Silkie with bigger hens

[SydneyChickens]

Hello all

I'm super excited because my coop and chicken run is almost built! I hoping to pick up my hens on the weekend. My house only has room for 4 hens comfortably. I was hoping to get 3xRIR and a silkie, my only concern is that the silkie might get picked on by the other birds. All the RIR and silkie will be collected at the same time and from the same farm. The silkie is 1 month older than the RIR which are 12 weeks.

What are your thoughts? Will my silkie be picked on or lonely? Or will she be ok because she's the same sized as them now and they will all be growing up together from a young age?

Thanks guys!

 

[Kelsie2290]

I would be concerned that your silkie is going to wind up being picked on in the long run. They will probably be OK for awhile since the silkie is older, but unless she is a really mean silkie and these are really wimpy RIR, I would be prepared to separate them in the future. There is a big silkie thread you might want to ask the question on. https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/690632/silkie-breeding-genetics-showing

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I have a small mixed flock of 6 hens. For awhile I had 1 Silkie in the mix. I wouldn't do it again unless I could make room for 2 of them. I had 4 large fowl (2 leghorns, a delware and a maran) and 1 bantam cochin. The Silkie was definitely the bottom of the pecking order but it wasn't so much that the other hens were violent with her or mean but that she was always alone. always.

I could never get her to roost, which is pretty common with silkies and no matter how low I lower the roost or how much I encouraged she slept all alone. She was slower and less adventurous than the other birds and never went with the group. It sort of looked like she wanted to hang out with the big kids but just couldn't. I'm not sure how else to describe it.

She would follow me and my dogs around instead of the hens. She was very very sweet but it seemed like not a good living situation for her and I felt bad. I would love to have silkies again but would make sure to have 2 or 3 at the very least so they could sleep together and have a buddy.

Every bird is different so maybe you would be lucky but I personally won't risk it again.

edited: my silkie was younger than the leghorns but raised as a chick with the delaware and the maran was younger. Not sure if that info helps but there it is.

 

[SydneyChickens]

Oh god now I'm worried. I picked the hens up today, i got a silkie who is 10 months old and the others are RIR and 16 weeks. The RIR are fine with her so far they stick together and are happy to let silkie in but she is the one who isn't interested, she's not like most silkies i'm starting to find! She's really adventerous and seems to have a really strong will, she's so far living like she the only one there, not interested in the other chooks but wants to have her day her way. I did notice in the car on the way home that one of the RIR would always cuddle up to her, the RIR are extremely timid, silkie isn't but at the moment it's like she's choosing to wonder and run around alone where the others bundle in a corner together. Hmmm i will be monitoring her very closely and since building the coop today there is more room for another silkie so i may look into getting her a mate.

Thanks so much guys!

 

[alije]

Hay, I have mixed flock, 3 silkies (1 cock, 2 hens), 3 NN (1 cock, 2 hens) and 3 RIR (hens), they are 5 month old, living together without problems.
http://shrani.si/f/1d/tE/4MqcNtkq/mmsimg1884316121.jpg

 

[SydneyChickens]

Gosh they are so cute! I'm worried my silkie (her name is Parsley) will feel left out.. Ill give it 2 weeks and see, otherwise ill get her a mate.. You can tell i'm just dying to get another silkie haha