Silkie thread!

[jas humbert]

Every chicken needs a dry place they can go into if they want shelter. Otherwise, it may depend on where you live and how healthy your birds are. I live in TN with fairly mild winters and I own siklies as well as several normal feathered breeds. I've had my siklies for over two years and they and my other chickens don't seem mind being out in the rain. (we are as likely to get rain in January as snow). They have a pretty good sized outdoor dry area and sometimes they congregate there when it rains but often they are out splashing in puddles. Silkies do get soaked to the skin in a heavy rain but I've never had an issue with it. They have a dry house and a sheltered dry area of the chicken yard and there are several silkies that can cuddle together. My oldest hen is 3 and all are healthy, so maybe sick birds or old ones are different but mine have always seemed fine and healthy and enjoy some rain now and then. This spring all my new babies were broody raised and the moms keep the babies dry and warm. I brooded them outdoors (with a dry place to go into of course) and broody mammas decided if their chicks could go out in the rain or not I did not lose a single silkie baby out of 3 hatches. I originally tried closing them up in inclement weather and they hated it. So now I don't bother except in the absolute worst weather. Mine don't even seem to mind a little snow. (we are more likely to have an inch of snow than a foot). Your results may vary.

 

[kellyloveschad]

Silkies just like any chicken love water or rain.  I let my Silkies out in a very light sprinkle rain but if it is really cold, windy, plus raining off-and-on, I bring the Silkies inside.  Because of the type of "fur" Silkies have the water doesn't roll off the feathers like on hard-feathered chicken breeds and a cold or very rainy day soaks and chills them to the skin - poor things can look like drowned rats.  The Silkies will seek shelter if there's a steady or hard rain but the m
oment the rain lightens up they start romping around in cold mud puddles and strutting around in cold wind.  I have one Silkie with CRD issues and absolutely cannot be outside in inclement weather.  If the weather is warm and the rain is light sprinkles there's no problem with allowing a little fun time outdoors but I absolutely advise against letting Silkies outdoors in regular rainy or snowy weather.

I wish mine would go to shelter instead of running around looking like a wet rat in a thunderstorms! ! Me and my daughter chased ours for a hour the othe day the a fast little buggers! The other ones came for food not them...

 

[Fancychooklady]

Hi can someone tell me if my silkie is a hen or roo 17 weeks old

[/IMG]

With straight comb silkies it can be a little more difficult to sex them, but I'd say the wattles would be much larger if it were a cockerel, so I'd say pullet.

 

[Fancychooklady]

Looks more like a grey /chinchilla. Partridge have black at the base of the feathers in the crest , osprey and tail feathers.

 

[jhopp6]

Looks more like a grey /chinchilla. Partridge have black at the base of the feathers in the crest , osprey and tail feathers.

 

[jhopp6]

Thank you Fancychooklady . She's getting lighter every week, and I was stumped. She's in my "not sure what I'm going to do with you" pen.

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Hi can someone tell me if my silkie is a hen or roo 17 weeks old

[/IMG]

I know I already said poulet but I just wanted to show you my poulet the resemblance is uncanny.

(Except my hen doesn't have feathered feet)

 

[SOHC-FTW]

Our silkie Elsa looks like yours babies just a bit bluer.

 

[silkie3190]

I know I already said poulet but I just wanted to show you my poulet the resemblance is uncanny.

(Except my hen doesn't have feathered feet)

Your right wow I can see the resemblance amazing . Did your lay any eggs yet

 

[Lamaremybabies]

Your right wow I can see the resemblance amazing . Did your lay any eggs yet

No she's only 5 months, but she sure can cluck!