Silkies cold hardy?

[Frannabelle]

My Silkie is the toughest bird I have. Free ranges during the day, stays clean and always comes back to coop to roost. She has no problems handling the cold winter temps either.

 

[jlynn]

The silkies I raised handled the cold very well . I shut them in at night but never had to heat the coop, they enjoyed coming out in the snow as long as it wasn't to windy.

It is possible for silkies that have very lg. crests and have never been free ranged to get lost. It is best to trim the crest if you plan to free range at lest tell they get to know the environment and the bully in the coop.

 

[BreezeCrestChickens]

This will be the first winter that mine goes out...but I had her and her sister in a little enclosed coop with my new phoenix roo for a couple months...then her sister passed away so we got some bigger hens...they all get along and she's attached to the roo so he keeps her safe...even in the strong winds today he made sure she was safe and always there with him. But like most things, results may vary

 

[Tiffcat]

I don't think silkies are stupid. I think the abundance of feathers on their heads inhibits their vision. If you trim the feathers around their faces, they should be able to see fine and not get lost. My silkies never leave the coop when I let the others free range. Sometimes one will stand in the doorway, but that's the most they come out.

 

[Audballio]

My silkies are free range with 3 reds. They come if called, but they never get lost.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

Quote:

silkies should not be free ranged they get lost too easy
and they do ok in a draft free barn

do they really get lost?

My silkies are free ranged with the rest of my chickens. I really don't know where someone is getting their helpless stupid silkies who get lost, but mine are just fine. If anything a bit smarter than my others, I've lost 5 chickens to predators so far and my silkies have been safe and sound everytime. I worry a little about hawks, but just because they are smaller and easier/ not because they are stupid.
They went outside last december when they were about 6 weeks old. It gets and stays below 0 in the winter here pretty often, and they did great.
ETA- When I go lock up the girls for the night I usually have to put a few stupid chickens inside who couldn't find their way to the door. These are usually my wyandottes, delaware mixes, or barred rock. My silkies have never not found their way to bed.

i have one silkie hen and i love her and she is not stupid...thanks for defending them........

 

[4 Georgia Hens]

Can silkies handle cold winters? Are they hard to keep clean free-range?

I have free range Silkies. They are awesome in cold weather because of all their fluff and are great free rangers. Mine always come back into their coop so I have never been concerned that they will get lost. Also, I have never worried about them getting dirty. Silkies are the best!