Is your dog's unusual barking a secret code for something mysterious?

[shona]

Hi, I have had 3 silkies since May this year, just love them. They're housed in an Eglu which I and they also love. Now that winter is upon us was wondering how hardy they are, I live in the Scottish Borders and our winters for the last 2 years have been awful. I know I'll worry about them if it's very cold and snowy again.

[Redwing]

they dont cope with wet very well so keep the run covered if you can, a couple of sheets of corrugated plastic will cover most of an Eglu run (leaving the end open) this will create a more robust windbreak than the average cover. A free draining bedding on the run floor will help too

 

Silkies are also more prone to the cold because their feathers dont lay nice and flat but if you can keep them dry that will be most of the battle!

 

I'll move this to the Chickens section where you'll get more replies as its a general question

[Space Chick]

I have silkies in my flock, they are hardier than you give them credit for, but I agree with Tasha, keeping them dry is the most important, as if they do get colds it tends to quickly progress to their chest and then needs antibiotics.

 

When the weather gets REALLY cold, and I mean -6/7 at night, I would recommend a snuggle safe put in the poo tray just to take the edge off.

[MedusA]

I also have 2 Silkies in my flock. They are housed in a walk in run which does have a corrugated plastic roof, but there are leaks so the girls often get mildly damp.

 

I've had them for 3 1/2 years without any problems, even through the last 2 freezing winters.

 

Glad you love Silkies too. My 2 are my favourites (but don't tell the others).

[Chortle Chook]

My silkies were fine all through last winter and as I am quite near Benson where the temperatures seem to plumet lower than any other southern area, that means they should be ok where you are. We got to about -15c at one point last year.

 

As others have said you do, however, need to keep them dry and make certain that they do not go to bed with a frozen hair do - (imagine your hair freezing ). I do this by squeezing their top knot in a paper towel before I shut them up. You can also lightly tap a paper kitchen towel on their backs. It only takes seconds.

 

Somtimes I would also sit them on my lap and give them a light blow dry on a gentle setting to make sure they were nice and dry before bed. I'm not sure who enjoyed this most, my chooks or me

 

Oh and I also did them warm porridge when they got up in the morning.

[shona]

Thankyou all for your advice. My run is completely water-proofed and the 3 girls do go and lie in it when the weather is horrible and wet, otherwise they free-range in my garden. I do make sure they are kept dry especially at bed time and I know that I'll bring them into my back porch if the temperature drops below -10, which it did last year for several weeks. Maybe I'm soft but I couldn't lie in a cosy bed and know they were outside. I kept the cardboard box their Eglu came in and would just put their roosting tray in it and pop it in the porch for all night. They regularly follow me and the dog in there so its not strange to them.

[LolaLayla]

It is good to hear that Silkies are thriving in our cold, wet weather. I would love to get one (I keep showing OH pictures of them ). I am hoping to buy some more hens and have been reading with interest about different breeds, what conditions suit them and how to integrate them. Shona - your hens sound as if they are well loved

[squiffs]

I would love to get one (I keep showing OH pictures of them )

 

 

Silkies do like the company of other silkie-type beings, get 2!

[Redwing]

I would love to get one (I keep showing OH pictures of them )

 

 

Silkies do like the company of other silkie-type beings, get 2!

 

I agree 100% with this, they can be very solitary in a mixed flock

[Space Chick]

I would love to get one (I keep showing OH pictures of them )

 

 

Silkies do like the company of other silkie-type beings, get 2!

 

I agree 100% with this, they can be very solitary in a mixed flock

 

I agree too, Silkies love being with other Silkies... Hence my current 6

 

As for your OH LolaLayla.... My OH didn't want a Silkie thinking they looked too girly..... However, he now loves the Silkies more than the others... When Big Suze our first Silkie died last year he was inconsolable.... He's a sucker for a Silkie now

[squiffs]

My two are inseparable, they potter about together in a pair, making odd noises at one another if they find something interesting, and they bicker amongst themselves in typical sibling fashion, it's too adorable for words!

[chestnutmare]

Aaahhh silkies sound sweet.

[Griffin]

My Silkie, Tiger, is a complete and utter loner too. Her sole aim in life is to mother as many chicks as possible, she'll go broody at least three times a year and raises chicks each time. When she's with the rest of the flock she's bullied and miserable. I've recently had a poorly young Brahma who isn't strong enough to cope with the main flock yet so now she's with my outcast Silkie and the pair of them are getting on like a house on fire. Tiger has just started laying again and I pray she doesn't go broody again this year. And despite having shelter, she'd prefer to be out getting wet in the rain I'm about to move her to a covered run for the winter with her new friend, my Poland and another young Silkie pullet. It's for her own good but she'll be furious

[shona]

I'm so glad so many people love Silkies, they are just so adorable, very special chickens. You should see them with my Chihuahua, they follow him about the garden and all lie in the sun together. I've had such a nice summer with them, spent most of my time in the garden, especially in the evenings with a glass of wine, the dog and my chickens, very relaxing and peaceful. I have wanted Silkies for as long as I can remember and now they're here they are everything I thought they'd be and more, 2 white ones and a partridge who is very beautiful, such an unusual colour.

