Silkie thread!

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AnRamire said:
Oh dear,,, this makes me very nervous. I currently have 4 BO hens, they just turned a year old. They tend to be passive and docile, except when it comes to treats. I have recently seen one of my girls grab the other by her comb and drag her across my deck
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I broke it up because I wasn't sure what would happen. I now have 2 weeks old silkies and am worried the BO will pick on them. Oh dear. I want them to be in the same Coop as there is ample room.
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When LF and bantam chickens are pullets or cockerels they usually are very sweet in a group. However, we noticed our first 2 Silkies were being outgrown faster by the LF chicks that started to pick on the Silkie chicks to the point the Silkies were hiding all day instead of enjoying a daily romp scratching and pecking like the others. BOs are quite heavy birds and although owners say they are easy-going, my friend's BO was aggressive in her egg-layer flock and annoyingly broody which didn't add any charm to her disposition. But chickens are chickens no matter what and pecking each other is their thing. Even a large docile bird will take advantage of a smaller or timid breed if she can get away with it. That's why I don't get the common heavier dual-purpose breeds like RIR, BR, Wyan, Marans, Orps, 'Lorps, etc. The Mediterranean class (Leghorn, Andalusian, Ancona, Buttercup, etc) are great layers but they belong in their own group flock since they can become quite assertive and one of our Buff Leghorns was downright cannibalistic. We had a lovely White Leghorn that was great with the Silkies and timid Ameraucana but after age 3 she became quite aggressive and had to be re-homed. Watch your birds for signs of bullying and don't let the LF outnumber the Silkies. Bullying is infectious and can make other quiet birds mean so just watch for any offenders and remove/re-home them out of your flock. You may find you have quite a compatible group so just monitor them.
 
Fancychooklady said:
My suggestion would be to do your research. I've found silkies the least trouble to hatch out of my 4 breeds. Though I must say mine tend to hatch on day18-19.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/hatching-eggs-101
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I've noticed that too (that they tend to hatch earlier).

With mixed chicks in silkie sized eggs, I think they were cramped and it made it harder to hatch. I had a couple die on day 18-19 due to lack of space, I think. :/ so maybe they(silkies) aren't actually harder to hatch. :lol:
 
Sylvester017 said:
When LF and bantam chickens are pullets or cockerels they usually are very sweet in a group. However, we noticed our first 2 Silkies were being outgrown faster by the LF chicks that started to pick on the Silkie chicks to the point the Silkies were hiding all day instead of enjoying a daily romp scratching and pecking like the others. BOs are quite heavy birds and although owners say they are easy-going, my friend's BO was aggressive in her egg-layer flock and annoyingly broody which didn't add any charm to her disposition. But chickens are chickens no matter what and pecking each other is their thing. Even a large docile bird will take advantage of a smaller or timid breed if she can get away with it. That's why I don't get the common heavier dual-purpose breeds like RIR, BR, Wyan, Marans, Orps, 'Lorps, etc. The Mediterranean class (Leghorn, Andalusian, Ancona, Buttercup, etc) are great layers but they belong in their own group flock since they can become quite assertive and one of our Buff Leghorns was downright cannibalistic. We had a lovely White Leghorn that was great with the Silkies and timid Ameraucana but after age 3 she became quite aggressive and had to be re-homed. Watch your birds for signs of bullying and don't let the LF outnumber the Silkies. Bullying is infectious and can make other quiet birds mean so just watch for any offenders and remove/re-home them out of your flock. You may find you have quite a compatible group so just monitor them.
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Thank you for your advice. I will certainly monitor them when the time is right. My six Silkies are currently 2 weeks old. So I have a little time. I'm just worried about the introduction time, and how to do introduce them. I'm new to chickens so I'm still learning the ropes.
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My new baby silkies. I'm so excited to add them to my flock. I have a mixed flock that are a year old. Some 2 week old orpintons and now my day old silkies!
 
Thank you! I met a very awesome breeder who was great! I would totally recommend her. I was on my way to the local feed store and I read an update that over 60% of their shipment were dead. I was so disappointed and sad! On my way there though I drove by a small farm that had a sign that they had chicks for sale. So I stopped in and asked if she had silkies and she did!! So happy that I went there!
 

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