Silkie thread!

[teet819]

That's what I was thinking! I thought she was a pure Cochin til I realized she had blue feet

 

[JRL1438]

they sleep in the bag a lot . they think its their nest!

Sooo cute!

 

[kltrett175]

Almost for sure a Cochin Silkie cross prob a bantam Silkie if she is small.

 

[VladikC]

Do you guys think they are pullets or Roos?

 

[kltrett175]

My Silkie Cochin cross

 

[Sylvester017]

My daughters want silkies. We are a small urban farm in a residential neighborhood. We do not have space for a large flock or multiple coops. Do Silkies mix well with other breeds. We want 2 Silkies and 3 strong egg layers. Would this be ok to do?

Silkies are a non-combative breed and will mix well with any breed. The question you should ask is will LF mix well with Silkies because LF will bully the gentler smaller Silkies. I learned this the hard way in our little backyard flock.

Since your flock is going to be small (like mine) I would not mix Silkies with LF layers. Common layers like RIR, BRs, BOs, 'Lorps, Leghorns, tend to be assertive types that when they become adults will bully and pick on the Silkies. As pullets the chicks will seem to get along but as the LF mature they will take advantage of being bigger and bully the smaller gentler breeds. I didn't heed this advice with my Silkies and have had to re-home several nice layer hens because they picked on or injured the Silkies. Also Silkies are not sexable until about 3 to 4 months old if you want pullets only. I had to buy my Silkie pullet at about 3 months when it was obvious what sex she was after having to previously re-home a Silkie cockerel chick sold to us as a "pullet."

The only LF with outstanding laying productivity that has managed to get along well with the Silkies and is still around is our APA Blue Wheaten Ameraucana (from a private breeder). She is non-combative, kooky, spooky, sweet, alert, and submits to the matriarch Silkie leader. My friend has an Ameraucana and 3 EEs and says the same nice things about her birds - they play nice and are not interested in flock politics.

OurFlyBabies.com says they keep Ameraucanas because they will accept orphaned chicks or injured birds willingly into the flock without incident. That was good enough testimonial for me and we got an Ameraucana (my avatar). She lays as often as our White Leg did and lays XL blue eggs. Sweet, productive, and plays "nice" with the Silkies. Other gentle breeds that should mix well with Silkies are Polish, Crevecoeur, Araucana, Ameraucana, Easter Eggers, Dominiques, Breda, and gentle bantams like Nankin, Cochins, or Pyncheons. Be aware that most bantams are flighty breeds and may need to be kept penned because of that trait or they may find it fun to keep flying out of your yard. Our neighbors bantams are always escaping into the street. Also bantam breeds are extremely broody and you'll have to keep on top of that to make sure they eat and drink to not get dehydrated or weak. Silkies are extremely broody birds but their very good trait is that they can't fly out of the yard! When Silkies aren't brooding or moulting you'll get 5-6 eggs/week from them at 1.25 oz each - bigger than any other bantam eggs!

If you want excellent layers that will get along with Silkies I urge EEs for their gentle natures and high XL egg productivity. They are slow to mature in personality but will not be injurious to other breeds and they come in so many pretty feather patterns.

 

[subhanalah]

Silkies are a non-combative breed and will mix well with any breed.  The question you should ask is will LF mix well with Silkies because LF will bully the gentler smaller Silkies.  I learned this the hard way in our little backyard flock.

Since your flock is going to be small (like mine) I would not mix Silkies with LF layers.  Common layers like RIR, BRs, BOs, 'Lorps, Leghorns, tend to be assertive types that when they become adults will bully and pick on the Silkies.  As pullets the chicks will seem to get along but as the LF mature they will take advantage of being bigger and bully the smaller gentler breeds.  I didn't heed this advice with my Silkies and have had to re-home several nice layer hens because they picked on or injured the Silkies.  Also Silkies are not sexable until about 3 to 4 months old if you want pullets only.  I had to buy my Silkie pullet at about 3 months when it was obvious what sex she was after having to previously re-home a Silkie cockerel chick sold to us as a "pullet."

The only LF with outstanding laying productivity that has managed to get along well with the Silkies and is still around is our APA Blue Wheaten Ameraucana (from a private breeder).  She is non-combative, kooky, spooky, sweet, alert, and submits to the matriarch Silkie leader.  My friend has an Ameraucana and 3 EEs and says the same nice things about her birds - they play nice and are not interested in flock politics.

OurFlyBabies.com says they keep Ameraucanas because they will accept orphaned chicks or injured birds willingly into the flock without incident.  That was good enough testimonial for me and we got an Ameraucana (my avatar).  She lays as often as our White Leg did and lays XL blue eggs.  Sweet, productive, and plays "nice" with the Silkies.  Other gentle breeds that should mix well with Silkies are Polish, Crevecoeur, Araucana, Ameraucana, Easter Eggers, Dominiques, Breda, and gentle bantams like Nankin, Cochins, or Pyncheons.  Be aware that most bantams are flighty breeds and may need to be kept penned because of that trait or they may find it fun to keep flying out of your yard.  Our neighbors bantams are always escaping into the street.  Also bantam breeds are extremely broody and you'll have to keep on top of that to make sure they eat and drink to not get dehydrated or weak.  Silkies are extremely broody birds but their very good trait is that they can't fly out of the yard!  When Silkies aren't brooding or moulting you'll get 5-6 eggs/week from them at 1.25 oz each - bigger than any other bantam eggs!

If you want excellent layers that will get along with Silkies I urge EEs for their gentle natures and high XL egg productivity.  They are slow to mature in personality but will not be injurious to other breeds and they come in so many pretty feather patterns.

just be aware of what mix you get. I have a BRxAmeraucana pullet who is VERY serious about her place in the pecking order. She may just have to go...

 

[kltrett175]

Can any one tell if this is a pullet or roo I know it is hard because it is a silkie but thought someone might know?

 

[Roxannemc]

HI All...
Have 3 silkie chicks 2 black and one porcelain
2 black im pretty sure of their sex by my own way of judging which may be really flawed ,just by how heavy how wild they act and how large the comb size.. but this Porcelain.. hoping for a girl seems little lighter than big one ..but a little rowdy and THAT comb...........NOW ..thinking its a boy.
Any ideas?Thanks

 

[subhanalah]

this is SnoopDog my splash sizzle (from @rbaker0345) and below is her bestest friend in the whole, wide world, Dr. Dre the LF cochin.