Silkies????

[chickorama]

we have never raised ornamental chickens before. we have some questions about silkies, which we were thinking of getting next spring.

1. Are they cold hardy?? will they make it through shipping and winters? Will they be OK with hot summers??
2. Are they regular layers? we don't need them to be, but it would certainly be nice to know. I have heard they set.
3. Are they kid friendly? They MUST be friendly to be around.
4. Do the colors make a difference in friendliness or anything? we are thinking of getting black ones. Do you have any color suggestions????
please respond if you have any idea of the answers. thank you!!

 

[whitecra]

They are cold and heat hardy. I live in Oklahoma and ordered some in the mail and they did fine. Mine are a year old now. They are good with kids. They do lay but they do get broody a lot. I have 2 hens now that are sharing a nest and they have both sat 3 times this year. I don't think colors make a differance in how they act. We have red, blue, black and white here. They are nice birds. I would say get some.
Chris

 

[silkiechicken]

I treat them just like the rest. The strain and individual makes more of a difference on temperament than anything else. They lay regularly till they get it in their little brains that they want to hatch eggs!

 

[ibpboo]

Silkies are pretty hardy. I have a white silkie and she is soooooo friendly. My grandson loves her and carries her around. She lays kind of regular, but she goes broody sometimes too, and that last a couple months or so, then starts laying again. Not sure if color has anything to do with the friendliness. Sometimes she likes to just sit and be held for long periods of time, and other times she wants to run around. She loves to be cuddled and she makes soft little purring and clucking sounds. She is just the sweetest thing!! One time she tried pecking at me, I can't remember why now, but her pecks were so gentle, she is just so cute and lovable!!
She is the only banty size chicken I have and she lives with the big girls.

 

[swtangel321]

Get some !!!!!!!!! You will love them !!!!! Such interesting chickens !!!! And cuties !!!! I love all my silkies but my black rooster is my fav, he's just a great boy to be around.... I go in there pen once in a while and him and his sister fly up onto my leg and have "talks" with me !!!!!!

Mine lay an egg a day, unless broody (which is often) But they come in handy when you want chicks or need a mama hen to raise some !!!

 

[mainchick]

i love my silkies. I am not where the weather gets real cold (so. Cal) but it gets very hot and they do well. My girls use them as show birds for 4H because they are very docile. One of ours won grand Champion at the County fair last year! If you get highly bred silkies- the ones bred for conformation and show-they don't live much past 6 years old and they don't lay very regular. the basic pet silkie lays pretty regularly. Yes they are real good brooders. Nice little birds and funny too. My daughter's grand champion is a registered therapy bird too!

 

[Bandana]

I had six black silkies several years ago. Out of six straight run chicks, five were roo's. Hmpf. The little girl was a doll. Most of the boys were nice. Still have a scar on my hand from one of the boys. He went into the soup pot. And, yes, they were very temperature hardy. Loved them.

 

[chickorama]

I have one more question.
I looked on BYC, and they don't have silkies. I usually order from murray mcmurray hatchery, but they only have straight run silkies. We will order them if we need to, but since we get so attached to the chicks, and we can't keep roos, when some are roos, we have to give them away which is always heartbreaking. We would rather not do that. Any recomended hatcheries with sexed silkies?????
Any ideas welcome!!!
Thank you!!!!

 

[onthespot]

there are no sexed silkie chicks. If you must have hens, then buy local, proven laying age young pullets.

 

[swtangel321]

I know mypetchicken will sex the silkies for you and if there wrong will refund you, I have never ordered any chicks from them so I'm not sure how great they are.... Its very hard to sex silkies !!!