4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[madchickenlady]

Hi. I feel awful posting this. I have five pekin girls, and at the weekend collected two silkie bantam pullets (10 weeks). We got the new girls because two weeks ago we lost one of our original pekins, and she was my youngest son's hen. He absolutely adored her, and was very upset. So, I told him he could choose a new hen. He opted for a silkie, so I found a breeder, asked lots of questions and then we went and picked two. They are now in the garden in their own run hiding behind a rose bush. Thing is, they are about the size of my pekins now, and I'm quite worried at how much bigger they are going to get. The breeder sent me a photo of a silkie sat next to a pekin, and they looked the same size. However, I'm beginning to wonder if the silkie in the picture was one of the chicks Does anyone keep silkie bantams and pekins? Just how big might they get?! Also, they seem extremely skittish, in a way that my pekins have never been. I suppose I'm just unsure whether they are the right birds for us. Has anyone else taken birds home and then taken time to get used to them? I've always fallen instantly in love with my pekin girls, but these two just seem very different

[Redwing]

Silkies are bigger than pekins but smaller than a standard hen

 

they are suitable for keeping with Pekins

 

Pekins hold their own pretty well so as long as the intros are done well you will be fine

 

I have a Pekin in with four larger hens and she is the boss

[Falkor]

Hi

 

My little bro keeps a silkie with two pekins, a frizzle and two little mongrels that are even smaller than the pekins and they all get on fine.

 

Pekins always seem quite fiesty to me so I am sure that if your silkies do get bigger your ladies will be able to hold their own.

 

My little bantam mongrel is a third of the size of the other bantam mongrel but she is top chook in their run

 

Regarding them being skittish and you not being sure about them I can identify completely! I started with Orps who were lovely and SO laid back it was ridiculous! But when I brought my hybrids home I couldn`t get near them and it took me a while to love them. Five months on and I love the hybrids and they happily potter about with me in the garden.....they still don`t do cuddles mind!

[katieD]

i thought that you could get 2 types of silkies (correct me if im wrong! ) bantam ones and large fowl ones that are a bit smaller than a standard hen.

 

if ive not dreamt this up then maybe you have ourchase the larger kind?

[madchickenlady]

They have definitely been sold to me as bantams How will I know which I've got? I don't know how big a large fowl is

[Space Chick]

I may be wrong, but I think its how different breeders categorise them. Some breeders class Silkies as large bantams, other as small large fowl.

 

I don't think that you can get 2 sizes

[madchickenlady]

Oh, there are definitely two different sizes. They have different standards for showing. I'm just not sure which one I've got They are taller than pekins, and at 10 weeks are already 8 inches high. I'm just looking at their frankly enormous feet and thinking 'Woah'. Are chickens like dogs? Do they 'grow in' to their feet?

[Daphne]

but as the others have said, even a LF silkie isn't particularly big. From what I read everywhere about pekins they have no problems in mixed groups so I don't think you need worry about that. My bro has silkies with warrens and says the silkies are particularly dim. They aren't known for being aggressive. Pekins on the other hand are known for being very people oriented, so perhaps the silkies may not be that way inclined so much and perhaps that may be troubling you?

[Patricia W]

I've a friend with silkies and they are lovely. She says they are wonderful with children and live 8-9 years. She has them with Orps and they look tiny in comparison. Mybe see if they grow on you. They are probably just settling in.

 

Tricia

[madchickenlady]

Hmmm. Maybe I am just unfairly comparing them to my pekin girls I am hoping that they don't grow too much more, though, or I'll have to upgrade my coop (hubby will be pleased ) On a more positive note, I've just found the blue silkie, Kiki, half way up a rose bush looking somewhat bewildered. It's very windy here today!

[Redwing]

You have the 'large' fowl version.

 

There are no 'bantam' Silkies but there are two types - they are either large fowl (often sold as bantam) or 'miniature' and those are tiny, quite rare and mainly popular as a show bird rather than as pets

 

They will be bigger than the Pekins but are a lot of fluff so should be fine in a coop with bantams

[madchickenlady]

Really Redwing? The Silkie Club of Great Britain definitely classes two different sizes of Silkie, Large Fowl and Bantam. Unfortunately, they only give weights for the standard, and not overall dimensions IYSWIM Oh well, I'll just have to watch them and see how large they get

[Falkor]

I have just had a look at your blog and seen the said Silkies! OMG tooooo cute!

 

I am sure even if they get a little bigger than you were expecting them too they will have settled in by then and you will wonder what you were worried about

[madchickenlady]

I hope so palmer! I did manage to get them to take a little corn from my hand this evening, which is a definite step forward in the 'bonding' process They are very sweet little chicks, it is just the size which is worrying me a little. My girls are very spoiled , so I'm probably worrying about nothing space wise in the coop.

[meezers]

I have a supposedly large fowl silkie, but she is so small compared to my other chooks, I'm not convinced. Doesn't matter though, she is 2nd out of 7 in the pecking order

She was very easy to get tame, comes running if she thinks there is even the slightest chance you have something for her , barges the others out the way at treat time ( she's below eye level, so they don't see her coming )and is the boys favourite - she's been on several tours of the house, courtesy of youngest son , and is always being held up so she can see through the kitchen window ( and appears to take an interest as well ! )

I'd say persevere with them , you won't regret it.

[madchickenlady]

Meezers, I love your silkie's name!!!

[Redwing]

Really Redwing? The Silkie Club of Great Britain definitely classes two different sizes of Silkie, Large Fowl and Bantam.

 

Well if I am up against the Silkie Club of Great Britain I had better climb down I had always understood it as I wrote, sorry.

 

Perhaps if size was a big issue it might have been worth looking at some adult silkies in the flesh before you made the purchase? its a little late now to worry about it, as you say you will need to see what they turn out like!

[madchickenlady]

I did see some adult bantams, but at a distance IYSWIM They certainly didn't seem huge, but it's difficult to get a sense of scale when they're pottering around a field The newbies are definitely growing on me, I just hope they don't end up too big Oh well, expect a panicked post in three months time when I have ostrich sized silkies offering rides to the children!