Can you add an older silkie to younger chicks?

[gumbita]

Right now I am having a really hard time making a decision - I currently have 4 silkie chicks (around 4 weeks old) and 2 EE chicks (a little less than a week old) that are sexed from the feed store. They are all good friends which is so cute! My chicken operation will be a bit on the covert side. . .so I can't have any crowing to blow my cover. . .

Anyways, I am stressing about the sexing of the silkies because I know they are notoriously hard and I honestly couldn't even guess after pouring over all the threads on here. I know they are still too little but what makes it harder is that the chicks I got are either different ages or two are runtier than the others. I currently have a buyer for the silkie chicks that is interested in getting them today, and so here's where the hard decision comes in. . .

I am wondering if I should sell the silkie babies and just wait until the coop and run are built and then get 1 or 2 adult silkie hens that I know are females - if that is even possible to bring in adult birds to mix with EE chicks?

Or should I sell two and keep the two small runty ones? That way the EE's will still have two more brooder mates?

I love silkies and since I can only have a really small flock (no more than 4 birds) I wanted to have at least one silkie. What should I do??

 

[blriehl]

Like you said, so hard to sex Silkie chicks and there really is no way of knowing until they crow or lay an egg...
I love Silkies too, but love having a mixed flock. What I'd do is sell the Silkies and get 2 pullets when the others (EE) are old enough to integrate with the hens. I am new to this, but have sucessfully integrated chicks/chickens three times now... I have a hard time deciding what I want and how many I now have chicks : 3 Polish, 3 Silkies, 6 Blue Laced Red Wynadottes, 1 Cochin, 1 Millie Fluer, and 1 OEG. All pullets and all get along!

 

[gumbita]

Will the two EE chicks be ok by themselves in the brooder? They wouldn't get lonely being just two?

 

[blriehl]

No, as long as they have eachother! They'd be lonely if it were just one

 

[gumbita]

I ended up keeping all 4 of my silkies and my 2 EE's - they were just too cute together and have everything worked out in their little flock I would feel bad breaking them up. So at least while they are little (and no one is crowing!) I will keep them together.

 

[blriehl]

Good

 

[chiqita]

It can be very hard to find silkies grown out. And they can get very very spendy. So I agree its a great idea to keep them!

 

[gumbita]

There are some on craigslist right now that are really good priced (I guess someone has to get rid of their backyard flock), but I had read somewhere about all the issues you can have bringing a new chicken in (not just the introductions but disease, lice, etc.) so I'm glad I kept them at don't have to worry about that for now!!