Silkie thread!

[John Simpson]

My silkies and crosses went outside today in the garden for the 100th time already and it's only spring! Here are some pics

 

[flufssilkies]

I have two silkies. I have a rooster and a hen.

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

My silkies and crosses went outside today in the garden for the 100th time already and it's only spring! Here are some pics

Absolutely love your back silkies, they are gorgeous!

 

[Iluvmysilkies]

Ok everybody, I have a question for all of you I want to get everyones different opinions on chicken coop size! I have a pretty cute looking custom chicken coop made for my babies, and its halfway finished. The run area is going to be 4ft Wx 15ft long and all will be covered with a roof. And the actual coop will be 4x4ft raised 2ft with a ramp. Approx how any silkie hens will comfortably fit in this sized coop do you think? I'm going to fill all of it with sand and make it very comfortable. They will be housed in their coop most of the time so I dont have to worry about anything hurting them, but I will also be adding a pen enclosure directly next to it the same size but will be grass and used as "turn out space" so they have their own spot to graze. I have a bunch of babies right now but by the time I have narrowed down the females and colors I plan to keep, i want to keep approx 8 silkie hens in this coop. Do you think this will be an adequate size for them?

 

[Sylvester017]

I have two silkies. I have a rooster and a hen.

Welcome to the Silkies thread!

It's always good to get Silkies in pairs or more. A Silkie by itself is lonely - Of course one roo is going to wear out the pullet over-mating so a 2nd and even 3rd pullet might be advisable to relieve the stress on one pullet. Those cockerels can mate a pullet so many times in one day you lose count - not good for a single little pullet. I had a brother and sister Partridge pair and after one day of over-mating his sister, the cockerel was re-homed - he was sold to us as a "pullet" until he started to crow and mate so back to the breeder he went.

If you have a camera and can figure out how to post photos this thread loves pictures.

Smiles

 

[Sylvester017]

Ok everybody, I have a question for all of you I want to get everyones different opinions on chicken coop size! I have a pretty cute looking custom chicken coop made for my babies, and its halfway finished. The run area is going to be 4ft Wx 15ft long and all will be covered with a roof. And the actual coop will be 4x4ft raised 2ft with a ramp. Approx how any silkie hens will comfortably fit in this sized coop do you think? I'm going to fill all of it with sand and make it very comfortable. They will be housed in their coop most of the time so I dont have to worry about anything hurting them, but I will also be adding a pen enclosure directly next to it the same size but will be grass and used as "turn out space" so they have their own spot to graze. I have a bunch of babies right now but by the time I have narrowed down the females and colors I plan to keep, i want to keep approx 8 silkie hens in this coop. Do you think this will be an adequate size for them?

The size of the run is always more important to me than the size of the coop as the coop is only used for egg-laying and roosting. I like to calculate more space than the skimpy minimum advised by coop builders! People assume bantams need less square footage than LF but I calculate space for bantams the same as for LF - especially since Silkies don't fly so more leg space is advisable for the breed IMO.

Nice that you have more room for them with the turn-out space. 8 should do nicely in your setup provided they get a lot of time in the turnout space as well. I can't advise you about the sand as our Silkies free-range the yard with the LF and there's only plain dirt at the bottom of our little run under the coop. Our chickens eat, drink, dust-bathe, snooze, forage, and play out in the yard all day and only enter the coop for egg-laying or going broody. This free-range environment seems to make them more savvy and personable compared to 24/7 caged birds. Our yard is set up with a lot of low lean-to's and a popup canopy to snooze/hide under during the day. We also have a large recycled dog house the girls dive into to hide from aerial predators.

Our backyard patio and raised garden beds are surrounded by 2-foot tall rabbit fencing which all our different breeds respect even though they can easily jump or fly over it. They enter the fenced areas by our invitation only when we lift the fence to allow them to come in. If we lift the fence again, they will toodle back out again - wonderful and trainable creatures of habit! I wish we didn't have to keep them out of the garden area but they would tear it up with their foraging. They get two months' access in winter to go through the empty garden beds to forage or dust-bathe.

We have only adult hens - no roos, juveniles, or chicks, otherwise we might have a different setup.

 

[John Simpson]

Thank you so much

 

[John Simpson]

Do you have silkies in with birds other birds cause I have had trouble putting my crosses in with them they pick them in the head attack them and are really mean to them do you have any advice? :/

 

[Fancychooklady]

Do you have silkies in with birds other birds cause I have had trouble putting my crosses in with them they pick them in the head attack them and are really mean to them do you have any advice? :/

Mine are mixed in with large fowl but mine are reared together. Be sure to give the silkies plenty of space and hiding places.

 

[I<3MyChickens-Jewel&Flash]

Question.....
I have a chick whose a few weeks old. Slow growth. It's feathers are missing under wing and on chest. It's head also is too. It's face is Odd. I put mite dust as precaution. It looks dried out. It's poor feet are also curled inward.