Should You Have Silkie Chickens?
Did you ever wonder if you should get silkie chickens for your backyard or homestead? I will never forget the day that I discovered these amazing tiny balls of fluff – baby silkie chickens- for sale at my local Tractor Supply during their infamous Chick Days.
I was immediately smitten with the little darlings and it wasn’t long before I brought home 6 adorable fluffy babies to add to my flock. But that was just the beginning of my journey into the world of raising silkie chickens.
After a while, I realized that silkie chickens were also a show breed, and soon I ordered hatching eggs from Wright Fancy Feet Farm in Tennessee. Before long, I had a dozen or more silkies of show quality prancing and scratching in their brand new coop.
I’ve raised hundreds of chickens of all different breeds, but of all them, silkies continue to be my favorite breed. Did you ever wonder if silkies were a good breed for you? Keep reading to learn all about silkies and why you should and shouldn’t raise silkies in your own flock.
There are a number of factors to consider when selecting a chicken breed. Do you want a chicken with a calm disposition or one that is a little more flighty and aware of predators? Do you want a chicken that is a sweet pet or a chicken that gives you food?
Do you have space for a flock of large chickens or do you prefer to keep smaller sized chickens? Do you want to feed your chickens grain and table scraps or let them forage out on their own?
Are you looking for a quiet breed or does noise not matter to you? Keep all of these factors in mind as you consider whether or not to add silkies to your backyard or farm.
A silkie is a special breed of chicken with fluffy feathers, black skin, fuzzy feet, and five toes. These chickens are especially docile, friendly, and are known as one of the best breeds for children. They are steady layers of smaller, light brown eggs except, of course, when they go broody. They are great mothers and the roosters are even great fathers.
Silkies will hatch and raise all different kinds of fowl for you if you let them, including quail, ducks, guineas, and other breeds of chickens. If you want a sweet, friendly chicken, then silkies are a great choice. But there are a few things you need to know about silkie chickens before you welcome them to your backyard, farm, or homestead.
We can’t be completely sure where silkies came from. However, Marco Polo described them as being similar to a cat with black skin and fur during his travels to Asia.
Because of this, it is thought that silkies originated in Asia and possibly China at least as far back as the 13th century. They were brought to the Americas where they have become a popular breed for backyard chicken keepers and show chicken breeders.
Silkies are pretty steady egg layers, except when they are broody. They lay smallish, light brown to almost white eggs. Silkies will lay regularly for you if they are happy and well-kept, but they are known for going broody, meaning they want to sit on a clutch of eggs in order to hatch them. Broody chickens don’t lay, they hatch! So when a broody isn’t hatching, they lay wonderful, edible eggs.
Most folks may have trouble eating silkie meat for two reasons. One reason is that they are so docile and sweet, they are often seen more as pets than as farm animals.
No one wants to eat their pets. On the other hand, silkies have very dark, almost black skin and meat. For some people, this color of chicken meat is unpalatable. However, in other countries outside of the US, silkie meat is seen as a delicacy and also it is thought to have healing and anti-aging properties.
So while you can eat silkie meat, many people choose not to. If you want to try silkie meat in recipes, try this one.
Silkie chickens make great pet chickens. As a breed, these chickens are docile, adorable, and pretty smart, too. You can train them to walk on a leash or come when called.
They are great chickens for children because they become very accustomed to people and being handled. They are not aggressive, and even the roosters are typically laid back and people friendly.
Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule and you should always be careful when children are around animals, but overall, silkies tend to be one of the most laidback breeds of chicken.
These chickens are on the smaller side, so they eat less and need less space then their larger counterparts. In fact, they do very well in confinement and don’t mind living in close quarters.
Because of their size and temperament, you can put more silkies in a small space than a larger bossier breed, such as Rhode Island Reds. They work great for smaller backyards and are very quiet. My silkies don’t make much noise most of the time.
Of course, the roosters crow throughout the day and the hens will cackle in celebration when an egg is laid. But overall, they are more soft-spoken than larger breeds of chicken.
Some people have been known to put a chicken diaper on their silkies and keep them in the house, although the CDC frowns upon this along with kissing and handling chickens. Some would say that there is always a risk of salmonella when you touch a chicken and you should always wash your hands afterwards.
My personal opinion is that chickens, including silkies, are happiest when they are outside in a pen and coop that makes them feel protected from predators and the elements, but that is a decision best left up to you. I had a particular silkie who insisted that she should live in my covered back porch rather than outside. She was a pampered hen, for sure.
