Silkie thread!

[ScaredOfShadows]

Wanted to show you guys who would really appreciate them - just came in yesterday. Very excited.

I am going to be selling these in white and grey.

anyone interested PM me. can do custom farm names/phrases instead of "Got Silkies" for small charge.

 

[FarmerBoy24]

Hello My Fellow Silkie Lovers!,

I am William and want to join this thread. I currently have 1 white, 1 splash 2 Lav splits (one of those splits broke his/her wing today

) I am getting some eggs from *chicken*chick tomorrow that are possible hatches of Lav Porcelain Blk,splash,Blue,and black.

Let me start of with saying ScaredofShadows I LOVE your t-shirt!!

 

[ChickensXOXO]

When I learned about Silkies, I really wanted some. So I jumped at the first opportunity, which was a chicken auction.
Big mistake, as I was looking to make pets out of my Silkies. These Silkies were already grown and not tame a bit.
I'm getting rid of them this upcoming month, and I'm getting 3 new ones from Joe17.

From the pictures you guys post, Silkies look like the ideal pet chicken. Calm, gorgeous, likes snuggling, etc.
And really, that's what I'm looking for! Right now, I'm only planning on keeping a few and turning them into pets.

So are most of your Silkies tame and friendly? Do they enjoy being handled or given attention?

I haven't really owned a "pet" chicken like from what I'm seeing in these pictures (didn't know people washed their chickens!).
My original Old English Bantams are fairly friendly, and I didn't really mess with them a lot. They'll eat from my hand and stalk me for food.

But I would like to declare the Silkies pets, and I'm wondering if they make good pets.
Why do you think they're a good pet?

 

[emvickrey]

Most of my silkies are breeders but there are some that are favorites that have gotten more petting than others. Those that have gottem more 1 on 1 attention are friendlier. They actually like the attention. When I walk in my pens I usually have a couple that are all around my feet wanting petted when others won't let me touch them. I have a house chicken that is just the coolest little hen. She's a special needs sizzle. She started living in the house when her hatch mates turned on her and wanted her out of the pen. So she came to live in the comfort of the house in her own cage. She does get out and roams around the house a bit but usually hangs out with me. I take her outside to roam around, she used to lay eggs and even went broody once and I gave her some of her sisters fertile eggs and she hatched out 2 babies. She raised them till she got tired of being a mommy and I took over the role for her.

I have a rooster that is extremely friendly. He insists on attention. He will let anybody carry him around as long as he's getting attention.

Then I have another rooster that actually hurt himself running into the chicken wire trying to get away when we where moving the chickens in that pen. He broke his beak and had his come bleeding. My grandson actually had to tackle him when he got away from the wire to keep him from hurting himself anymore. That roo was raised in a pen I went in everyday and handled them often.

But I think if you raise one from very young and handle them very often so they trust you, you can make them a pet. I took 2 different hens from 2 different pens. 1 I had handled alot when she was young and I could pick her up with no problems and the other didn't get handled much after she went in the coop and always ran from me. I gave them both a bath and groomed them and kept them both in separate cages a few days. They both got the same treatment and attention. The one I could handle before was difficult after the special attention and the one that was difficult before was very managable afterwards. She actually comes to me when I go in the pen now.

So my theory of handling when very young was tossed right out the door. But I would still say it's true. Earn their trust and you have a pet.

I'm curious as to what others have to say on this subject. I know there are lots of others that have had silkies longer than me so they have more experience.

 

[kfchickenlady]

I have 27 silkies, all under 1yr old, roos to babies. I spend a lot of time with them not necessarily handling them but feeding and watching them grow. There are definitely personality differences, some calmer, or friendlier than others. My favorite is my white roo, Aladdin. so he is used to being picked up and handled, and both he and my other 2 adult roos are very tame. I have found that all of mine got tamer as they grew up, who knows, maybe their crests block their vision?
So, yes I would say silkies do make very good pets, and as the above posters have said, they are all different, and if you handle them quietly and esp bring the treats, they should be nice little lap chickens.

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

Quote:
Farm thank you - I was very pleased with how my design turned out!

Your split broke a wing? How did that happen? Cut you a strip of cardboard in the shape of the wing sitting against the body, should be a odd triangular shape, 2 pieces...fit on either side of the wing, tape the 2 pieces together over the wing, then bandage the cardboard wing to the body. Will need to check on it frequently to make sure chicky hasn't gotten it aloose. OR you could possibly get away with just wrapping wing to body, but I doubt that would be too comfortable on the break area, and will liable heal not quite right. I have done this before, its a pain in the BUTT but it works (cardboard brace)

 

[FarmerBoy24]

Yes

When it began acting different I didn't want to take NO chance on having my other silkies get sick if he/she was sick. I separated it and the next day I went to check on it and it's wing was caught on the cage. I'm not sure for how long though. I had to take apart the whole cage to save it. I did put gauz around it's wing. I didn't hear about using card board. So where do I wrap it and stuff

 

[huckleberryfarm]

Quote:
How is it doing? Could it have gotten pecked on the head and gotten some nerve damage? It sounds like something connected to wry neck and I'm convinced that's how a lot of wry neck in the silkies start: they get pecked on their soft spot.

 

[huckleberryfarm]

Quote:
That's a Silkie. They either want a nest or they don't. Not much you can do about it but drive yourself nuts trying to convince them you want them to use one. Most of mine do not have nests, they make a hollow in the bedding in one corner or another, some behind the feeder, lay & brood their eggs there.

Mine too. My lavender Silkies like to bury theirs in the coop so I spend a lot of time digging around in dirty shavings looking for eggs. But it's worth it! Most of my Silkies turn their little beaks up at a nest box.

 

[Country Chick at Heart]

Good Morning All!

You all have been so helpful in the past and the posts about Silkies not laying in nesting boxes made me think you all might have a suggestion for me. Or you may just tell me that that's what Silkies do!

I started out with 9 chicks in late April - 5 Silkies, 2 Buff Orpingtons and 2 Astralorps. Three Sillkies and 1 Astralorp turned into roos and I can't keep roos in my neighborhood so I was fortunate to rehome them to good homes. Once the majoirty of the roos were gone, the 3 standard size hens began going up into the coop to roost at night. All 9 had previously been roosting in a chicken pile in the corner of the run attached to the coop. I had one remaining Silkie roo and thought that when he left the two remaining little Silkie girls would start going into the coop. I was wrong.

They still snuggled into the corner. Now, one Silkie will periodically go into the coop, but she sits in the doorway and talks to her friend. She can't convince her to go into the coop either so sometimes she gives up and snuggles on the ground with her. I have tried adding rungs to the ramp and no slip strips, thinking she didn't like the ladder because of a footing issue, but it isn't working. So, every night I go in and pick them up and place them inside the coop to snuggle. They don't roost and I understand - by reading your posts - that that isn't uncommon, but I would think she would want the protection of the coop at night. I'm worried because although I live in California and we have mild winters compared to other parts of our country it does get cold here at night.

Oh, I forgot to mention she does walk down the ladder in the morning. It is a new accomplishment for her as she used to fly off the top of the ramp. Maybe this is a good sign?

I wanted to eventually add an automatic door, but don't want to lock the little girls out.

Any suggestions? Is this normal? Should I give up and put a dog kennel in the run during the coldest months? I am perplexed and would appreciate your advice. Thank you!!!!