Wanting to know more about Silkies.

[festivefeet]

Hi there.

I wanted to know more about silkies. I have been offered a silkie chick to add to my flock.

Once we pick our new chicks, I will have 1 buff orpington, 3 easter eggers, 2 silver laced wyandottes.

How will a silkie fair with the rest? Is there anything specific I need to know about owning one?

Do they get really dirty, with the fluffy hair like feathers?

Thanks,
Jessica

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The things I notice about silkie feathers being dirty is that if they sleep under where the other birds roost, they can/will get pooped upon, and it seems to stay on their feathers longer than on birds with regular feathers (this is if left to their own devices and not cleaned off by human assistance). And foot feathers tend to get and stay dirty/muddy, depending on the weather and their access to mud. If kept on clean dry bedding material this shouldn't be an issue.

While dust bathing, the silkies seem to be COVERED in dirt and it looks like they willl NEVER get clean, but my regular feathered birds tend to hold that dirt on their feathers more than the silkies do on theirs.

 

[festivefeet]

Do you eat their eggs? How big are they?

 

[Chirpy]

I have a Silkie roo with 34 other standard size chickens; including a Golden-Laced Wyandotte rooster. He does just great with the whole flock and is very sweet.

I haven't had any issues with him getting any dirtier than the other chickens but he isn't a 'high' quality Silkie and doesn't have really heavily feathered feet so that could make a big difference.

Here he is with an Andalusian rooster that we re-homed last year:

 

[cappuccino]

I have one white silkie, 2 RI Reds, 2 Easter Eggers(one of which is a rooster). The silkie is fine with the others, but they have always been together. The silkie gets very dirty dust bathing but that seems to fall out. The worst is when it rains, she is a muddy mess. She is my favorite.

As far as the eggs, they are small, same size as the Easter Egger. They are fine to eat, actually better than the Easter Egger which seems to have a tough membrane that is hard to break.

 

[kandyg_99]

Chirpy , I love your silkie roo !! Do you have any eggs for sale?