Silkies

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Lol i want to find out first hand also so i bought five chicks. I Was just looking for some reassurances I've done good. I want to breed and am looking to use birds for the first few hatches. I have this vision of a bunch of barred Cochin's and silkies all lined up hatching eggs for me. lmao. I know ill probably be let down but I'm still keeping my fingers crossed. 

We sound like birds of a feather on this one! I actually bought a pretty little bantam Cochin pullet for very similar reasons. Read in their reviews that one ladies banty Cochins all went broody before they even laid an egg! So I figured between a banty Cochin, a banty Brahma and a Silkie I should be set on broodies! Then I can figure out who does best and use that to make my future broody selections.

 

[Grumpy Goats]

I have silkies and they will hatch anything all summer long. They get very determined about it too, lol. I had one girl named Sassy because she would yell at me everytime I would check her eggs. She's sitting on my friend's eggs now.

 

[CibolaChooks]

I have silkies and they will hatch anything all summer long. They get very determined about it too, lol. I had one girl named Sassy because she would yell at me everytime I would check her eggs. She's sitting on my friend's eggs now.

thats awesome. maybe all 5 of mine will be hens and i can hatch 30-40 at a time.

 

[ChickenLover WI]

How long do they lay eggs for like what age?

 

[lizanne]

One of my Silkie roosters (I had to give them away) at 15 weeks.


at 5 weeks


at 15 weeks

 

[ChickenLover WI]

Can anyone answer me please and thank you? I want to know if they still lay eggs at age 4 and for how long after age 4 years old. Like do they stop at age 5?

 

[leadwolf1]

Depends on the breed and individual chicken. I don't think that anyone can answer this exactly as it varies from bird to bird.

Can anyone answer me please and thank you? I want to know if they still lay eggs at age 4 and for how long after age 4 years old. Like do they stop at age 5?

 

[Popcorn]

This guy is a little more than two months old. He is starting to crow (badly) and likes to bite.

 

[aoxa]

this doesnt happen till they are about 4 months old


you can determine gender by size...cockerels tend to be bigger than the pullets post pics and might be able to tell you their gender. need comb shots and body shots and a group shot

I was able to sex mine really early. Never been wrong yet.

This is what a breeder of the highest quality silkies in Canada had to say to me. He is a friend:

Silkies are really tough to sex as chicks... esp good ones (males with big crests & small combs). I can usually be pretty good at sexing by 3 weeks old (just by leg size), though I wouldn't bank on it. You should be able to tell by 12 weeks, as females crests should be getting nice & round, & males starting to "sweep back" a little more.

JC

and

Legs thicker & longer on males... though most usefull if they are the same age. Males are usually a little bigger/taller too.

Whoever has to wait until they crow or lay, knows nothing about them. But... they are still the hardest chickens to sex (at a young age).

JC

 

[leadwolf1]

Interesting as, I heard a similar story but to the opposite end...

A top silkie breeder won best roo in show with a silkie of his...a couple weeks later, SHE layed an egg.

So, even the best of us can be fooled! I have had some males that had me guessing until they crowed. No streamers, no hard feathers in their tails, no combs and absolutely beautiful round crests. I was heartbroken when they crowed

I was able to sex mine really early. Never been wrong yet.
This is what a breeder of the highest quality silkies in Canada had to say to me. He is a friend:
and