These are by far my most broody chickens of all! They make wonderful pets and so easy to become attached to. I have one black silkie hen which became broody and would not leave her nest until those eggs hatched. She had 15 eggs in all and every one of them hatched. She is a wonderful mommy. She shows her chicks how to be well, chickens,. With scratching for food and drinking water. She is very protective of her babies. I highly suggest this breed if you are looking for a broody breed chicken or just want an awesome pet.
They are the best broodies ever. You can expect at lest two cluthces to be raised, sometimes even three. When the hens are not brooding, they are great egg layers as well. From experience, I believe they get rated as a poor layer simply because they are sooo broody. And with their smaller size, they are efficient on feed. So, if u want a smaller chicken thats not gonna eat,eat, and eat, then get a silkie (this is speaking from experience, comparing them to my standard orps, brahmas, and cochins).
All the strong points of them,
(If you dont have them, hopefully this will convince you to geet some.
*great broodies
*lay many eggs while not brooding
* smaller sized, less feed & space
*friendly, calm lit pets
*adorable, unique feathers and many colors
*roos can be a lit sassy, but compraed to other breeds, they are 'push overs'
In photos, I have always thought these were just the goofiest looking birds I had ever seen, and I wanted absolutely nothing to do with them despite all the positives I've heard. Broody, to me, is an absolute positive, but it still wasn't enough. Today, at a poultry swap, I saw them up close and in person....and thought they were about the cutest things I've ever seen! So, I bought two and a friend made a gift of the three the seller had left! Photos don't do them justice in my opinion so if anyone is avoiding them because of the way they look, get up close and take a look. You may just change your mind!
Pros: Very Pretty, loyal and protective of the hens
Cons: Hates people going near, crows alot, very dopey and runs into things alot.
We hatched all our chickens, and 1 out of 2 bantom eggs hatched.. being the silkie!
Turned out to be a rooster, but he is SOO beautiful that I didnt want him culled. He will stand by the girls and let them eat before he does, he crows for them if one is missing (usually laying) and sits with the ones who are feeling off, like a cheer up buddy!
But even though he was raised and handled the same as all the others, he HATES anyone going near. He'll either run for it or *try* attack, which he is hopeless at. Also randomly runs into the clothes line and the fence often.
They are very nice little chickens.They go broody alot which can be good or bad, depending on you.Come in many colours.I have black (mainly) and a few others. Cute.Not the best at laying.Their feathers are actually fluff.Not very good in rain and when wet takes an age to dry.
Silky and cute!
Pros: Sweet, docile, gentle, good with kids, just gorgeous
Cons: Not particularly weather hardy, very vulnerable
I have 2 silkies and I absolutely ADORE them. When properly raised, silkies are some of the most sweet, gentle, kid friendly birds. Think small fluffy bunny when picturing a silkie. They're more like fluffy mammals than chickens. Surely this is what Marco Polo was writing of when he wrote of "chickens with wool."
I have a 1 and a half year old Willie hen. Iblove her she recently went broody with no eggs so we bought a chick from Cal ranch and she immediately accepted it. She is still currently taking care of "her" baby.
I love this breed so much! They are like puppies i will come in the coop and sit and they will jump on my lap for me to pet them! I highly recommend them
found this review by looking for a way to take my silkies on vacation with me!!! My wife talked me into getting 3 silkies in april and I now have 20 eggs in my incubator! I absolutely love these birds and never thought me a 48 yr old man could fall in love with chickens, but I dont even want to go on vacation without figuring how I can take them with me ! We lost 1 of the first 3 to a hawk so I am now building fort knox for 22 silkies! Dont know if this will be enough , guess we will see but there is nothing more relaxing and fun than sitting watching my 2 silkies run around eating and playing!!
I just received some buff and partridge silkies, and they are absolutely adorable! They're friendly and the other chicks love them. I think I'm going to get more of these cuties!
Pros: Great as pets, good around children and pets, sweet, stay close to home.
Cons: Not the best layers, susceptible to predation since they can't fly well.
Silkies are just about the silliest things I've ever seen and often drew the attention of people walking by the house. My neighborhood practically adopted my silkies. The girls had full run of the yard, which is along a busy street. They never went onto the road or onto the neighbor's property so were welcome by my neighbors since they weren't very noisy either. Silkies are excellent mothers and brood readily. They are very sweet in disposition and if socialized, are very comfortable around people and other animals and make great pets. Their eggs are on the "medium" size but are what I call my "diet eggs", which are great, especially if you are watching your cholesterol. I highly recommend silkies. They're awesome!
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Deleted member
5.00 star(s)
Pros: cute, good personality, smart
Cons: none!
i have 2 white chicks and 1 blue and 1 black and they are cuties. true 'lap chickens".