Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[Charlie Wooster]

My Marans and some good yard hatch red birds, big brown egg layers that I’ve liked for 15 years, I always hatch 35-40 eggs, (sometimes more if people are ordering and have made deposits) but I hatch myself 2 times each spring here on the homestead.. keep the freezers full and pay for the feed.. (I will sell hatching eggs with a prior arrangement and chat) I have a small produce stand I sell my excess fresh produce or pick your own, vegetables from the garden, pickled chicken and quail eggs, canned vegetables and jams and jellies, hot sauce, fresh chicken and quail eggs, chicken and quail chicks and even take deposits and sell baby rabbits.. used to sell Great Pyrenees pups.. but not anymore.. happy Hermit here

 

[Charlie Wooster]

I have a “rumpless” Maran on 7th year, but it’s been 11 hatches..

 

[Charlie Wooster]

Thems cool lookin little birds I may need to get me some..

Check out the lil blue with the white hat!View attachment 3573011

 

[Charlie Wooster]

Before lunch everyday.. inspected, cleaned and ready to put in cartons..

 

[CSolis]

Before lunch everyday.. inspected, cleaned and ready to put in cartons..

Before I traded off my 'real chickens' for another pen.. I was delivering 7-8 18 count cartons to a family every week.. Boy has my feed bill gone down! My little silkies and satins don't eat nearly as much. This is one of my satin girls.

 

[Hinotori]

I sell 8-10 dozen eggs a week.. I have plenty of real chicken eggs..

I get about that a week in silkie eggs. They make the best pickled eggs. Just the right size. Most do go as protection payment to the ravens and crows to keep the hawks away.

I have easter eggers and ameraucana for large eggs. Easier to use for baking.

Silkies are good if you want a living incubator and brooder

 

[Ponypoor]

Not every chicken breed is for everyone.
I'll never keep polish, production breeds and possibly leghorns too. They're just not chickens that interest me.
In my opinion silkies are good little layers, yeah sure they don't lay like other breeds. And it's a pretty general consensus that silkies are good broodies and mothers.

Yes my silkies are my most regular layers - when not broody. In fact I welcome them being broody to give them a break from laying eggs!

 

[Ponypoor]

Check out the lil blue with the white hat!View attachment 3573011

I had a chick coloured like that with the white head - turned completely black - even though I called her Cappy

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm so eggscited! Went out for afternoon feed and there was an egg in Poof Poof's nest! Way too early for her to start laying again as her babes are less than 2 weeks old.. Then I saw one I was concerned might be a rooster squat when Shadow Captain got close.. Ohh, no worries now. In spite of the fact she has no streamers, the size of her comb concerned me..
Shadow Captain is my Calico Splash Silkie.. He's a Prince!
This is Sherbert.
Talk about a BEARD!View attachment 3573005
View attachment 3573004

Have you ever thought of doing a gender dna test for your silkies?

I did with three chicks I had here, wanted a Roo and didn’t want to wait forever to find out. At 5 weeks I was able to find out they were all pullets so much for wanting a Roo!

 

[Ponypoor]

Oh. My. Gosh!!! So tiny - I thought silkie chicks were tiny