Solitary chicken - need advice

[aaronmusgrove123]

hi i hatched 2 silkie chicks out of m incubator what is there nature like as they grow up and if you have silkie's can you post some pics of them in your eglu (mine are white) and how loud are the cockerals just because i think i have 1 im getting my blue eglu on the 9th of september when should i put them in the eglu for good

[RubyReckless]

I've not had any myself, however The Archers (font of all agricultural knowledge in our urban house!) had a plotline a few years ago with a young girl keeping silkies because they were such good natured little things.

[beach chick]

we've got 3. they are very cute, very pretty. not particularly tame (but then none of ours are really, I dont go in for chicken cuddling).

they look really tatty when it rains!! and I gather they are not the most reliable of layers, and prone to going broody. having said that, their looks win them over for me, they are just so ridiculously fluffy!

[Duckmomma]

Hi

I can't answer your questions from experience (yet )

But I have just ordered six miniature bearded silkie hatching eggs from E. bay, and am looking forward to keeping silkies (hopefully we will get a good hatch)

Everything I have read about them suggests they are a gentle Friendly bird, if they are anything like the little polands I have they are lovely.

Our FRIZZLED Poland when she is allowed indoors follows us everywhere, it's so funny to watch, she runs after us if we walk away from her

Funnily enough I am more looking forward to them becoming adults rather than the chick stage (cute and sweet as they will be)

[debbie26pet]

we have a silkie white one she is fantastic. she is friendly with the kids and can stick up for herself, eggs lovley when we have them everyone wants them, but htey do go broody at a drop of a hat esp when a egg is left in the box, but still great personality

[hils78]

Silkies are hilarious and very silly to watch - unfortunatley our little one died. When I was looking into their anatomy (yes I'm a geek!) I came across this article which I thought was facinating. Just make sure they don't take a blow or peck to the head!

 

http://www.browneggblueegg.com/Article/HoleInHead.html

[SAB]

Fascinating article about silkie's heads - quite a coincidence as at the weekend I saw a rescued silkie who had an odd head and twitched - the rescuer thought there was some sort of brain damage.

 

We have a mini silkie who turned out to be a boy (they are notoriously hard to sex) - no one guessed (I suspect even him) till the first crow (which baffled even him). It coincided with battle between my original hens and ex-batts which had just joined the flock and since Gloria our silkie came out as a HE life became far more peaceful and the flock integrated well- despite being the smallest and fluffiest bird in the coop he definately is respected by the hens and is a useful peacekeeper.

 

He does not crow too early or too often - I personally feel that local wood pigeons are just as loud and that my kids toys are generally louder (as are my kids)! We have noticed that if he crows for a long period that he is trying to attract our attention (e.g. when the food has gotten low in the grub). We have also laughed at him attempting to mimic the sound of a chainsaw, the sound of a spade s"Ooops, word censored!"ing on slabs, and yelling at the cows in the field nearby!

 

Our hens are adjacent a field, though the neighbour on the other side can hear him, but doesn't mind. I suspect some neighbours may have a problem with cockerals on principle before seeing if they are really a pest or not - for example mine mostly crows during the day when folk are out at work, so he does not really affect anyone.