Silkie Chickens Make Great Pets!
Silkie Chickens are Fascinating Looking Creatures
Silkie chickens are one of the more interesting chicken breeds to look at. They have a ‘fluffy’ look to them with long feathers that come in several different colors. These chickens are typically darker shades of gray or black but also come in shades of white and yellow as well. This means that you can get them in any color and any combination of colors as well. Some of the best features of these interesting birds are their size and of course their fluffy feathers. Many have also remarked on their disposition as well as their wonderful mothering instincts.
Helpful Silkie Chicken Facts
Some of the negatives of this breed are their broodiness when laying eggs and the fact that sometimes they need a little more care than other breeds of chickens. Unfortunately they can also have some trouble seeing in their peripherals which means that they can be in danger when it comes to predators. Because they can’t see animals coming out of this blind spot it makes them easy to attack. As a result, it’s important to keep these types of chickens in a safe place, somewhere they can be kept from these types of predators.
If you have a fenced in area or a space where you can control the surroundings of these animals they can be great. They will be protected by their environment and that always helps. Unfortunately if you allow them to be free range without protection then you could lose a great many of them simply because of the periphery problem. Silkie roosters can be protective of their hens, however they are neither as aggressive nor as large as they would need to be to fend off their natural predators such as foxes or raccoons.
One of the big benefits to these chickens is that they are great with children. That means theirs and others. Silkie chickens will hatch their own chicks and will mother them very well. They will also hatch chicks from other chickens and will mother them just as well. Not only that but they are great with human children and will continue to be friendly and show their fun personalities with anyone. This is what makes them such a great family pet (and a great egg layer at the same time).
If you’re looking for a fun chicken that you can pick up and handle easily then this is the chicken for you. They grow to be full-size and have plenty of eggs (which are known to be quite small, but very tasty). You will want to protect them carefully (as noted above) since these types of chickens are not the best at protecting their chicks. The roosters however, can be somewhat violent at times and they will attempt to protect their hens and chicks. Unfortunately these chickens also tend to have difficulty in wet environments as their thick feathers can make things more difficult when wet.
Silkie Roosters have one of those faces only a mother could love!
If you want to purchase one of these chickens you can do so at farmers markets and even some farm supply stores during the right season. Yet another way to purchase any type of chickens is to buy them through online networks. There are plenty of them that you can choose from which means you’ll be able to select exactly the chickens you want with the right coloring and everything. This isn’t always as easy in some other methods of purchasing as not all farmers markets or farms will have all different colors of Silkie chickens, after all some colors are more common than others. In this way you can select to purchase only from the online retailer that has the chickens with the coloring that you are looking for.
” If you’re looking for a fun chicken that you can pick up and handle easily then Silkie Chickens are the pet for you.”
If you know someone who currently keeps Silkie chickens you can also talk to them and see if they would be willing to part with a few eggs. Keep in mind however that if you take in baby chicks with no adults you will need to watch out for them even more since they will have absolutely no protection from the elements or from their natural predators. They also will have no one to guide them and teach them the things they need to know about those predators so stay alert.
Click Here to find out the best way to look after your silkie chickens!
