Silkies for Meat or What?

[Smuvers Farm]

A local breeder of silkies is holding off hatching a batch of fertilized eggs, and has offered some to me to put under my emo Asia Black, Xena. As we aren't set up to keep silkies as pets (DH thinks they are *butt ugly*), we have 2-3 possibilities:

1. Sell the chicks once they hatch to others as pets... and/or

2. Use as a meat bird for ourselves and/or

3. POSSIBLY sell the meat to a local asian market.

Couple of questions

Has anyone used silkies for meat? I understand they have black everything, so I'm not bothered with that.

Best time to dress them out?

What size eggs do they produce?

 

[Rickba]

Actually, Silkie meat is considered a delicacy. Google recipe's and they'll come up.

 

[duluthralphie]

Silkies are known as squab....

 

[Hinotori]

Silkies produce a tiny carcass. About a pound dressed if you're lucky at 6 months on a cockerel. They have very small breasts like any breed that hasn't been selected for huge ones.

I make my final selection for keeping on cockerels at six months. Those I don't keep get turned into soup since it's the easiest way to utilize them.

Cull pullets are easy enough to sell. They are popular as pets and people in town like knowing they are getting females.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Well, if I could get a pot of chicken noodle soup outta one or two, the it would be worth it.... or selling the chickies.... or selling the meat.

I basically just didn't want to plan on harvesting a silkie chicken IF they are considered just pretty pretty princess pets!!!

 

[Rickba]

If you decide to sell 'em, go the an oriental restaurant or person. They appreciate the Silkie meat more then we do.

 

[Hinotori]

Mostly it's pets and broodies. Most people are turned off by the meat.

Old roosters become dogfood here.

Oh and plucking a silkie sucks. Wet silkie feathers stick to stuff so bad I'd prefer to dry pluck if plucking is needed. Normally I just skin out all birds.

 

[Hinotori]

If you do have an asian population around you, advertising them as meat birds on craigslist might work. I never could get more than $5 per for then. I'll just eat them at that.

 

[duluthralphie]

Old birds make great soup and casserole birds.

 

[Smuvers Farm]

Old birds make great soup and casserole birds.

We do TONS of bone broth and stock and soup canning, so old birds are not gonna go to waste here. I own damn near 6 crock pots, 2 pressure cookers and a plethora of stock pots.... so no worries about that.