Silkies,Are they only bantams or is the hatchery only selling bantams?

[can you hear me now?]

Hello all this is my question. I have silkies that I bought from the hatchery, one buff, some white ones and some black ones. What I want to know is, are silkies only a bantam breed? When I got them from the hatchery they told me that they were. I have seen them before and don't recall whether they all looked like bantams or not.

 

[schellie69]

silkies are bantams I have never seen a large silkie

 

[LarryPQ]

Standard sized silkies are a bit rare. you can find them if you troll around here long enough

 

[can you hear me now?]

So if I look long enough I can find standard sizes, that is a good thing. I am using them to hatch eggs for me this coming up year. Hopefully i get a cockerel out of the bunch too since the hatchery doesn't sex the exotic breeds.

 

[Chris09]

There are NO real large fowl silkies in the U.S.

Chris

 

[LarryPQ]

Yes.

There are SOME hatcheries that sell standard-sized silkies, but you are better off (and will get better stock) if you poke around the "hatching eggs for sale" area. You can also use the search function to find threads where people talk about them. There was one this year where the lady got 4 bantie silkies, and 1 standard pullet silkie on accident. People were drooling over themselves to steal it from her

 

[asher]

Quote:
Saved me from typing.

 

[LarryPQ]

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3927240

I understand there may be no "show" or "true standard" silkies out there in the US...but some folks have been breeding them larger. Plus genetic anomolies do happen--IE-the silkie feathered ameracuna pullets we've seen.

 

[can you hear me now?]

Now if i were to try to breed standard sized that would be one thing, by keeping and only hatching the eggs from my larger bantams? I think that would be how to do it right? I know it would be a long process but if people like them so much at standard sizes, would be a popular thing, no?

 

[LarryPQ]

I don't mess with the silkie people...they are a little hard core for me. Like broody silkies

I will defer to the folks piping up now