![]() The comb and wattles are a mulberry to dark black color. The earlobes are an amazing aqua turquoise blue. They have a walnut comb, their wattles are small to a medium size, but their earlobes are very small. They have been confused even with rabbits in peoples backyards! There’s cute fluff everywhere, literally from head to toe. To be quite frank they look like walking teddy bears. They mix well with my alpacas and pygmy goats! N.B I do keep them away from male ducks however. My tips here is if you see other hens pecking or specifically pulling the feathers on the Silkies head, remove the Silkie from the coop. That went for both the hens (females) and the roosters (males). What I found was when they were in the coop with the larger more active birds they were being bullied. I have mine in with my other bantams and that’s it. Yes with other Silkies and docile birds like the Polish chicken. Some access to dirt so they can bath in it but for the same reason as not having long grass, the mud will get everywhere all over the feathers etc. The Silkies being so fluffy and small, so having feathers touch the floor a lot of the time, this is where the ticks and mites and other nasty crawlies can get at them.Īlso they don’t like to be on the floor (and short grass is best), where its too muddy. If there is grass in the coop make sure its short, like with all the fluffy breeds within the grass there maybe ticks etc. They prefer confinement, and mine definitely do over being free range, I did have them free when I first bought them years ago and they didn’t like it, they just didn’t seem happy. Not a huge amount, however a minimum of 11 square feet per bird (1.1m2) that’s a minimum. I would say that you cant really have too many they all get along with other Silkies. They are happiest with 6 females to every one male, so a ratio of 6:1. Id almost say they come pre tamed there is some instinct within them from birth that just loves people.Ī minimum of two. ![]() They are so lovable and make instant friends with everyone they meet. I have owned several and each time i’m amazed at how quickly they warm to me. This is probably the most easiest breed to tame. Mine are the first to run over the fence to greet me and show me as much loyalty and affection as any dog I’ve ever had – thats saying something! How do I tame Silkie chickens? All their amazing personality traits makes up for the fact they aren’t the best layers of eggs. They will sit on your lap, feed from your hand, and enjoy cuddles for hours on end. Mine are so friendly and docile they are really recommended for anyone, old or young, but children absolutely love this breed. They make the best pets and will live for 6-9 years on average. The best allrounder, oh and I mention she is gorgeous! Temperament / Are they good as pets? The buff however, like mine below, is both fairly hardy in the cold and heat. The splash is neither cold or heat hardy so great for a moderate/temperate climate. The Buff, Blue and Back are all cold hardy, but not heat hardy, so ideal if your in a cooler climate or live in an area with a very harsh winter. They don’t do well in extreme climates (hot or cold) as their feathers don’t hold heat, keep the heat out or shed any water. The accepted colors are black, white, blue, buff, splash, gray and partridge.īelow is a photo of our gray we called ‘bear’. Whilst there are Silkies in cuckoo, lavender and even red colors they are not accepted as a standard by the APA yet. However, production once it does start will be interrupted by periods of broodiness. Silkie Chicken Eggs SizeĨ0-100 per annum When do they start laying eggs?īetween 18-25 weeks. The Bantam males weight 21oz (600g) and the females weigh 180z (500g). So in the UK where they are class as large fowl the males will weigh around 4lb (1.81kg). They are further distinguished by a crest, which all Silkies have but then they are further divided by either the bearded and non-bearded varieties – they also have five toes, rare in the chicken world. Ancient Chinese folk medicine attributed the black skin as even having potent powers! Silkies are one of the oddities of the poultry world with their nearly black skin, face, comb, wattles and bones, and their hair-like plumage in which there is no web.Īncient writers referred to fowl with hair instead of feathers and they are believed to have originated in Japan although information of them also comes from India, China and the Malay states. However, in the last ten or so years a proper bantam strain has been developed. They’ve made amazing pets ever since and are excellent broodies.Īlthough many people tend to think of them as just bantams, in the UK Silkies are classed as large fowl. The explorer Marco Polo in the thirteenth century, described discovering chickens with ‘fur’. These birds have been mentioned in writings for several hundred years.
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