Thinkin about some silkies...

[jackhorn01]

We have New Hampshire Reds, Barred Rocks, Buff Orphingtons, Partridge Rocks, Jersey Giants, and will soon have a Rhode Island Red rooster, red stars, and Cuckoo Marans. We were thinking of throwing a couple of Silkie's in there just cause they look cool and we liked them when we saw them. Will the lil girls mix well with everything I mentioned here?

 

[tadpole98]

yes they will. Have fun with them! I love my silkies.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

In my opinion, its quite possible that they won't. New chickens thrown into a new pecking order can be treated brutally. Imagine the treatment for a much smaller, crested breed. You large rooster mating small Silkie hens could also be a recipe for disaster.

Yes, its absolutely possible to integrate some Silkies into a flock of standard sized birds, I'm not trying to discourage you there. But, it needs to be done with utmost care and a very watchful eye. Silks are an extremely docile breed (most of them anyway) which gives tendency for them to be picked on. If you end up with big crested birds like the girl in my avatar, they don't see well. They don't roost because of their shredded feathers, and alot have a soft spot on their head (like a baby). For some the soft spot closes with age, for others it does not. A peck there can cause all sorts of neurological problems.
I recommend checking out the Silkie thread, read, read, read and then determine if you think they'd be a good fit for you.
Good luck, again- I'm not trying to discourage you, but I've read tons of horrible posts about injured or mentally handicapped little Silkies because someone wanted to "throw a few in" with their big girls.
Nikki

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

In my opinion, its quite possible that they won't. New chickens thrown into a new pecking order can be treated brutally. Imagine the treatment for a much smaller, crested breed. You large rooster mating small Silkie hens could also be a recipe for disaster.

Yes, its absolutely possible to integrate some Silkies into a flock of standard sized birds, I'm not trying to discourage you there. But, it needs to be done with utmost care and a very watchful eye. Silks are an extremely docile breed (most of them anyway) which gives tendency for them to be picked on. If you end up with big crested birds like the girl in my avatar, they don't see well. They don't roost because of their shredded feathers, and alot have a soft spot on their head (like a baby). For some the soft spot closes with age, for others it does not. A peck there can cause all sorts of neurological problems.
I recommend checking out the Silkie thread, read, read, read and then determine if you think they'd be a good fit for you.
Good luck, again- I'm not trying to discourage you, but I've read tons of horrible posts about injured or mentally handicapped little Silkies because someone wanted to "throw a few in" with their big girls.
Nikki

X2

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I think it is possible (I have a fixed flock with silkies) but agree with the above. Make sure to get a few so they can sleep together because they will likely not roost. Mine also does not see well. She is the first to get picked on and is much more vulnerable to predators, slower and can not fly at all -- not even hop really. It is doable but they do need a little special consideration.

 

[Volkova]

Sorry, to put a downer in the conversation but I strongly recommend you do NOT put Silkies in with other chickens.

I had a large mixed flock of fairly tame chickens and decided to put 4 tame Silkies in there (like you, to add a little variety!) but I was disappointed as the Silkies were forced out of the pen everytime and felt guilty that they had to be attacked so often. Stars were the worst and scared them often but I did find the tiny Silkie hen put the greedy, old Orpington hen in her place once!

If you have roosters, certainly not! A big rooster can do damage to a little Silkie hen's legs, and my Buff Orpington cockerel gave the Silkie hen a really bad leg for several weeks after mating.

Instead, we moved our Silkies into a different pen with some Araucana and Buff Orp hens and they got on like a house on fire! All very friendly and little pecking involved. So, if you want, make a different flock of just hens and more docile breeds, it's easier to manage then.

Good luck! (Don't give up on the Silkies though! They are still fluffy and cute)

 

[jackhorn01]

Thanks for the input everyone, I wasn't dead set on em. I am just a all different color variety kinda person lol. I get all the eggs I want with my New Hampshire reds and Barred rocks so I am just adding variety and color to the flock as I am close to tripling the size of my coop. The Misses saw a pic of the silkies while I was browsing and went crazy lol is why I was asking about them.

 

[jackhorn01]

Are there any other bantams that would better suit mixing with my flock or is it just a bad idea in general?

 

[ChickensRDinos]

My flock is pretty small but I have a bantam frizzled cochin who holds her own just fine with 5 various large fowl.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

I'd recommend a Cochin as well, they aren't crested so they see MUCH better. They can also fly, so they can roost. Cochins come in bantam and standard, so if you went with them you wouldn't have to worry about introducing bantams. They come straight feathered and frizzled and in a ton of pretty colors!
Nikki