Use. Silkies lay a fair number of eggs, ranging from white to cream or light tan, but production is often interrupted due to their extreme tendency to go broody. A silkie hen can produce 100 eggs in an ideal year.
How many eggs does a Silkie chicken lay a week?
3 eggs
They tend to each lay about 3 eggs per week. They are more likely than other chickens to lay eggs through cold winters because of their fluffy feathers keeping them warm and content. Silkies are truly best matched with more prolific egg layers if hatching eggs is the desired goal.
Do Silkies lay eggs everyday?
Silkies are really cute little fluffy chickens, very docile in nature and do not make a mess of your garden. They have five toes instead of four and are much smaller than most chickens. They lay small eggs with big deep yellow yolks with not so much white, perhaps 3-5 a week.
Do Silkie chickens lay good eggs?
And probably the largest benefit, silkies provide their owners with fresh eggs to eat themselves or sell. Silkies are excellent layers of relatively large-sized bantam eggs, and unlike most other breeds, silkies will continue laying eggs throughout the winter because their fluffy feathers keep them warm and content.
How many eggs do Silkie chickens lay a day?
| Silkie Chicken | |
|---|---|
| Color: | Various (eight recognized colors). |
| Egg Production: | 2-3 per week. |
| Egg Color: | Cream to tinted. |
| Known For Broodiness: | Yes. |
What is the lifespan of a silkie chicken?
between 7-9 years
A standard silkie chicken will generally live between 7-9 years, however this does all depend on the care given to them. Some Silkies have been known to live longer, so give them a little extra TLC and you’ll have their love for many years to come!
What is the rarest color of silkie chicken?
Red. Red Silkies are a rare variation and not recognized. The color does not exist naturally in Silkies and must be introduced by another breed. Some breeders describe them simply as darker buff variations, although there are breeders specially working on developing red Silkies in Australia.
How much are silkie chickens worth?
Silkie chicks can be purchased for anywhere from $3 to $10 each, while adult hens or roosters can be bought for between $15 and $50 each.
Can you mix silkies with other chickens?
Interestingly, in our experience, Silkies usually get on well with other chicken breeds, despite their unusual plumage, presuming you have several (and not just one lone “different” bird).
Are silkies good to eat?
They are considered small and bony and due to this and the odd color of their skin, meat and bones, they are preferred for soups and stocks. The darker meat of the Silkie chicken is said to taste even better than regular chicken with a much leaner and more gamey feel.
How do you tell if a silkie is a boy or girl?
Crest of Feathers
A female will have a rounded crest, almost in a globe shape. The silkie male will have streamers of longer feathers that stream backward from the lower part of the crest. These streamers are one of the first things an experienced silkie owner will look for to distinguish it from the female.
Are silkie hens noisy?
Silkies are known to be less noisy compared to other chicken breeds. This is mainly due to their smaller size making them less capable to produce the volume larger chickens are able to. They have docile natures and tend to be less rowdy, but some silkies can be noisy at times.
Can two silkie roosters live together?
With no hens to compete for, multiple roosters often live together in relative peace. 4. Raise them together in your flock. Roosters who are raised together establish a pecking order between them as they are growing up.
What age do silkies start laying eggs?
Make sure your chickens are old enough to lay. Silkies can start to lay at around 7 to 9 months of age, although some will not lay until they are much older. The older a silkie is when she begins to lay, the more eggs she is likely to produce. Provide a balanced diet.
Are silkie eggs hard to hatch?
Silkie chickens are by far the most broody of the chicken world, often going broody even with no eggs to sit on, a Silkie chicken will sit fast even if a herd of wilder beast are running through her coup! Not much will shift her! This makes her the ideal chicken to hatch fertile eggs with a great success rate.
What do you feed Silkies?
Feed your silkie chickens layer crumbles rather than pellets, as pellets are sometimes too large for silkies to eat. You can feed them a mash made of bran, grated apple and carrot mixed with meat meal and a little vegetable oil once or twice a week. Toss out table scraps such as vegetables and bread for your chickens.
Do Silkie chickens need baths?
You do not need to bath chickens on a regular basis, providing they have a large dry dust bath they will keep themselves clean and their feathers in good condition.
Are black Silkies rare?
Even though this genetic mutation is rare and does make the Black Silkie chicken look weird in some ways, it’s not entirely unheard of in the animal world. The same genetic anomaly in poultry can be found in another chicken breed known as Ayam Cemani from Indonesia.
What is the difference between a Silkie and a Silkie bantam?
Silkies are some of the larger bantam varieties, but they are still very small and their uniquely fluffy feathers sets them apart from the rest. Silkie chickens are known for their characteristically fluffy plumage said to feel silk- or satin-like to the touch.
Can female Silkies Crow?
Do Silkie Hens Crow? While crowing is normally attributed to roosters, if you’re Silkie hen is crowing, rest assured that it’s not your imagination. Any breed of hen can crow. They don’t usually do it, but they all can.
Can Silkies tolerate heat?
Silkies have a harder time with the heat than the cold. Poor eyesight due to large crests can make locating shade and water difficult. Dark colored birds absorb the sun’s rays where light colored birds can reflect it. Use small rubber bands to tie up crests on silkies to help them cool off and find water easily.