Some Newbie and Silkie Questions

[STLChickie]

I am a newbie who is considering raising a very small flock in my backyard in urban St. Louis, Missouri. I am moving there next week from South Florida and will be looking for a chicken-friendly rental with a fenced in backyard and already have my tractor planned out! I'm currently very very interested in Silkies. I've looked into every other breed but find myself returning to Silkies every time. I'm looking for a small, friendly breed and don't need a great egg layer. A few eggs a week per bird would be great.

I do have some newbie-type questions. I'm sorry if some of these questions are repeats. I've been researching for the past several days and just need clarification on a few things.

1.) How long can you keep Silkies in the brooder (assuming the size is appropriate)?

2.) I'm considering purchasing a few Silkies from MyPetChicken. I understand that sexing isn't 100 percent. What do people do if their chicks turn out to be roos. I am a city slicker and probablly won't have a roo-friendly situation. Is it realistic to be able to re home these guys if needed? I just don't want them to end up on someone's plate or in a bad situation. If it's difficult to rehome them, I'll have to look into sex linked.

3.) I have a quaker parrot, Gus. I'm worried about having chicks in the same house as him- don't want him to get any kinds of sickness. What are the guidelines here? And what about when they're full grown... can they be around him safely?

4.) Does anyone use those chicken diapers? Do they really work? Do the chickens hate them? I tried to put a parrot diaper on Gus once and he was NOT having it.

5.) I can't seem to get a good idea of the noise levels of Silkie hens. I'd probablly have 3 or 4 of them at most.

Thanks and sorry if these are total newb questions!

Kate

 

[Silkiefan]

Hi Fellow Newbie!
I am new to this urban chicken thing too, and although I don't have any advice for you, I will tell you that I bought two chicks in early March. Like you, I really can't have a roo in my urban area, so I spent a lot of time trying to pick babies based on who looked "girly" to me. The smallest, softest, roundest runt of them all ( my black silkie ) turned out to be a boy! The white one - who I was sure was going to be a boy, turned out to be the sweetest girl.
I am at a loss for what to do with the boy. I don't want to eat him, and I'm not aware of anyone breaking down doors to get at a rooster. (They're not a hot commodity)
He has started to crow. It sounds like someone stepped on one of the dog's squeaky toys, so for now I'm pretty safe from irking the neighbors. Like I said, I don't have much advice for you... in fact, I might compound your worries by adding the question "can my girl live without another of her kind for company if I do find a home for the boy?"
I am going to try diapers eventually. We had chickens when I was a kid, but I don't remember them pooping every 60 seconds, and because of that, they're confined or outside, and I don't like that. Maybe you could start them out in "training pants" - like some kind of contraption that wouldn't restrict growth or hurt them in any way... you know, so they could get used to it...
good luck to you!

 

[Silkiefan]

oh hey Kate... I forgot to add that even though he's crowing a little bit, for the most part they're both still quiet. Mine are only 4 months old, but they still peep like babies, and they're just starting to cluck a little bit. They get excited to see me when I have goodies and make a little purring noise, but so far, no cackling. His "practice crows" sound like "EHH-hahhhhh" and he only does it at around 10 a.m. maybe twice a week.
Feel free to IM me if you get any good advice.
Sadie

 

[Redhead Hen]

STLChickie ~ I would say that your brooder size should be big enough to give them room to move around. I usually use a storage tote. Just make sure that you have the heat on one side so they have a choice to be under the heat or not. Your chicks will let you know if they are too hot by staying away from the heat source, or too cold buy huddling under the light. Also, they should stay in the brooder until they are fully feathered out. Usually by 8 weeks they can go outside depending on the weather.

Sexing bantams is very hard! So, even if you order only pullets, there is always a chance you will end up with a roo. Also, silkies are hard to sex until they are close to 4-5 months old. If you end up w/a roo, you can post it to Craigslist. Silkies are very desirable - even the roos. I don't think here in the states, silkies end up in the pot. They have black skin and meat. I do know that in the far east, they are eaten though. Just not something I have heard of here.

I think your parrot will be fine because chicks from Hatcheries are usually vaccinated. Just keep an eye on all of them. I know parrots are like eternal 2 yr olds, so watch them to make sure the babies don't get hurt.

I have never used the diapers so I can't help you there. And since my silkie is just under 2 months old, I don't have any clue on noise levels.

Hope that helps!

Silkiefan ~ If you only have 2 chickens and you need to rehome one, then you should rehome them together. Chickens are social animals and need others of their kind around. If they are raised together, they usually are pretty close to each other.