We just got a Silkie locally. She was $10 so I'm sure she's not show quality, but our laying hens have let us down on in regards to setting on their own eggs so I am hoping she'll help us come springtime. She is the first Silkie we've had but we've had a variety of standard chickens over the last several years (some are raised for meat in one area but we also have a small, very spoiled, layer flock in our laying hen suite). She's only 6 months old and not laying yet. I don't like the idea of putting her in with my year old standard hens and roo so we have a little coop just for her.
I brought her inside to look her over carefully and I noticed poo balls stuck to her feathered feet pretty badly. I cut them off and noticed her fifth toe on each foot. One of these extra toes had a nail pointing up and one has no nail at all. Is this a common fault with Silkies? Does it cause them any trouble down the road? Also, her feet are a bit gnarled looking. I trimmed a few long nails and the minor feathers that had poo stuck to them. They weren't using any bedding at the farm I bought her from, are shavings okay? I use a nice bed a of clean pine shavings in my coop and change it weekly.
I tried her in a yard yesterday but she didn't move around much so I'm afraid she might be hawk bait if I keep her like my layers. The mini chicken coop my husband built should do nicely for her, but it seems she'll need her own yard with a top to stay safe during the day. Our intention is to swap in some fertilized eggs under her once she starts laying herself. I moved her to a large homemade brooder right now until I set up her private palace. I really intend to have fun with her private yard. I'm getting a small cement pagoda and a Japanese wind chime to decorate it. Might dress up her coop a little to make it look more Japanese as well.
Onto pictures! These were taken after I cut her poo balls off.
She was very docile to handle but I'm glad to say she protested when I placed her on her back to do her feet.
She didn't try to run when our son pet her.
Can she see with all that fluff?
