Silkie thread!

[Hinotori]

In an urban backyard with a high protective fence surrounding them, silkies could free range without too much risk. As long as you don't have hawks or raccoons.

I don't let mine free range unsupervised. Either I'm watching them or the dogs are. I do have a larger central area that the silkie pens surround that I can let them out in. It's 6 foot chainlink covered with netting.

Silkies just can't see very well, especially above them. They also have no flight to help them get away like normal feathered chickens.

In my experience, silkies do lay pretty well when they aren't broody. Expect them to go broody a couple times a year. Eggs are just under small. Some hens I've had laid eggs that just barely tipped small size on the scale.

They are sweet birds when handled. Even the roosters are normally friendly. Actually my roosters tend to be more people friendly than my hens.

 

[Elbert Garrett]

2 @ 10 days.....

 

[Hinotori]

This big guy is Broly. (Why yes I do theme my chicken names.) He's 9 weeks now and weighs in at 26 ounces (edited to change, misread the scale). He's a cuddly monster. He's the only one I kept from the experiment chicks that hatched. I'll try again and hope for some girls.

 

[FishMtFarm]

This big guy is Broly. (Why yes I do theme my chicken names.) He's 9 weeks now and weighs in at 22 ounces. He's a cuddly monster. He's the only one I kept from the experiment chicks that hatched. I'll try again and hope for some girls.

I love him!!!!

 

[Janie hall]

I love him!!!!

he is beautiful show

 

[Crazy For Color]

I have a partridge hen and a white roo. If I let her hatch some babies, what color might they be?

 

[Hinotori]

I have a partridge hen and a white roo. If I let her hatch some babies, what color might they be?

Probably partridge. Never can tell what is hiding under white, though. Silkies are normally recessive white so it doesn't show up if there is only one copy

 

[Crazy For Color]

Thank you

I love my partridge and heard you can often tell if the chick is a roo or hen sooner so that would be awesome!

 

[candz]

Thanks for the advice re trimming They wont free range all day, especially while I work out if there are predators in the area, but definitely in the afternoon as that is when me and my child are home playing in the garden

 

[Sylvester017]

Thanks for the advice re trimming They wont free range all day, especially while I work out if there are predators in the area, but definitely in the afternoon as that is when me and my child are home playing in the garden

After first getting Silkies I found our two went stir crazy in the coop run. They needed a lot more space so we let them out in a rabbit fence circle w/ bird netting on top. It still was too small so after a month we let them free-range the backyard supervised. After we found out how predator-savvy our Silkies were (watching flying birds overhead, noises, barking, cats rustling in the weeds, loud traffic, dogwalkers, etc) we decided to leave them out all day on their own. BUT we made sure they had PLENTY of places in the backyard to hide so they didn't have to run far for shelter -- lawn furniture, pop-up canopy, garden benches, several doghouses spaced around the yard, container plants, raised garden veggie beds after the veggie vines were tall and strong, even a wheelbarrow and a couple trash cans!

Our old Silkies are more predator-savvy than our new pullet at the moment. Eventually the pullets learn to be savvy from the older Silkies. I have been doing work in the front yard and have allowed the flock access to the front every morning. Our front yard is fenced so they can't wander away and the first day or two they were very nervous about the new area. But after a week of opening the gate to the front yard every morning, they now stand waiting for me to open it at the same time every morning. Chickens get accustomed to routine. Lately, loud delivery trucks and trash collector noise from the street don't even phase them now. Because we have a Cooper's Hawk youngster testing his new wings and screeching overhead, I don't leave the Silkies unattended in the front yard as I don't have shelter for them.