silkies??

[sillybirdie]

Hello

I am just starting out in San Diego and am looking to get Silkies as chicks. I am wanting egg layers and have heard differing opinions on how these birds lay. I was also considering mixing silkies with some other chickens who are better layers. Is this ok? Are there any experienced silkie owners or anything I need to be aware of before we jump in. I don't know if the silkies will be picked on being smaller birds but I heard they are so friendly and my kids will be able to interact with them more and I guess for some reason I am just really drawn to these birds

Any advice...

Thanks

p.s. I hope this is the right place to post this...I was looking but couldn't find a general q&a place....

 

[zoe88]

Hi! I'm also a newbie so certainly no expert but have a very similar story. We have 4 Easter eggers and 6 silkies. We got the silkies a few weeks older than the EE's and supervised play dates to make sure they were ok together. We kept them in separate brooders but after they were old enough to go outside they went out together. The silkies were the more dominate ones, chasing after the EE's. I have a 5 and 6 year old and the silkies are the sweetest things! I'm totally in love. They love to have baths and blow drys and to snuggle up in your lap and sleep. Hope my experience helps!!

 

[Tanichca]

Im no silkie expert, but i have owned silkies for about two years now and they are my favorite breed!
They dont lay as much as the leghorns, EE, or other specifically layer type bird. They were used in Japan to brood eggs, i believe (i read that somewhere, not sure where) and they do that job quite well. Like all chickens, the personality depends on the bird. I have one silkie rooster who will jump in my lap and snuggle, and another one who will attack my boots when i go in for feeding time. But they are as cute as anything, one of only two types of birds with the un-barbed feathers, giving them a fur-like appearance.
You are going to love this forum, its been a great help!'
Silkie thread:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=5297809#p5297809

 

[sillybirdie]

OK that is just what I want to hear! I am so excited about getting silkies I can't even tell you! My kids are going to flip but they don't know it b/c they are coming for Christmas!

Are your silkies laying eggs yet and how many eggs would you say you get from each weekly? I have heard 2-3 a week per silkie.

Can you tell me what the EE birds are? Is there a specific EE type or how does that work?

Thanks for your help! I appreciate it! I am thrilled!

 

[sillybirdie]

Tanichca
You must have posted right as I was posting back to Zoe

Thank you for your thoughts and also for the silkie thread. I am going to check that out now! I can't wait

 

[Tanichca]

Quote:
I sold all of my older silkies, and my younger ones havent started laying yet. I also have ahd 8 silkie eggs hatch over the past three days, with more to go, and they are so cute when they are born! When i did have laying silkies, i got about 4 eggs a week.

EE (Easter Egger) are Ameraucana mixes or Ameraucanas with color defects which makes them unshowable. They lay green, blue, lavender, pink, and a whole bunch of other color eggs! My second favorite breed, because they can come in infinite color possibilities, depending on what breeds are in the mix

 

[sillybirdie]

Do ya'll know anything about sexing them? I will be getting chicks probably next week but I guess I won't know if I got a rooster for a few months. I am planning to get 3 to start and was wondering if I can take them somewhere? A vet? I don't want to get attached and then have to get rid of a rooster-we are not where I can keep a rooster...afraid the neighbors might not approve

 

[Tanichca]

Quote:
depending on the quality of the bird. Better quality birds have larger crests and so rooster combs are hard to see.