Silkie thread!

[Sylvester017]

Yep. She's special needs so she'll be living indoors for the foreseeable future.
I've definitely been considering Seramas! My boss has some so I get to work with them daily. I love the little guys! I'm just not sure I want to get something with much flight capability. I'd like to make the brooder about 3' tall but I don't want to cover it so it's very easy to access. But I also don't want chickens running all over my bedroom! Maybe a Silkied or Frizzled Serama? I know both have less flight capability than a flat feather, but I'm not sure if they'd be capable of hopping 3 feet.
Holy crap I love that design! Similar to what I want to do, except I don't think I'm going to cover it so I can access it easily. I was gonna do a partial roof and put the laying box, roosting shelf, and feeders and waterers hung under it. I was just thinking I would do a 2x3 board over the end, to make a little overhang/safe space.

Judging by my own 2 Silkie hens -- no, they don't fly well but they can get lift for short distances and my 2 girls can hop up as high as 4 feet. They don't do it often but mine are capable of it. When I make barriers across doors in the house, I have to put up something higher than a baby gate because if they're determined they will hop up 4 feet or get injured thinking they can do it. If the barrier is higher it will discourage their hopping attempts.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

My frizzled Sizzles can definitely hop 3ft. One of my roos manages to make it up to a roost that's 5ft off the ground by using a nest box as a step thats about 2ft tall. Why not just get another Silkie to live with Taylor?

 

[Silkie2]

I have nesting boxes off about 2 ft off the ground, I have 6 nesting boxes 3 on ground 3 on top. I was wondering if the average silkies could hop on to the top ones without a ramp?

 

[Coreenelane]

I got silkies early last June and only have 3 hens of which none have laid any eggs yet. I am in Ohio and it is still cold up here. I am trying to select eggs that I will want to hatch if and when the silkies get broody. How many eggs do you put under which size hens?

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

For the silkies I would say 4-8

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Hello.

I'm am a new chicken owner and I got two silkie chicks. I don't know too much about silkies and seeing as how this is the silkie thread I was wondering if you lovely silkie owners could give me advice and teach me your ways xD
I read that they are generally nice and that you can't really tell what the sex is for a few months. Is this true?

Thank you for all advise and help!

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Well i don't know the answer really to ur question but they are really calm and nice as long as u are nice and gentle around them u might want to keep them out of the mud though or u are going to have to give some baths and they can't fly to well so u might want to put there roost a little lower to the floor of the coop and they might not be well kept with other birds because the silkies are more gentle and the other more standard sized birds are a little more aggressive and they can get hurt also would be some fuzz/feather plucking good luck

 

[flockofbantams]

Hello.

I'm am a new chicken owner and I got two silkie chicks. I don't know too much about silkies and seeing as how this is the silkie thread I was wondering if you lovely silkie owners could give me advice and teach me your ways xD
I read that they are generally nice and that you can't really tell what the sex is for a few months. Is this true?

Thank you for all advise and help!

RoadaRed have you some good advise, and yes all of them inhale ever had have been calm friendly sweet birds. I agree with everything RoadaRed said and want to add the ones with big top knots and full beard don't and can't see predators especially from the air very well so its beat to keep them in a safe coop and run and not free range unless you are out with them. As far as sexing them yes they can be hard to sex. The old silkie saying is you wont know till they either crow or lay an egg lol! Although some people are better at telling the sex sooner then others!
We would love to see pics!!!

 

[QueenMisha]

Hello.

I'm am a new chicken owner and I got two silkie chicks. I don't know too much about silkies and seeing as how this is the silkie thread I was wondering if you lovely silkie owners could give me advice and teach me your ways xD
I read that they are generally nice and that you can't really tell what the sex is for a few months. Is this true?

Thank you for all advise and help!

You are correct - they're usually a very docile breed, but even with their innate tameness the more you handle them the friendlier they will be!

Sexing is very difficult, and often they can only be sexed when they crow or lay an egg. Some early signs of a cockerel can be a swept back crest (versus round in pullets), bigger feet, bigger wattles in non-bearded varieties, and a longer, less rounded body.

 

[Chicken Egg 17]

Thanks yes we would love to see pics