Minty_76 Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Ok, so I decided to sell my and so far had no interest. I can't help thinking I am not meant to! Maybe I am destined to have more hens! At the moment I have 2 bantams (an australorp and a partridge wynadotte). My family has since grown by one who is now 7 months old. My hens don't lay every day and sometimes I find myself waiting for one of them to lay an egg so we can eat it I don't have a big garden so probably not going for any big girls. Im thinking with the kids Pekins or silkies, sablepoots, frizzles etc. If I were to get 3, what could I expect egg wise? I know they won't be very big but thats fine. Mine only lay from about February to October so I have to buy in eggs! Also does anyone know anywhere local to Nottingham/Leicestershire where I can get hold of any of these breeds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 If you're prepared for broodiness these hens are great. Their eggs are actually lovely, the yolk being bigger than the white, in my experience. My little pekin frizzle is probably the easiest one to handle. But the silkies don't mind being moved off their nest when they're broody. Never known any of them to peck, and they can't fly, which is a bonus. Good luck, keep us posted. Try preloved for local breeders. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 I've got two silkie hens and I have one little cream egg from them about every other day even right through the winter. I also have 4 Frizzles (not frizzled Pekins) and 3 Polands and get about 2-3 white eggs a day from these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minty_76 Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 Love the look of silkies and pekins. I get reasonably sized eggs from my girls but I need to make sure I have at least a few girls that lay throughout the winter. Do the silkies and pekins need any extra special care etc? Also can they fly? Hope to be able to let them in the garden probably in the winter months as my little boy won't be out there much so they can poo where they like! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 No Silkies can't fly (but I think Pekins can). Because of their soft, fur like feathers, you might need to make sure your Silkies don't go to bed wet if they get caught out in the rain. I find that a gentle dab and squeeze with a paper kitchen towel works very well at drying them off but if you feel like it, mine really love to sit on my lap and have a go with the hair dryer on a low setting. Here is my Doodle after being dried with the hair dryer when she fell in the duck pond - having forgotten that she could not fly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Hi, silkies can't fly, not sure about Pekins, I've only got a frizzle and she can't fly. As for laying during the winter, you'll be very lucky to get any hens that do this. It's usually only pullets (hens up to about a year). Most of us have to buy eggs in the winter. They will be fine in the garden. I've currently got my frizzle and a silkie, who have carte Blanche until bed time. They don't wander far from their coop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minty_76 Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 Love Doodle!!! So cute! She looks like a very friendly girl! I am definitely after a real "pet" for the children. Added bonus of not being able to fly is appealing. So I would feel happy about them tootling around the garden. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheekyPekins Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Hi, I've had Pekins before, they're great with kids but they do go broody and I had one girl in particular who was noisy... I currently have a Pekin Silkie cross who is very friendly and very pretty but very broody - so much so that we've let her hatch some eggs! My little Sabelpoot is the friendliest hen I've ever had and so pretty but she lays more or less when she feels like it and her eggs are tiny. She makes up for it in sheer friendliness though, she's a proper pet And she comes in through the cat flap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minty_76 Posted May 20, 2014 Author Share Posted May 20, 2014 I must admit I am drawn to silkies. They look so cuddly and cute. Maybe I could get a mix! I like the sound of all of them. I can definitely see how people contract morehens sounds pretty incurable to me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 (edited) See if this helps you make up your mind. Fifi thought the new frizzle was her chick Edited May 20, 2014 by Guest Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted May 20, 2014 Share Posted May 20, 2014 Dazzle is at the front. Fifi is the white silkie and Twinkle the partridge silkie, all lovely girls Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minty_76 Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 They are very sweet! How are they noise-wise? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chickabee Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 None of them are very noisy. They do make some noise, but it's not loud. I call the partridge one bok bok, as that's the sound she makes when she sees me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I think the noise thing is more to do with the individual hen rather than the breed. Doodle is VERY noisy but Diva talks away with a lovely low bock bock. My late Dolly also had a sweet little voice. I've kept Pekins in the past and found them all to be very talkative but not loud. They made a noise not dissimilar to a guinea pig I found. Trouble with Silkies and morehens is that I started to want a 'full hand' like cards but as soon as I got anywhere near, they would introduce a new colour. Finally I decided I liked the white and goldy ones (including the partridge) best because the black and very pretty grey / blue colours did not show up so well in all the garden foliage. Here is Diva who is a partridge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minty_76 Posted May 21, 2014 Author Share Posted May 21, 2014 Diva looks sweet. I have never stroked a silkie, I am assuming they are very soft! I must admit I like the look of the white and the grey ones. I think I need to see some up close! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 I have 6 Silkies and they are chattier and can be noisier than my large fowl Interestingly, my silkies are my best winter layers. Although at this time of year they are only interested in being broody.... For me this isn't an issue as I have eggs from my other hens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chortle Chook Posted May 21, 2014 Share Posted May 21, 2014 Well, let's just say . . . they are indeed 'silky' . It doesn't just look like 'fur' it feels like fluffy 'fur' Not surprising that Mark O Polo thought they were a cross between a chicken and a rabbit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
