was gone. Since we only had one good egg layer in the White Leg we added a Buff Leghorn and an APA Ameraucana. Now we were up to 2 Silkies and 3 LF. The White Leg was mellow in her moult but after her moult she came back aggressive toward everyone in the flock - even her old buddy Partridge Silkie. Gave the White Leg a chance to mellow but didn't so was re-homed into my friend's egg-selling flock. She's doing fine there.

Now we are left with a Partridge and a Black Silkie who have become foraging buddies. The 2 LF - a Buff Leghorn (calmer in temperament than either White or Brown Legs) and an Ameraucana are pullets and submit to the older Silkies. The Buff Leg is a calmer gentle variety of Leghorn and the Ameraucana is a kooky sweet gentle breed who also is submissive and not interested in flock politics. These are the 4 we have left and we are not considering upsetting the peaceful apple cart for now with any new pullets. For future additions to the flock we will keep all LF breeds under 5-lbs and gentle tempered around the Silkies. I'm lucky to have an egg-seller friend who took my re-homed aggressive LF. The Silkies are only 2-lb and can hold their own in flock politics but not with heavier LF weighing over 5 lbs - it won't be a fair combat and with possible serious injuries. Even a so-called gentle tempered LF like a Buff Orp can be tempted to bully smaller gentler fowl simply because she can. My egg-seller friend has a Buff Orp who likes to bully smaller gentler fowl like the EEs, Leghorns, and Ameraucanas. She may have to be isolated along with the 2 nasty Marans (one Marans is my re-homed bully).

I've never broodied chicks under a Silkie but I imagine if I did it would be in a separate hatching enclosure for the momma and the new chicks she'd hatch. My LF like to crowd into Silkie nestboxes to lay their eggs so to keep it private and relaxing I think I would keep a broody Silkie separated from LF. My big-footed sweet but clumsy Ameraucana has broken or stepped on her own eggs sometimes so I wouldn't want her around a broody Silkie setting a clutch of hatching eggs in a communal nestbox.

There are some owners with plenty of space and plenty of breeds to break up into smaller flocks on their own but I have a tiny yard with 4 hens so have to do what works for our situation. Good luck and have fun with your flock.

 

[austinbndr28]

Are you ready for all the opinions? Some can come out sounding strong. So do what's best for you. I can't testify about LF roos w/Silkies but here goes my 2 cents experience - not a recommendation but just what happened to us:

First we got 2 Partridge Silkie day-old hatchlings of unknown sexes which my friend kept w/ the day-old LF chicks she picked up at the same time from the same breeder as me. My 2 Partridge Silkies grew up with the LF chicks but started getting picked on as smaller juveniles so spent a lot of time hiding in the pen.

We finally brought home our 2 Silkies but one grew out to be a roo and went back to the breeder. Meanwhile the breeder gave us a White Leghorn pullet who bonded with the Partridge hen. Then she gave us a Marans pullet. The Silkie always hung out with the Leghorn and did fine and the Marans just followed them around.

6 months later we added a Black Silkie pullet who was attacked by the Marans when the Silkie reached POL at about 6 months. The 7-lb Marans also went aggressively after the White Leg so was instantly re-homed .

The Black Silkie was kind of a loner as the Partridge Silkie and White Leghorn buddied together and the Marans was gone. Since we only had one good egg layer in the White Leg we added a Buff Leghorn and an APA Ameraucana. Now we were up to 2 Silkies and 3 LF. The White Leg was mellow in her moult but after her moult she came back aggressive toward everyone in the flock - even her old buddy Partridge Silkie. Gave the White Leg a chance to mellow but didn't so was re-homed into my friend's egg-selling flock. She's doing fine there.

Now we are left with a Partridge and a Black Silkie who have become foraging buddies. The 2 LF - a Buff Leghorn (calmer in temperament than either White or Brown Legs) and an Ameraucana are pullets and submit to the older Silkies. The Buff Leg is a calmer gentle variety of Leghorn and the Ameraucana is a kooky sweet gentle breed who also is submissive and not interested in flock politics. These are the 4 we have left and we are not considering upsetting the peaceful apple cart for now with any new pullets. For future additions to the flock we will keep all LF breeds under 5-lbs and gentle tempered around the Silkies. I'm lucky to have an egg-seller friend who took my re-homed aggressive LF. The Silkies are only 2-lb and can hold their own in flock politics but not with heavier LF weighing over 5 lbs - it won't be a fair combat and with possible serious injuries. Even a so-called gentle tempered LF like a Buff Orp can be tempted to bully smaller gentler fowl simply because she can. My egg-seller friend has a Buff Orp who likes to bully smaller gentler fowl like the EEs, Leghorns, and Ameraucanas. She may have to be isolated along with the 2 nasty Marans (one Marans is my re-homed bully).

I've never broodied chicks under a Silkie but I imagine if I did it would be in a separate hatching enclosure for the momma and the new chicks she'd hatch. My LF like to crowd into Silkie nestboxes to lay their eggs so to keep it private and relaxing I think I would keep a broody Silkie separated from LF. My big-footed sweet but clumsy Ameraucana has broken or stepped on her own eggs sometimes so I wouldn't want her around a broody Silkie setting a clutch of hatching eggs in a communal nestbox.

There are some owners with plenty of space and plenty of breeds to break up into smaller flocks on their own but I have a tiny yard with 4 hens so have to do what works for our situation. Good luck and have fun with your flock.

When you say the LF chicken breeds bully, is it because they are setting the pecking order? Because I mixed LF and bantams and they fought for a day or two then they straighten out and get in to their place in pecking order ranking.

 

[hollymh]

It's so nice to see that your boy has a roo rather than a hen as his "Dot" - I'm paranoid about letting any children handle my egg layers because children squeeze the sensitive back-end sides where the reproductive process goes on. Kids unknowingly squeeze the chicken when it flaps. So I applaud the nice choice that you have a roo for the adorable pet. Who says only girl children can be gentle? My son was naturally sensitive with pets as a youngster. I think children learn by example but some children are just instinctively sensitive.

My son is def the lover of all things, he's like me... My daughter enjoys them but she doesn't have the patience for them as my son does, we've had Dot since Sept and he's just recently developed a mutual love for my son. He tries to love on our silkie hen but she's not near as calm so he much prefers his little roo. Silkies are by far the friendliest and most easy to handle chickens I have. We just hatched out 5 new silkies so my son is in the garage taming them now

 

[silkie2001]

I agree, I hatched 9 a week ago and they are all so calm and fuzzy! They think I'm there momma and follow me around!

so precious.

 

[JHek]

Hi I have 4 young Silkies, only a few weeks old and was wondering what advice people have for getting them used to people? I don't know whether to just grab them and offer them feed in my lap as a bribe or wait for them to come to me? I have a mixed flock of Silkies, Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes all much older although at least two are roos and will be rehomed soon.

 

[silkie2001]

Well I personally handle each silkie with care, and spend as much time as I can with them, my favorite week old likes to sit on my neck because it's very close to my face, also I cluck like a chicken to them and they have followed me around. That's all the advice I have, hope it helped.

 

[JHek]

Thank you! My largest used to jump on my lap but I went away for a weekend and he forgot me already, I have to admit I was a little hurt ha ha.

 

[silkie2001]

Aww that stinks but just spend as much tone with them and they will never forget about you, mine are always happy to see me and there just a week old, all 9 of em

 

[bhj123]

My guesstimate right now on my little peepers is two Roos and two hens. Only one of the Roos is bearded.