silkies....

[eggcochin_freak5]

i went to the chicken sale last night and bought 3.....2 hens and a rooster. i have absolutley no idea about them, do they have any specific needs.....are they agressive?

 

[bangor777]

mine are only 2 weeks old, absolute loves so far. i did a lot of research before i bought them. They are reputed to be very docile, sweet, good pets. Downfalls, they go broody very frequently resulting in decreased egg production. Can be prey for predators, they are small and often have decreased vision due to their crazy hair some people trim their silkies, others don't. They roost closer to the floor (6 inches or so) and often sleep in a pile right on the floor of the coop. There are a lot of silkie owners on the forum, i'm sure they'll chime in with more info. I love mine, they are so sweet.

 

[ibpboo]

I have one silkie hen that someone brought to me because it had gotten lost in the storm and needed to be rescued. That was in January 2008. She recovered very well, she is very friendly, soft as Cotton, hence her name. My grandson loves her and can hold and carry her around. Doesn't seem to need any extra special care. Just lots of love!

 

[arlee453]

Ditto - no special care per se and they are so sweet and docile.

Our lone roo is a silky. He is just a big baby and not an aggressive bone in his body - even with the girls.

And of course watching him try to ...ahem....take care of the large breed girls we have is a whole afternoon's entertainment.

I have 4 silkie girls and the one roo. While the other chicks hatched out a month after the silkies are laying pretty good now, I'm still only getting about 5-6 eggs a week total from the silkie girls.

I'm patiently waiting for them to pick up on production as I want to pop some of their eggs in the bator if i can ever collect enough.

I do have one test egg in there now....

 

[tiki244]

I have some 5 week old silkies and so far they seem pretty nice,,,,,,I am anxiouse to see how they turn out

 

[alex]

They are very tame and nice. The hens are motherly and caring, and can get broody fast.
And you treat them like you would any other bantam.

 

[Love my Critters!]

They are great and have nice personalities. The only difference is that most will not roost, they like the "snuggle" in the nesting boxes or on the ground so be sure you have a safe coop for them to sleep in at night. We love ours, you will be pleased. Also if you like having babies, a silkie hen will hatch and raise anything. They're great!

 

[ninny]

silkies are the bomb! they are my favorite.

 

[eggcochin_freak5]

oh so they dont roost? i put a roosting pole in the lot with them.....i checked them again last night, i shined a flashlight on the roosting pole and no silikes....i was begining to freak out.....but the were laying in the nesting box.......

 

[Skyesrocket]

Silkies are great! They do need more protection from predators because they don't fly or roost. Just have a secure area for them. The hens are very broody, so you will have a lot of momma raised chicks.