Tell me all about silkies!

[CallyB57]

Well, they are gentle and sweet..and you have to protect them..if one of them is suspiciously losing all the feathers on its head, do something. If your ordinarily playful and plucky baby is hiding in a corner, figure it out. If you dream you are looking at the henhouse door where your Silkie babies are staying - get out of bed and go check on them. If you make any mistakes, you will die of a broken heart.

 

[secretagent]

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I get you! lol. Didnt think you would do that to your chucks! I was just thinking out loud really. I was thinking a second house to move them to with a wire pen inside.

 

[silkydragon]

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how do ppl not find this condesending?i quoted becouse i think ppl are reading a different post(plus in reply to the person who posted this the search is google powered i had a computer that was starting to fail and for some reason google search engine wouldnt work only thing i could use was bing)

now onto the silkies i have 10 i got from a hatchery all 10 turned out as roosters but easily rehomed here since they are different i traded an amish family a rooster for 4laying hens and some green eggs when they hatch which i dont think is happining since this was a few months ago but was a risk i took when i seen them in a nest and they planned on a hen sitting on them

 

[Elite Silkies]

Since I

to talk Silkie, I don't think their could be tooooooo many silkie threads.

I have 2 silkie girls will that will come when I call their name. Very smart little birds. My kids have a blast with them, they are docile and very friendly. I'm not saying all of them like attention, but for the most part they are all handled easily.

My coops have shavings and their runs have sand. Now the sand is different for different colors. My Lavenders, Splash, Black and Buff.... it really doesn't affect their foot feathering. My whites on the other hand

My White Rooster (From Sunshine Silkies: SHE HAS AWESOME BIRDS!!) loves, loves, loves to rub his crest in the dirt. I thought about going with pea gravel, but thought that might make their feet sore over time.

When they lay, they lay great. They do like to go broody. I think the norm is about 3 eggs a week maybe 4.

Yes, they can stand up for themselves. I have one that looks like a little bulldog, and she will tear a chicken butt up!

I just sold all of my large fowl breeds and now have only Silkies, except for one Buff Orp girl. She does live with the silkies, but she is a very calm, sweet girl. She loves to be held and has never been mean to the Silkies. But, I would recommend housing them separately, because as Sunshine stated, some do have vaulted skulls and that makes them more fragile. I prefer Silkies over any other breed.

I also have a Buff Baby from SundownWaterfowl, can't wait to see how he/she matures.

Here's a pic of my BOY from Sunshine Silkies: VEGAS

He throws very nice traits and has really improved my offspring: Here's a pic of one of his babies. She is around 4-5 months old. I am anxious to see her when she is compeletly matured.

 

[secretagent]

OMG!! they are beautiful birds! Just stunning!
Thank you for your info and the pics. I am really loving them! Interesting that the white is worse for dirt than others. I love the splash but i havent seen any advertised i Ireland...

 

[Ibicella]

I have never been exactly sure why they say they are poor layers. The ones we had on the farm (I'm chickenless for the moment) layed pretty regularly. I guess it's like someone earlier in the thread said, they might be considered "poor" layers because they go broody frequently and stop laying when they do. And yes, they ARE as broody as they say! Which is a real boon if you want to hatch chicks and not deal with an incubator.

Yes, they do tend be bullied by bigger birds because their crests make it difficult to see. This is the case with most of the crested breeds, but it's not always an issue. It will depend on your flock.

Silkies are kind of small, even standard sized. They are more fluff than anything! I'd say a standard only a couple of pounds, really.

Yes, they can get mucky. Since they don't have the usual chicken feathers to protect them, muck can't slide off as easily and it can give them a chill. So make sure they have dry space out of the rain and a dry place to stand in the run and you should be ok.

 

[Elite Silkies]

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Thank you. I only have 2 splash girls now, I got rid of the other splash. But, they are pretty girls. One is Light and one is dark. Once again SUNSHINE Silkies has really nice Splash Silkies.
Light:

Dark:

BUT, my Pride and Joy out of the girl's is this one!! My Lavender Pullet

 

[secretagent]

you are making me so broody for silkies now!
When i see a silkie i just smile! They look so sweet.....

 

[Redcatcher]

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I don't think asking someone to do some more research is "snotty". As far as "Who has that kind of time?" Well, I could do the same research, asking and searching for all the various answers, but is it really fair to ask someone to spend hours condensing info just so I don't have to? No, not in my opinion.

There are MANY threads about silkies and info all over. JayDee, I am assuming you know secretagent, since you say the OP did "extensive" research, something the OP doesn't claim?

BTW, sometimes replies are just to encourage someone to use the Search functions, and sometimes it's meant as a "bump" up on the list of posts.

JayDee, you posted in this thread - let me ask you this - "]If you've nothing to contribute, why reply?"

I always search before posting a question here and 9 times out of 10 find my answer. If it was not specifically addressed, then it involved common sense poultry keeping. The questions that were asked by the OP could apply to ANY breed of chicken with the exception of egg laying behavior, and I am certain that has been covered in past threads. Also Silkies in the UK tend to look like our hatchery and pet Silkies. I am not saying this to be condescending but it is what it is. I like them both:

 

[E.M. Silkies]

SecretAgent, I'm so glad you said they make you smile! They make me smile too! Oh and I can't help but smile and laugh when my roo crows. My roo, Puff Daddy, is an absolute doll. He pretends like he's a tough guy and doesn't like to be held but once he's in your arms, he goes to sleep--or eats treats from my hand if I have them! He LOVES fruit! I am pretty new to the Silkies but I can tell you this-- You'll love them!

As for muckiness-- My silkies have a pen where they can go outside as they please. They get a little muddy but not as bad as expected. But the water drains from their pen easily so it doesn't turn to mud muck. I guess my point is...they don't get bogged down. And they have a LOT of foot feathering. My girls havn't started laying yet so I can't tell you about that. I hope to have really good layers though(That may be wishful thinking). They aren't supposed to lay every day like my RIRs do.

Anyways...Good luck to you on your Silkie ventures!

Oh and to tell you as nicely as possible(tehe) If you keep an eye on the breed and genetics group, there will be a lot of Silkie discussions come up. It may not always be exactly what your looking for the time but I sure have learned a lot! Again, good luck, and welsome to the world of Silkies!!