Silkies= good foragers?

[klf73]

I am hatching some silkies. I think when my mother sees them she will want some. The only reason she wanted chickens was to eat the bugs. Is their vision impaired by the feathers so they don't do well? I hatched out a mix (no idea breed) for the bugs but they don't seem very social so I got the silkies more for pets so I didn't care if they ate the bugs well or not. Anyone?
Krista

p.s. the problem cat I referenced before lives closer to her, so I don't think they would be a good choice for her, but when I tell her I want to have all my info correct

 

[meriruka]

The silkies will eat bugs, but they are not very fast & can't fly so they're not quite as good at it.
I always trim the feathers around their eyes, they are a lot less skittish when they can see and they can spot predators more easily. A stray cat probably will go after them and they are not very tough so they aren't a great choice for free ranging without supervision/protection. The good thing is they tend to stay in one area and stick together so they're much easier to keep an eye on.
Hope this helps.....