My family and I changed our minds. We are going to get Silkies. I am ok with the fact that they aren't great layers because I heard they are really good strarter breed. I am a first time chicken owner, and we only plan on getting 2 chickens. Is there anything important I need to know about them?Thank you!
Silkies are a GREAT breed. You'll LOVE them! The only thing I can say, is to watch out for predators. Silkies, being the cute little fluffballs they are, can easily be a quick dinner for a hungry raccoon, opossum, etc. Make sure your coop is predator proof. Also, if your winters are cold, be sure to keep a heatlamp in their coop. Good luck!
I love my silkies,but they are broody all the time. You will love them,very sweet/docile breed,even my roosters are sweet birds. My silkies lay really well(when not broody)each lay an egg a day.
I think the main thing has been getting set-ups right for them, they do like to roost a wee bit.. like think a few inches off the ground but always allow for a dogpile spot that is their #1 choice of sleeping.. ours do not get heated and we're cold, i have found they do quite well in winter... we keep good housing and feed well, all of ours have access to outside, but they don't free range... they kinda look like rabbits so i think their pred risk would be much greater and their lack of flight also contributes to it. Their feet will get kinda dirty and we are not afraid to wash ours if need be(better weather, not winter!!) but they are not show birds so i feel should be allowed to enjoy the benefits of outdoors dirt and all lol I didn't find anything special or different for brooding them compared to my other chickens, and honestly their care is pretty much identical to them except they don't free range nor have a huge ramp to any of the housing. The roos are tolerable lol we have 8 of them, they are capable of being handled just establish a good i am the boss as they can be cocky. My oldest child uses them often for her photo shoots.. here, one our pullets and a cockerel Cannot comment on egg laying or broody none have as of yet, i do understand they are considered a "live brooder" the hens, if they are anything like my Muscovy ducks, it should be "fun" lol
We have Silkies and live in the Northeast US. It can get below zero in the winter. We do not use a heat lamp but our coop is very well built and insulated. We have not had any issues. I don't feel comfortable with a heat lamp outside, however everyone has different experiences and comfort levels. Check temp in coop and make sure its not drafty. They can be super sweet birds, we hand feed and handle them often. They love their babies usually and make great moms. Even our Roo is super sweet. Sometimes we have to discourage him from "trying" to chase us but other than that he eats from our hand and is loving. I am very happy with this breed. We get an egg every day or two from them. Small sized eggs but is fine and don't notice a difference.
My coop is heated for my silkies ,with temp in -53C wind chill range absolutely heat my coop. I even bring them inside during severe cold weather/severe hot weather. My roosters roost,my hens do not,they like to huddle together so for them i use a small cat cage to sleep in. Since you only have 2 silkie chickens i would supply some sort of heat if you have severely cold weather,or better yet bring them inside. You have to understand and observe how your birds are dealing with the cold/heat,pay not attention to what others say,only you will know how your birds are dealing with extreme temps.
