Silkie thread!

[RawrOsaur200]

chick # 9 sex ? Got from Fuzzybird

I believe all are hens except for #4#6 and #8...buy i could be wrong!!

 

[annabell254]

I don't have any silkies to show off *totally jealous* but rather hoping to have a couple questions answered regarding silkies and other hens.
We've been thinking about chickens for years and have finally found a house in a town that allows backyard birds so I'm running before my feet even hit the ground. lol
We'd hoped to start with a few silkies, something more like a pet for the kids. Silkies have been recommended by many as a first chicken for us although, after reading about breeds here I'm not sure as there are so many sweet breeds. We definitely want to add laying hens so I'm wondering now if it's a good idea to get the silkies first and then add laying hens later. Should we skip the silkies altogether? Get everything at once? I'm hoping to have 2-4 laying hens that are docile, calm, friendly, quiet, something that won't be a bother to our new neighbors.
We like the idea of a tractor, it seems so easy, you don't have to clean out the bottom. Just move them to a new, clean space. I'm not against a stationary coop but would want a tractor to allow the hens to free range at least a little bit, especially when I'm running errands. The chickens could be out in the tractor/s with the dog in the yard to protect them. (see the anatolian to the left;-)

My goals in having chickens are to have pets to love, educate my children, provide eggs for my family, control the feed content, control insect population in my yard, and fertilize my yard and garden.

Advice?

Everyone should have a few silkies!!!! just choose a docile hen to go with it

I like them all but have Easter eggers, Sussex, hamburgs, and marans, with silkies and they all do great and they are very sweet and pretty...the sussex will lay well and through the winter...but here is a link to all the different assets in different breeds...it is how I chose my 4 breeds http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html and I want 4-6 more next year

so be warned they are addictive !!!!

 

[RawrOsaur200]

TO CHITOWN CHICKS
Hmm...silkies are a great start..I actually started with silkies and they are super friendly and ive heard that they arent as loud??My parents friend has silkies and laying hens and shes told us that your not suppose to mix them up in the same coop.But as for free ranging ive got no idea....maybe if they grew up together like as babies they will accept each other as they grow.That might just work!

 

[Hawkeye95]

I don't have any silkies to show off *totally jealous* but rather hoping to have a couple questions answered regarding silkies and other hens.
We've been thinking about chickens for years and have finally found a house in a town that allows backyard birds so I'm running before my feet even hit the ground. lol
We'd hoped to start with a few silkies, something more like a pet for the kids. Silkies have been recommended by many as a first chicken for us although, after reading about breeds here I'm not sure as there are so many sweet breeds. We definitely want to add laying hens so I'm wondering now if it's a good idea to get the silkies first and then add laying hens later. Should we skip the silkies altogether? Get everything at once? I'm hoping to have 2-4 laying hens that are docile, calm, friendly, quiet, something that won't be a bother to our new neighbors.
We like the idea of a tractor, it seems so easy, you don't have to clean out the bottom. Just move them to a new, clean space. I'm not against a stationary coop but would want a tractor to allow the hens to free range at least a little bit, especially when I'm running errands. The chickens could be out in the tractor/s with the dog in the yard to protect them. (see the anatolian to the left;-)

My goals in having chickens are to have pets to love, educate my children, provide eggs for my family, control the feed content, control insect population in my yard, and fertilize my yard and garden.

Advice?

I have some silkies in with my barred rocks and Wyandottes. They'll be fine if they are all started together. I'd just get them all at the same time. A tractor is a neat idea. Go look thru the coop pages we have here, and you'll find something you like. WELCOME to chicken addiction! And

!!! Feel free to ask anything you think of.

