Silkie Chickens For Sale Online (With Delivery!) Where to Buy Silkie Chickens Near Me in 2024 - My Chicken Guide (2024)

FAQs

How much do Silkies cost? ›

Silkies are very small, being a true bantam, and will therefore yield less meat than a regular chicken when slaughtered. 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.

A good ratio is to keep one male Silkie to every three hens. If you're curious about the capabilities of a Silkie rooster; one male Silkie can fertilize the eggs of up to 12 hens. Impressive! Try not to keep too few hens with a mature rooster, as they'll be a little too much for one or two hens to handle.

Silkies are relatively long lived for chickens with an average life expectancy of around eight or nine years and they remain productive long after other breeds have stopped laying eggs.

Silkies have 5 toes as opposed to standard breeds who only have 4 toes. They are super sweet and make great family pets. They're not known for their egg laying abilities as they only lay an average of 120 small eggs per year. Most people keep Silkies for show birds, family pets, or to brood and hatch eggs.

Just like with most chicken breeds, the Silkie comes in a variety of colors – blue being one of them. However, unlike the more common black or white coloring, the color blue does not breed true. This makes it a very unique color for a Silkie to be and scarcer than the white or black Silkies.

For young Silkie chicks in most backyard flocks, a high-quality starter/grower feed, like 20% Flock Maker®, is an excellent option from hatch until laying age. Once your Silkies are old enough to switch to layer feed, look for a high-quality layer feed that has a great balance of nutrients.

Silkies are wonderful backyard additions and although they aren't prolific layers, they will still yield about three eggs per week per hen. They also make wonderfully broody mothers and will hatch out clutches and clutches of eggs for you if given the slightest chance.

Silkies in particular, are highly susceptible to Marek's Disease. The percentage of illness and death in a flock can be anywhere from 1% to up to 50%. The clinical disease is typically seen between 6 weeks to 30 weeks of age. But Marek's Disease can develop in older birds as well.

Thanks to their fluffy feathers and docile behavior, silkies are a great starter bird for anyone looking to begin their own backyard flock. Silkies generally require smaller coops than other chickens. They still need plenty of food and water, however. Other than that, these birds have relatively few requirements.

What are the benefits of owning a Silkie chicken? ›

The fact that silkie chickens are unable to fly due to their fluffy plumage makes them the easiest of all chickens to keep as pets because they are that much easier to contain. Silkies are also known for their calm, friendly temperament, which makes them exceptionally great pets for homes that have children.

They cost more, because they require more time and money in order to successfully breed them. Silkies lay fewer eggs than other chickens, the eggs they do lay are harder to hatch, and the babies are very sensitive and tend to die easily, even when well cared for.

They are sweet, friendly, super fluffy, and have excellent mothering skills. They're considered the lap dog of the chicken world...but unlike your other pets, your chickens can provide your breakfast! And according to a poll we conducted, Silkies are a favorite choice as a pet for children!