Best liner/ bedding for drop tray

[batcatz]

.. my friend has found some silkies. I really want a blue one. I probably need two for integration purposes plus somewhere to put them. lol.

 

How many silkies = 1 normal LF chicken? Is it 2 or 3?

 

Stop me.

[Space Chick]

Depends if they are large fowl Silkies or Bantam Silkies, but I would say 2 or 3

 

Chicken maths never been my strong point, I was only ever going to have 4, but as of today, I am at 14

[Griffin]

4 bantams = 1 LF

[Saronne]

5 Silkies = 1 Orpington.

 

 

I started off with 3, now have....18 ish..! (OH thinks I have 15 ).

 

 

Saronne xx

[Janty]

I was getting 3...now have 31.

 

[batcatz]

Haha, you are soooooooo not helping! I planned to get two in August last year, collected three, took one back as it was a DAVE then added two more. I also have a list of other chicken breeds I really want.

 

Would 3 bantam silkies and 3 LF be okay in one eglu? The lavender isn't very large. This could stop me.

[Lewis]

3 LF and 3 banties may be pushing it when they all want to lay, but they do all huddle up at night Up to you really.

 

 

Going by these chicken maths of a bantam being a third of a LF I'm on a residual of ..... minus two thirds! Will have to get more then

[Egluntyne]

You would have to extend the run, and it might be a bit of a squeeze tbh. You need a cube.

[Space Chick]

You would have to extend the run, and it might be a bit of a squeeze tbh. You need a cube.

 

Why not just go the whole hog, and get a cube and a WIR, its gonna happen sooner or later

[batcatz]

lol Spacechick! You are encouraging me. I just have the eglu and not the run. The eglu is in the cat run for 2 chooks and the other 2 are in a wooden coop with small run.

 

Funnily enough, I am building a walk in run at the moment so I can put all 4 chooks together.

I worked out it will be big enough for 4.5 chooks.

 

So I could attach the wooden coop to the walk in run when I've built it. If they all bundle in the eglu together I could just add some nestboxes.

 

I also have a spare 8x10 aviary, but need to fix it as its rotting and not fox proof. Big job. I measured it yesterday and could put a 6x12 walk in run instead of the hexagonal aviary - might be quicker. It's a slippery slope......

 

I'll try to wait.........!!!!

[Redwing]

I'd say 6 in an Eglu is a no no unless they were all bantams

 

If you can get hold of proper bantam Silkies (as you say) then the Silkies will be too small to live with the others

 

Why not spend some time introducing your two lots and then get bantam Silkies for the spare house that you will then have?

 

Yes a 'true' bantam is officially a quarter of the size of a large fowl but I dont know where the belief that that means you can have four times as many came from - I think 1 x large fowl = 2 x bantams MAX

[tom123]

I was going to get 2 and now have 93

 

3 silkies to a LF defiantly

[Falkor]

I think Tasha has a good plan. Get your exisitng lot together and then you have a the spare housing for the silkies.

 

My bantam/mini silkie was tiny so I see how people would say that four of her would equal one of my LF Orps size wise. Blimey.....that would mean 6 or 7 of my japanese maybe more to my big orp

 

My LF silkies probably 2 to the Orp and 1.5 to my hybrids

 

I have a real selection of sizes of birds but I have two seperate flocks which are split by size. They only get to free range together when supervised otherwise Brandy my clumsy LF orp would flatten one of my Japanese girls and not even notice

 

BUT just cos Silkies are small doesn`t mean that they lack personality or character and this is shouls also be considered. In the case of my partridge silkie what she lacks in size she makes up for in noise and general unsociableness and irritableness

 

So although size of run and house and compatability of size of birds needs to be considered I would advise you to think on this:

 

Would adding two small strong willed gobby little people be good for your existing flock

[batcatz]

Hi, thanks, that is the best plan. Yes, I will wait until I have built the new walk-in run. Definately.

 

My current silkie is a bantam (I think). She is not gobby at all. Shy, eats from my hand gently and so, so sweet, especially when she crouches and lets me stroke her.

 

My friend says the silkies for sale were about the same size as Hetty. I would love her to have a friend of the same breed, although she is cute running around with the speckledly like she's her mum. lol.

 

Three of mine are fine together free ranging, but the new lavender wants to eat the top hen so I haven't properly worked on putting her together with the others yet as she was too young when I integrated the new Columbian Blacktail. That is my project as soon as I build the new run and I am planning to split the run in half with a door in the middle to split the 2 groups.

 

This is 3 together end of last year in the cat run. I did this a few times for ten mins each time as I didn't trust them. Does the silkie look like a bantam?

 

[Space Chick]

I think she looks large fowl size.

 

My Silkie is my smallest girl, and is a large fowl Silkie, she's smaller than my Brahma Bantam. In saying that my Brahma bantam is probably as big as my Appenzeller too

[Redwing]

it looks like a large fowl

 

Bantam Silkies are diddy

[batcatz]

Wow, I've learnt something today as I thought all silkies were bantams. So, for now I will stick at four as adding two LF silkies will be definately be too many for the eglu.

 

Note I said for now.... once I've built the run etc I will review the situation. Good work people. Thanks.

 

hmmm mini silkies. How cute would they be?! Anyone got a photo?

[Redwing]

to be fair all Silkies are pretty small, even the large ones are smaller than a hybrid as you know so its not surprising they are thought of by many as bantams

 

mini Silkie:

 

 

She is not much taller than a pint glass bless her

[batcatz]

ahhh, she is a beauty. What a great photo. I'm going to measure Hetty against a pint glass tomorrow.

[Lewis]

I was going to get 2 and now have 93

 

3 silkies to a LF defiantly

Oh To-om.....

[tom123]

I give up I will try from now on but I'm not going back through all my posts to change them

 

I'm definitely getting myself a spellchecker

[Cooks]

Tom I have google spellcheck and forget to use it :llol: I am worse at spelling than you, my fingers go faster than my brain.

 

I love that picture Tasha! sooooo sweet!