If you are looking for a chicken primarily as a pet and less as a food source or farm animal, then silkies are a great breed for you.
Do you want to mix some silkies into your existing flock? Yes, it is possible to have silkies in with your other chickens. Most chickens generally will adapt and get along with each other. However, there are a few considerations when mixing chicken breeds.
Silkies need extra predator protection. Their feathers often get in the way of their vision, making it difficult for them to spot predators. White silkies are an easy target for hawks and owls. Their docile nature means they aren’t skittish and sadly, are easily picked off by foxes and raccoons.
I have lost a number of free-ranging silkies to predators, leading me to keep the rest of my flock in their own pen. If your existing flock free-ranges, you may want to consider keeping your silkies in their own penned in area for their protection.
Another consideration is their size and temperament. These small, easy going chickens can easily become targets for bigger, bossier birds. You’ll need to introduce new chickens slowly and with good supervision to make sure everyone is getting along nicely.
Generally, once the pecking order is established everyone will get along fine, however, larger birds could potentially injure smaller silkies so be careful. Some silkies have a dome-shaped head – the area under the crest is raised.
This leaves their skull more susceptible to damage from being pecked by another chicken. A good strong peck in just the right spot could be potentially fatal for a silkie.
My ‘rooster of choice’ for my free range flock is a silkie rooster. I have small children who love to pick up the chickens, so I need a rooster that is as docile and friendly with people as he is protective and helpful to his hens. I find silkie roosters get the job done best, even though they are not as safe from predators.
They are always gentlemen with their hens, lovingly offering them food and helping take care of the chicks. My silkie roosters easily mate with their larger, non-bantam flock mates, producing a mixed-breed offspring that is fluffy, funny-looking, and fun to keep in the flock.
In a nutshell, silkies eat the same things that other chickens eat. However, their smaller size may mean they need a little extra consideration. I generally feed chick crumbles to baby chicks, and as they grow, I switch to Flock Raiser or All Flock crumbles.
Some people believe that pellets are too large for silkies to eat, and therefore, you should stick to crumbles. I also supplement my silkies crumbles with layer mash and table scraps. If you are showing your silkies, you may want to consider using only high quality feed for the best looking feathers.
Silkies have a few specific characteristics that set them apart from other breeds.
Silkies come in many different colors. According to mtcreekfarm.com, silkie colors that are recognized by the APA and ABA are:
There are many other colors that are fun to experiment with and enjoy, especially if you want to breed for color variations. These colors are beautiful but not showable:
You can find more information on silkie genetics and breeding here.
Every breed of chicken has its own standards, including silkies. The American Silkie Bantam Club explains in detail just what your silkies should look like for show purposes.
For example, males should have a walnut comb that is dark mulberry to almost black, a beak that is grey, short and stout, and the eyes should be black.
The Standard of Perfection also details body shape, feathering, crest, and other characteristics to look for when breeding and showing silkies. You can find that information here, or you can purchase your own copy of the Standard of Perfection here.
If you are interested in showing silkies, you’ll need to watch for disqualifications and other problems that will lower your score.
There are a few chicken diseases that silkies are prone to, they include:
I absolutely love silkies for many reasons, and here are a few of the reasons I have them in my flock.
We love silkies for a variety of reasons. But there are a few things you need to know before you add them to your flock. Here are some of the most critical things you need to know about these adorable chickens:
Silkies can be housed with larger breeds of chickens, but you may want to take a couple of things into consideration when you are deciding on our chicken coop.
If you want a larger, sturdier bird, then the silkies you find at Tractor Supply will easily suffice. You can also order hatching eggs or day-old chicks from sites like My Pet Chicken or Murray McMurray Hatchery.
If you are serious about and want to breed and show silkies, you’ll want to look for a breeder that specializes in silkies. Make sure they have a healthy flock and NPIP and AI certifications.
Amanda is a homesteader and a Jesus-loving, mother of 6 toddlers. She’s raising lots of fancy chickens and goats on her small homestead (among other things).
How can you tell people that those are silkies? The rooster has hard feather and there is no doubt that he is a cross, and the hen has a single comb, silkies do NOT have a single comb
Liz,
Amanda just confirmed that you can’t see the comb because the poof on the top hides it 🙂
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Should You Have Silkie Chickens?
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