 

[peepblessed]

I don't have any silkies to show off *totally jealous* but rather hoping to have a couple questions answered regarding silkies and other hens.
We've been thinking about chickens for years and have finally found a house in a town that allows backyard birds so I'm running before my feet even hit the ground. lol
We'd hoped to start with a few silkies, something more like a pet for the kids. Silkies have been recommended by many as a first chicken for us although, after reading about breeds here I'm not sure as there are so many sweet breeds. We definitely want to add laying hens so I'm wondering now if it's a good idea to get the silkies first and then add laying hens later. Should we skip the silkies altogether? Get everything at once? I'm hoping to have 2-4 laying hens that are docile, calm, friendly, quiet, something that won't be a bother to our new neighbors.
We like the idea of a tractor, it seems so easy, you don't have to clean out the bottom. Just move them to a new, clean space. I'm not against a stationary coop but would want a tractor to allow the hens to free range at least a little bit, especially when I'm running errands. The chickens could be out in the tractor/s with the dog in the yard to protect them. (see the anatolian to the left;-)

My goals in having chickens are to have pets to love, educate my children, provide eggs for my family, control the feed content, control insect population in my yard, and fertilize my yard and garden.

Advice?

You have a great plan and I hope you can work it all out. I think the best advice would be to get baby silkies and baby layers at the same time and raise them together. Mixing grown silkies and large fowl chickens is risky but can be done. Many or most quality silkies are easily subject to head injury because they have a soft place on the skull like a human new born. A hard peck on the head can be serious. Some large fowl are more docile than others but I'm not knowledgeable in that area. When planning your housing and run be sure you make it larger than you think you will need. No one ever ends up complaining that they made it too small.

 

[Flowerbh]

ok, so I am fairly new at chickens so what do I really know? But my thought on silkies is this. They are all bantam. They will stay small so they are good for kids. They lay really small eggs...it takes 3 to make 1 regular egg. I understand they go broody really easily so if you want to hatch eggs, they are good for that...but because they go broody alot, their total yearly egg production is only about 150 eggs. They are also late to mature and can take up to 10 months to start laying. Silkies have the reputation of being docile and friendly. My one seems to get along well with all the breeds. The reason I got one is because my grandchildren wanted one because they are so cute and fluffy. My grandchildren named mine, Cotton Candy because that is what she looks like.. White cotton candy (without the stick!) hahah.. Anyway, I guess it depends on whether or not you want a pet or a chicken that lays lots or large eggs. Anyway, silkies are really the cuties of the chicken world. Maybe Fizzles, too. They are great conservational birds!

 

[RawrOsaur200]

Dont you just LOVE silkies!!? I def. do!!!!

 

[peepblessed]

I don't have any silkies to show off *totally jealous* but rather hoping to have a couple questions answered regarding silkies and other hens.
We've been thinking about chickens for years and have finally found a house in a town that allows backyard birds so I'm running before my feet even hit the ground. lol
We'd hoped to start with a few silkies, something more like a pet for the kids. Silkies have been recommended by many as a first chicken for us although, after reading about breeds here I'm not sure as there are so many sweet breeds. We definitely want to add laying hens so I'm wondering now if it's a good idea to get the silkies first and then add laying hens later. Should we skip the silkies altogether? Get everything at once? I'm hoping to have 2-4 laying hens that are docile, calm, friendly, quiet, something that won't be a bother to our new neighbors.
We like the idea of a tractor, it seems so easy, you don't have to clean out the bottom. Just move them to a new, clean space. I'm not against a stationary coop but would want a tractor to allow the hens to free range at least a little bit, especially when I'm running errands. The chickens could be out in the tractor/s with the dog in the yard to protect them. (see the anatolian to the left;-)

My goals in having chickens are to have pets to love, educate my children, provide eggs for my family, control the feed content, control insect population in my yard, and fertilize my yard and garden.

Advice?

I love the idea of having an Anatolian Shepherd but we have a retreat here and I'm wondering how they are with strangers. Can't risk having someone get bit!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Peep-- any ideas on that odd beak I posted on the last page???


oops-- two pages back now! This post made it to the next page.

 

[KMHunter]

Peep-- any ideas on that odd beak I posted on the last page???


oops-- two pages back now! This post made it to the next page.

To me it looks like one side grew faster than the other. It may straighten out or it may not. Keep an eye on it. Weird!