What do I do with Silkies? **pictures added**

[backyardmenagerie]

I went to the small animal swap today - just to look! I intentionally left the cages at home. I still ended up coming home with 7 chicks, 4 ducklings, and a rabbit.

A woman there was selling Silkie chicks for a dollar a piece... I had been thinking about getting an incubator, but wasn't sure I could afford one. These chicks I could afford. Problem is, I've never raised Silkies, or any bantam breed, before. Is there anything I need to do special for them? There are some white, some black, and some chipmunk colored. Is this any indication of their adult coloration? Also, is there any way to sex them at this age, or just wait? (I think I got enough that one is sure to be a hen!

)
Thanks in advance! I'll post pictures as soon as I find my camera.

Any ideas what colors these guys may turn out to be?

 

[nuttyredhead]

I have Bantams (a few silkies too) and they dont require anything else. We have pretty cold, snowy winters and mine do just fine with no heat lamp! I will say they make the best mothers! I have had one hatch out babies and another adopted hers! Mine lay fairly well (when they are not broody!).

Here are mine..

Here was my little black one, she was the sweetest little thing!

 

[backyardmenagerie]

Thanks, glad to know they'll be fine through the winter, and don't require any extra care. Do you house them with any large fowl? Can they be kept in the same coop?
And does anyone know about sexing silkies, or how to tell what color they will be?

 

[oconnorfamily25]

Silkies are VERY VERY VERY hard to sex. I bought five chicks that ended up being all roosters, they started crowing like crazy! I went back and ended up with two roos and three hens. They will start crowing when they get older, and check their legs for spur buds....the hens will have little to no buds and the roos will have larger ones. The only way to truly know is when they crow (even though we had a hen crow)

 

[Ms.FuzzyButts]

Your white and black chicks, will remain that color. The chipmink colored one usually indicates partridge.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

Ahhh--another victim of silkie mind control!!!! It is my first time also and only 1 of six eggs hatched. Mumbles is 21 days old and the sweetest thing. I have 10 more silkie eggs in the bator that are due to hatch on wednesday. They just suck you in!!! Have fun with them!

 

[ramirezframing]

Now you won't have to buy a bator, if any end up being hens that is. Good luck.

 

[FMAFarms]

Welcome to Silkie ownership! Silkies are absolutely fabulous little chicks and adult birds. You'll love them.

BUT! I am again going to counter what others have said here. They are high-maintenance chicks. You'll want to keep an eye on their brooder temp and, once in your coop, on the temp there. Silkies do not tolerate cold or heat very well. They need constant room temperature in order to thrive. They'll let you know by their behavior whether it's too hot (they'll be avoiding the heat lamp and panting) or too cold (piled onto each other). You'll also want to check their feet every day or so to make sure that manure, or manure and shavings, is not caked to their toes and to their leg feathers and down. If you find caked poop on their feet, you'll want to use a little bowl of warm water to soak their feet, then gently remove the caked matter so that you don't accidentally pull out feathers or down. Also check the area under their vents; young chicks will usually have poop matted under there, in which case you'll be doing the same thing but as a butt bath. Dry the wet areas quickly -- we use chamois -- and buff them in small, circular movements to fluff up their feathers again. Some folks use hair dryers but we found that the Silkies don't care for heat blasted at them

Silkies love being stroked and petted, and will follow you around like puppies if you train them and give them plenty of attention. This in turn will make them better broodies for you, so be sure to spend time with them! They also love treats.. just chop them up finely before offering them the treats. Chop the treats up, that is. Don't chop up the Silkies!!!!

 

[backyardmenagerie]

Quote:

Now you won't have to buy a bator, if any end up being hens that is. Good luck.

That's what the woman that sold them to me said. I think she knew exactly what to say to get me to buy them.

 

[chickschool]

I got my first silkies last year and of the 8...6 turned out to be roosters

I gave 5 roos to a petting zoo and kept one who is so sweet. He is leash trained, sleeps in my arms and is even invited into the house no an then. I think due to the fact that they were all handled A LOT by our family probably helped. As far as if they needed anything different I'd say no. This was their first winter in Northern Michigan and when I open up their coop (located just outside my classroom door) each morning they happily jumped out and began to forage. They don't wander very far due to the snow but seem perfectly happy to sit on the window sill watching the children inside. Quite often they tap on the window to let a child know they would like some scratch in which their request is happily answered.