Silkies - too high maintenance or worth it in southeastern PA climate

[DuckDuckSook]

Hello.
I've never had any silkie chickens, but I'm thinking about adding some to our small farm. I've been looking into the breed a bit and they seem to have a lot of positive attributes. However, I don't know if they are the ideal breed for southeastern PA. I'm concerned about how they'd fair in the hot, humid summers and the colder winter months. Also, I've read that they seem more susceptible to mites/bugs than other breeds. Any advice or input is appreciated. Thanks!

 

[thecatumbrella]

Let's see...

The breed is much hardier than people give them credit for. Keep them dry, give them a shady space in the summer, and a wind/weather protected space in the winter.

Silkies often go broody. Do you want broody birds, or would you have to break them? Is that an inconvenience for you?

Silkies sometimes need a haircut to preserve their vision. Are you willing to do that?

All feather-footed birds are more susceptible to leg mites. Are you willing to treat if needed?

They are delightful birds, but could need a little extra help from time to time.

 

[Echelontheory101]

@Debbie292d is a silkie expert!

 

[Debbie292d]

Hello.
I've never had any silkie chickens, but I'm thinking about adding some to our small farm. I've been looking into the breed a bit and they seem to have a lot of positive attributes. However, I don't know if they are the ideal breed for southeastern PA. I'm concerned about how they'd fair in the hot, humid summers and the colder winter months. Also, I've read that they seem more susceptible to mites/bugs than other breeds. Any advice or input is appreciated. Thanks!

PA weather is somewhat comparable to Wisconsin's, ie. all four seasons, a very very cold few weeks in the winter, and a very, very hot few weeks in the summer.

I have raised and bred silkies here for nearly 10 years.

They wouldn't survive two weeks at -30°F -40°F (without wind chill) because a couple are frizzled and a couple are always molting. So we supplement heat. We heat the coops to 40°F and have Cozy Coop radiant heaters in the hutches of the growout pens.

We feed Kalmbach's Flock Maker crumbles to all aged birds, even the chicks and ducks. We have oyster shell out for the layer hens as the Flock Maker is low in calcium, but the 20% protein is great for all of them.

I have Poultry Cell and Nutri-Drench here for vitamins occasionally, or if one looks off. I keep Vitamin E on hand in case they have any other issues. The E I've used for possible neurological issues in a couple along the way.

We use food-grade diatomaceous earth in their coops, nest boxes, and dust baths monthly to keep mites and lice away. That doesn't keep SLM (scaly leg mites) away though, so every two years we treat them all for that.

They are the only breed we raise, and the only breed we will ever raise. I love them so much!

 

[Yardmom]

We live in NW PA. We have Silkies. They live in an outdoor coop and free range daily. We do not do anything for climate control. Silkies are much hardier than they are given credit for.

They are broody, and don't lay as frequently as some breeds. On the other hand our Silkies continue to lay during winter (even birds a few years old)

Silkies tend to be more docile than other breeds, so be cautious when placing them in coops with other breeds. We have two coops to keep the Silkies separate from the standard hens.