Silkies and my dad

[cat1994]

So my dad grew up on the same farm we live on now, on this farm he had every farm animal you could think of and they all had some purpose or role to play on the farm. But he got out of farming right before I was born, he would always tell me stories and show me pics of farm life back when he was lil and all the types of animals he had. When I was still a lil kid I decided to turn the place back into a farm, he agreed. I bought every book I could afford on farm life and the animals so I would know what I was doing. I started with chickens, buying breeds my dad had grew up around like Road Island Reds, Barred Plymouth Rock and the like. I have had chickens nonstop every since that time, never really straying to the more unusual fancy breeds afraid my dad wouldn’t approve. I continued reading all I could about chickens and other domestic birds. I did get a Polish hen once and my dad thought it was the weirdest thing, and he still makes fun of my Japanese Bantam Roo for being different from the chickens back in his day. So when I told my dad I wanted a chicken called a Silkie for their broodiness he said sure, not knowing anything about them. So I bought 6 and the first thing he noticed was that they have feathers on there feet and that that was odd. Then they got bigger and he realized that their feathers were more like fur, which freaked him out. So now they are almost grown and he can’t get over how different they are, he goes out and watches them just to come in and tell me what an odd bird they are. I pick them right up to show him that the have black skin and he marvels at how tame they are, and than he adds that he’s not going to like eating a chicken with black meat. He laughs at how big there head tuffs are and tells me about how he never had a chicken like that, in fact he has asked me more that once if Silkies even lay eggs! He acts like these birds are from another planet, and sometimes it’s like he doesn’t believe me when I assure him that yes Silkies are a breed of chicken. He acts like he doesn’t like them much and that he doesn't think they make a good chicken, but I really think they are growing on him, sometimes I see him sitting by their pen watching them. Who knows maybe I have gotten a lil closer to converting this old fashioned farmer into a new Silkie fan. Just wanted too share, watching my dad watching these birds is just to funny, I’m really glad I got them!

 

[Tina D]

How funny! I wish I could see your dad watching the silkies! He must get the biggest kick out of them!

 

[BooBear]

hehehehehe....sounds like they are mesmerizing him to do their will.....bring more scratch human! And some eggs for us to hatch our minions from.

 

[Dowie]

Great story! He'll be pleased when he finds out that they are THE most reliable broody around. If he gets curious about the black meat, you can google it for him.

That'll put him right off the thought of eating them! My friend my China who 'eats anything that moves' doesn't like the taste of silkies at all - I think they are just here to be cute and to mesmerise us into being their slaves.

 

[cat1994]

I know right, I think they are so cool and I can’t wait for them to grow all up and go broody. Dad keeps asking me why I got the “wired” chickens in first place I just keep telling him that he will change his tune when he sees a Silkie hen walking across the chicken yard with a new batch of chicks she brooded all her self.

 

[Dowie]

I have heard they are THE best mammas and will happily hatch and rear other breeds. He'll be won over soon. My they are cute though...