Personality: docile, easy to handle. Not very much. And the vast majority of chicken keepers should never need to heat their coops. You can either help teach your Silkies to roost or you can leave them on the floor. Wallner-Pendleton, Eva and Martin, Gregory P. “Marek’s Disease in Chickens.” Penn State Extension. And below is a video of a flock of Silkies with taped feather crests that is just too cute not to watch! I, of course, love them. Below you can see a video of 5-week old Silkie chickens. Not only do our temperatures dip below freezing, but we also have weather that can be damp and windy. The map below shows breeders and hatcheries that sell Partridge Silkie chickens. Towards the end of the video, they seem to be playing together—so cute! And even when it’s not freezing outside, you will need to keep your Silkies out of the rain. Whatever your opinion is at first sight, after reading our ultimate guide on the Silkie chicken, these fluffy oddities of the chicken … Just make sure that if you have only one house chicken, your bird has other companionship if you’re not always home. So cute! Bassom, Frances. However, Silkies do tend to lay into the winter months, unlike many breeds. You’ll learn: What Silkie chickens look like in their many different colors and patterns, Everything you ever wanted to know about Silkie egg laying, Silkie broodiness (yes, these girls dream of motherhood), Climate considerations for Silkie chickens (are they a good fit for your region? There are 3 different reasons for this: Silkies can’t get onto high roosting bars, Some Silkies are bullied off the roosting bars, The problem with high roosting bars and Silkies. You can buy ready-made chicken treats with these in. If you live in a hot climate, like the southern United States, it makes sense to raise heat tolerant chickens. First, Silkies are smaller than most chicken breeds and this makes them potential prey to a larger variety of animals. The map below shows breeders and hatcheries that sell Buff Silkie chickens. Below is a young Silkie rooster, singing his first crow. Many chicken keepers develop very strong bonds with these birds. Cold Hardiness: Hardy in winter. Comb Type: Wall-Nut Shaped Comb/ Single. You can always work with aggressive roosters to change their behavior through positive training methods if you’re open to that. May 17, 2015 - Explore Linda Smith's board "love of silkie chickens", followed by 216 people on Pinterest. Silkie chicks are so adorable when they hatch with all that fluff, grey skin, extra toe and fuzzy notch on the top of their head. Another thing you need to be aware of with Silkies is that their feathers have a tendency to get dirty, particularly their foot and leg feathers. 10% chance of an accidental rooster without the ability to accept returns nor refunds. Silkie chickens face a variety of challenges because they can’t see beyond their crests, muffs, and/or beards. To learn everything you need to know to decide if Silkie chickens are right for you, check out my article, Silkie chickens: Fluffy, sassy, and full of charm. Silkie feathers are a recessive trait, so if you cross them with another breed, none of the chicks will have Silkie feathers. Poultry Breeds: Chickens, Ducks, Geese, Turkeys: The Pocket Guide to 104 Essential Breeds. They don’t fare well against predators. They don’t care whose egg it is—as long as there’s an egg, they’ll take care of it. Female sex covered chicks are eligible for our prorated life insurance. But if you live in the Sonoran desert, the scorching heat is by far a bigger problem. Below is a video that shows you how to tape a Silkie with painter’s tape, step-by-step. Some Silkie chickens are bullied off the roosting bars. Because they can’t fly, you don’t have to worry about them scaling your fences. Many chicken breeds that have been bred for production (for eggs or meat) don’t like to hatch or raise chicks. This means Silkies will require some extra care. If you get Silkie chickens, here’s something you should know: they can have a difficult time roosting. Category: Pet & eggs Origin: Asia Egg-laying ability: Moderate Broodiness: High Meat production: Poor quantity but valued in Chinese medicine Cold tolerance: Poor Heat tolerance: Moderate Predator evasion: Poor Foraging ability: Poor Toleration for confinement: Good Silkie Chicken Characteristics. An Araucana will typically weigh in at around 5 lbs, however, they can be found in a bantam variety as well— but only if you look hard for them because standard and bantam sizes are both considered to be rare finds. The fifth toe grows in an upward direction, and so the birds don’t walk on it like they do their other toes. There’s no doubt about it—Silkie chickens are wildly popular among backyard chicken owners who care more about pets than they do about eggs. In this article, you’ll learn everything you need to know about keeping Silkies, so you can decide if they’re a good fit for your flock. Second, Silkies have fluffy crests that block their vision. Click on your breeder or hatchery of interest for more information. Silkies do very poorly in predator-rich areas for a few reasons. This post contains affiliate links for my favorite products from Amazon. Egg color: White or light brownEgg size: SmallAge of lay: 7-9 monthsEggs/week: 2Eggs/year: 100. Their chatty nature is one of the many things that makes them so endearing. One Silkie chicken keeper said, “Silkies are the ideal pet for children. As warm blood is pumped to those parts, heat is lost as it is dispersed over a large surface area. And they’re not particularly good at foraging. Choosing breeds that will tolerate the hot months in your climate is important. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 2009. See the section below on Silkie health problems to learn how to trim or tape your Silkies’ head feathers so they can see better. Most hatcheries and breeders don't specify the type they sell. The result is a chicken that looks like a Silkie (and acts like a Silkie) with no neck feathers. Small chicks can handle temps up to 100 degrees F but larger birds will have problems. However, other chicken breeds may be extremely aggressive to your Silkies. Lisse: Rebo Publishers, 2005. “The other chickens sit on them and chase them away from the food,” said one chicken keeper who tried to house her Silkies with her other breeds. Many Southern states in the U.S. experience extreme heat waves, especially during the summertime season. In 2006, food scientists from China presented a study at the 232nd national meeting of the American Chemical Society (you can see a summary here). It is unknown from where (or when), exactly, these breeds originated, but the most well-documented potential origin is ancient China. And you may need to trim the toenail of your Silkie’s unusual fifth toe from time to time. Most chickens will be curious about Silkies’ strange feathers and won’t be able to help themselves from plucking them out (which can be incredibly painful).