You're really making a case.....
The only problem is I read they don't do well in mixed flocks? Although ALL of the breeds I have are supposed to be pushovers..lol My BR and BO are the ring leaders.
Also the silkie chicks are younger...you can't just put a week old chick in with 4 week olds can you?
I've seen articles about integrating chicks with hens..but never chicks with other chicks...
I don't know about integrating day-olds with older birds, but Silkies are just fine with other birds. I would not get a chick with a vaulted skull. You can see a vaulted skull in day olds--it looks like their brain case had had a string tied around the middle, so their is a great big bulb on top of their head. It is really obvious when you look at other chicks. Only some Silkies have vaulted skulls--they got it when they crossed with Polish to get bigger top knots.
My little Silkies are very brave. When the macaws went to ground among them, it was the Silkies that tried to chase them off. They were frightened, but they still made little rushes at the macaws and actually frightened my big Scarlet macaw off the ground into a tree. My big Ameraucana cockerel was in a tizzy, frightened by the macaw. My neighbor has them free ranging with her flock.
You have to be a bit careful of them in the rain, especially when babies, because their feathers don't repel the rain. My Silkies were outside yesterday in the freezing drizzle that lasted most of the day. They were the last to go to bed.
I really like them as a backyard breed. Their feathered feet mean they aren't as hard on the ground as a smooth legged breed. They don't fly, either, although they do hop about three feet in the air, flapping like crazy.
I want to exhibit poultry, and they are not the kind of breed I want to exhibit. The show Silkies have such huge top knots they can't see, and I just think breeding for such a handicap is just plain wrong. I'll instead concentrate on an equally sweet bird, bantam Cochins.
When I had my "little" chicken flock (Silkies, Polish, Cochins and one bantam Plymouth Rock) separated from the "big" chickens (LF Ameraucanas), the Silkies were in love with the Ameraucana cockerels. One of the Ameraucana cockerels kept hopping the fence into the "little" chicken's yard. I finally left him in. The Silkies loved him.
They produce a lot of eggs for me. I don't know for how long. Even when broody, they lay eggs. I just pick them up, put them out of the nest box near food and water and just ignore their broodiness. I need to set up more nest boxes, because they are keeping them occupied too long.
The other thing about Silkies, is they tend to like to sleep in a pile rather than roost. Some of mine roost, but others don't. I really like them. They are just such a sweet little bird.