[LolaLayla]

OH dear maybe I will need to get 2 I would love if I could integrate them with my 2 Warren girls in the eglu but know that can be difficult. I do have another eglu I could use and just free range them together. I thought they were bantams but I think I read you can get larger ones (I am not sure of the terminology) which would be better if there was any chance of them living together. How many eggs do they lay and is broodiness very difficult to cope with (I have never had to deal with that with my girls)?

[squiffs]

OH dear maybe I will need to get 2 I would love if I could integrate them with my 2 Warren girls in the eglu but know that can be difficult. I do have another eglu I could use and just free range them together. I thought they were bantams but I think I read you can get larger ones (I am not sure of the terminology) which would be better if there was any chance of them living together. How many eggs do they lay and is broodiness very difficult to cope with (I have never had to deal with that with my girls)?

 

 

Silkie bantams are very mini indeed, large fowl silkies are about the size of a regular 'bantam' - my silkies are 'large fowl' and they're not even half the size of my hybrids! I've had them since July and they've not even laid an egg, let alone gone broody I was told they'd lay maybe every other day if not a bit less when they aren't broody - but every chook is different!

[LolaLayla]

Gosh they are small. I have only seen them in pictures...never in real life -yet! I was thinking that by next year the girls egg production would be down and a couple of new hens would boost the number of eggs we got. We don't use a huge amount but it would be nice to keep it ticking along. Do Silkies make a lot of noise? I know they are not bad about digging things up.

[shona]

My 3 Silkies lay just about every day, beautiful cream coloured eggs, but that's just a bonus I have them as pets. They're not noisy at all and do little damage to the garden, they're very docile, friendly birds and of course can't fly. Mine have gone broody (they're famed for it!) I just keep lifting them off the nest and they give up. The little extra work it takes to keep them in dry conditions is very worth the effort, I would recommend them to everyone.

[chestnutmare]

Right, that's it, I'm sold!

[Redwing]

Proper large fowl Silkies are really a decent size

 

Miniature Silkies are very small, here are mine (compare them to the regular size kitchen tiles)

 

 

So many Silkies are between the two sizes but this isnt how they should be

 

Check out this site for pics of proper Silkies in each size

 

http://www.exhibitionsilkies.co.uk/

[LolaLayla]

Right, that's it, I'm sold!

Me too

Redwing those are so lovely. Perhaps there will be some at the Scottish Poultry Show I think I have worn dear OH down

[Redwing]

The people who own the Silkies on that Website will probably be going to the Scottish National

 

Their Silkies arent cheap but you'd be hard pressed to find better and the black ones are especially lovely

 

My mini white ones came from them

[LolaLayla]

The people who own the Silkies on that Website will probably be going to the Scottish National

 

Their Silkies arent cheap but you'd be hard pressed to find better and the black ones are especially lovely

 

My mini white ones came from them

 

Thank you that is good to know. If I am definitely going I may give them a call first

[Chortle Chook]

I'd second what Redwing says. Most Silkies available are what I'd call 'in-betweenees'. When getting silkies I've always tried to go for as big as possible and certainly don't have any tiny ones, but I am pretty sure that those I do have are not what would be recognised as 'standard' size. My 'in-betweenees' are larger than Pekins (about half the size again) but considerably smaller than a hybrid which always look ginormous to me (and very desirable, but I'm not allowed biggies). I find mine mix very well with my Frizzles and Polands but I'd be wary of mixing them in with biggies as they are almost too laid back for their own good - just pottering about chattering to one another.

 

By the way, before you think they are silent hens, I do have a little white one (the top chook of my flock) who makes a right commotion when she feels others should be making room for her in the nesting area. This was fairly often in the summer when I seemed to have one that was broody all the time (though not the same one all the time).

 

The broody ones I just picked off the nest and put in front of the food dish, where she would promptly go down like a pancake - all ready to keep the odd fir cone warm

[LolaLayla]

Thanks for all this useful information I had planned to ask about them but seem to have hijacked Shona's post -sorry Shona.

I asked about noise as I am surrounded by houses although we do have large gardens, but I don't like to think the neighbours may be bothered by any noise. My girls do occasionally have a squawkfest but not that often. One neighbour actually said she had heard hens but was not sure where they were but liked the sound