Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[LynnaePB]

Does anyone else have scraggly silkies? Most of ours are black or white and have the normal looks and feathering expected of silkies but then we got our two mystery scragglemuffin silkies.

Picture one is of Ben who is starting to soften up but her feather texture still feels different than our other silkies and she used to look a lot more like Klaus.

Pictures two and three are of Klaus who took being a free range bush chicken look to the extreme. Is this just his awkward teenage phase? Did another type of rooster sneak in with one of our silkies at some point? Is he just a unique chicken?

They are some of our favourites so hoping this is just a stylistic choice and nothing health related. Both are around 6-7 months old so I suppose they could still grow into their looks lol.

Hmmm Ben looks pretty normal now visually so maybe Klaus will grow out of it too.

The way Klaus' feathers flip out I'd almost wonder if he was a frizzled silkie, any chance he might be? Ben having grown out of it makes that less likely though since if she had the frizzled gene it shouldn't just disappear.

Also are you sure Ben is a she? She looks an awful lot like a he with those streamers to me.

I've never had a grow out with feathers like Klaus. I've also never had a frizzled silkie if that is what he turns out to be. I'd give him some more time and see if he molts out of it and if not I'd suspect he might be frizzled.

I put the eggs in the bator early because they had big air cells. (came from Oklahoma.) I would definitely recommend the seller (even if they weren't silkied cochins ) they were packaged GREAT, , some of them had poop spots but I don't really care because I put poopy eggs in my bator sometimes. (after cleaning them )

I think this was the listing. https://www.ebay.com/itm/234092453798

Aww well it's too bad they aren't silkied cochins but hopefully they'll be adorable anyway (the parents look like cuties)! I hope you get a good hatch!

 

[Remiel]

Also are you sure Ben is a she? She looks an awful lot like a he with those streamers to me.

I've never had a grow out with feathers like Klaus. I've also never had a frizzled silkie if that is what he turns out to be. I'd give him some more time and see if he molts out of it and if not I'd suspect he might be frizzled.

We keep going back and forth on Ben because she still hasn't crowed or laid eggs yet so we are not committed to her being a hen or rooster yet.

The hatchery we got them from doesn't mention frizzled silkies at all so I'm thinking he's just in an awkward grow out or unique? He has fluffed up more now but we might have to start calling him Fabio with those long gold locks lol.

 

[LynnaePB]

We keep going back and forth on Ben because she still hasn't crowed or laid eggs yet so we are not committed to her being a hen or rooster yet.

The hatchery we got them from doesn't mention frizzled silkies at all so I'm thinking he's just in an awkward grow out or unique? He has fluffed up more now but we might have to start calling him Fabio with those long gold locks lol.

He sure is a pretty boy!

He looks even more like a frizzled silkie now. That is strange him coming from a hatchery that doesn't mention the possibility of frizzled silkies. He really does look like one though so I bet that is what he is however that came about.

Do you plan on breeding at all? If he is frizzled he'll pass the gene on to 50% of his offspring.

 

[Remiel]

He sure is a pretty boy!

He looks even more like a frizzled silkie now. That is strange him coming from a hatchery that doesn't mention the possibility of frizzled silkies. He really does look like one though so I bet that is what he is however that came about.

Do you plan on breeding at all? If he is frizzled he'll pass the gene on to 50% of his offspring.

Okay I reread their breed page and they mentioned having satins in the same pen as the silkies so that's probably it!

We are hoping to start breeding him in the spring time with our other silkies before they get too broody! We already have several family members requesting silkie eggs.

 

[LynnaePB]

Okay I reread their breed page and they mentioned having satins in the same pen as the silkies so that's probably it!

We are hoping to start breeding him in the spring time with our other silkies before they get too broody! We already have several family members requesting silkie eggs.

Ah that explains it then!

Good luck with your breeding plans, I know working around broody schedules can be a challenge sometimes! I'm sure he'll make some pretty chicks, he is a very nice looking guy.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

The way Klaus' feathers flip out I'd almost wonder if he was a frizzled silkie, any chance he might be? Ben having grown out of it makes that less likely though since if she had the frizzled gene it shouldn't just disappear.

That's what I thought too!

 

[kurby22]

So you all weren’t joking about silkies being super broody…Betty has been laying eggs for not even a month…and I found her in the nest box this morning and worried she was broody but she came out after a couple hours and spent the day in the run so I thought all was good. But come bedtime I couldn’t find her and sure enough, she was back in the nest box and hasn’t left… Should I take her out in the morning and close off access to the coop? Poor girl, she was making some pretty awful screeching sounds earlier too haha

 

[LynnaePB]

So you all weren’t joking about silkies being super broody…Betty has been laying eggs for not even a month…and I found her in the nest box this morning and worried she was broody but she came out after a couple hours and spent the day in the run so I thought all was good. But come bedtime I couldn’t find her and sure enough, she was back in the nest box and hasn’t left… Should I take her out in the morning and close off access to the coop? Poor girl, she was making some pretty awful screeching sounds earlier too haha

If you'd like to try to break her you definitely could try closing off access and that might work. Some of them are super stubborn about it so it may or may not take awhile. Being broody can be a little tough on them if they do it too long so it's nice when you can successfully break them. I wish just not having eggs under them would break them but most of mine are happy to sit on nothing and stay broody.

Good luck with your girl!

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

So you all weren’t joking about silkies being super broody…Betty has been laying eggs for not even a month…and I found her in the nest box this morning and worried she was broody but she came out after a couple hours and spent the day in the run so I thought all was good. But come bedtime I couldn’t find her and sure enough, she was back in the nest box and hasn’t left… Should I take her out in the morning and close off access to the coop? Poor girl, she was making some pretty awful screeching sounds earlier too haha

If you don't want her to hatch chicks for you then I'd recommend broody jail as the fastest way to break a broody - personally blocking off nesting boxes would not deter any of mine to not be broody at all, they simply nest wherever ground is, a nest box is more comfortable but they'll make do just in the middle of the dirt floor if it comes to that
Broody jail - a cage/crate off the ground, with food and water, 3 days and 3 nights in there then let her out.
I know it sounds mean to cage them but it's better for their health to not be broody for long if you aren't having her hatching eggs.
Example..

 

[TJAnonymous]

I have two Silkie roosters who need to find a new home. I had to cull a different one and felt terrible about it. To be fair, I hate culling ANY healthy rooster but the guilt is 1000 times worse with a Silkie... Anyway, I posted these two on Nextdoor (a local neighborhood app like Facebook). I titled the post "Pet Chickens?" A lady reached out and was interested in taking them both. I was feeling relieved and happy until she asked me if female Silkies (which I DON'T have available) lay eggs.... Um. How do you even respond to that? I've been hesitant to reach out to her since then because she clearly knows nothing about chickens if she has to ask whether they lay eggs...