Silkie Chickens are a favorite around here. If you are looking to add a new breed to your flock and aren’t sure which breed to get, Silkies are definitely a breed to consider. We have almost as many silkies as we do egg layers because we love our silkies so much!
If you want to know the full top 5 breeds for your backyard flock check out this ebook!
Reasons YOU need a few Silkie Chickens:
Silkie Chickens are Friendly
Silkie Chickens are the friendliest breed we have. They make great pets since they are so friendly.
Silkies tend to be calm and to like to be held and get attention. Also, Silkie roosters don’t tend to be aggressive. That’s not to say that ALL silkie roosters aren’t aggressive, we have one boy we affectionately (or not so affectionately) called “Big Bad”.
Generally, though, silkie chickens are calm, friendly and easy to handle which makes them a fantastic choice for a pet.
Silkies make great Brooders
If you want chicks, but don’t want to incubate your own eggs then you will need a broody hen. Not all breeds of chickens make good broody hens.
If you want a broody girl in your flock to hatch out chicks, Silkies are the way to go!
Silkie hens tend to go broody often. Additionally, they make great moms (in general). Silkies often times will take on chicks who aren’t even theirs.
Silkies are Cute & Unique
Silkie chickens are just plain adorable. They are also very unique. Silkies have 5 toes instead of 4.
They also have feathered legs and feet. Additionally, Silkie Chickens have crests (big poofs on top of their heads). They also sometimes have beards (puffs under their chin) and vaulted skulls (pointed heads). You can even get them as Frizzle chickens.
And, of course, their Silkie feathers are not typical feathers, but rather soft down. Oh, and did we mention, they also have black skin.
So, if you are looking for a unique chicken unlike your others, silkies are a great choice!
So Many Colors!
Silkies come in SO many different colors. Plus, there are a lot of project colors too.
Project colors are non-standard colors that people work on to get them to become standard.
Really, any color you want, you can find: Blue, Black, Splash, Porcelain (Blue Cream), White, Buff, Partridge, Red Pyle, Lavender, Paint, Chocolate. The list could go on and on and on.
Size
Silkies are a bantam breed. Bantams are like mini chickens. They are usually about half the size of a standard breed.
Since Silkies are a bantam breed they don’t take up much room in the coop. And, also, they will eat less feed. So, if you are concerned with space or the cost to feed chickens then silkies can help take some of the pressure off there.
Or, their small size MAY just mean that you can have more of them – that’s certainly what has happened here!
Why do you love Silkies?
Want to see a cute little Silkie boy learning to crow? Check out our video below!
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Jeanne says
Thanks for writing about Silkie chickens.I’m actually looking for a unique breed of chicken to introduce in homestead. Silkie sounds like a very nice idea ..
Neil Armitage says
I have a quad of the white silkies. I adore them to pieces. they are happy, friendly and so easy to manage. Not the most productive of birds but a real quality egg.
Judy says
Where would I purchase the colored silkie such as pink etc. I have whites and greys. I’m in michigan
MrAnimal Farm says
Hi Judy,
There aren’t pink Silkies. However, there are a lot of other colors. We have paint, partridge, mottled, red pyle & porcelain colors available and we do offer shipping. If you are interested, shoot us an email at mranimalfarm@gmail.com
Best,
Kristin
Nanci Kowalsky says
Would love to buy some silky’s We have four chickens almost ready to lay eggs. One was a roo, so we had to give him up. Our neighborhood is small and didn’t want to cause any problems. Do you have any older silkys available and do you ship to NJ? I’m so happy that I found you. Your videos are awesome… Thank You and I’m so excited about our new feathered family…
MrAnimal Farm says
Hi Nancy,
Sorry for the delay in reply! We have some older silkies available and do ship to NJ. If you are still interested, shoot me an email at mranimalfarm@gmail.com
Best,
Kristin
Leeann poulysyn says
Hi I’m new to Silkies. I had two but on passed 2 days after we got her. It seemed like she kept having seizures and then finally passed. I was so sad. What I would love to know is how well they do out in the cold weather and with polish chickens. We have them in a different coop I don’t want them with our other flock of mixed he’s and one really big rooster. We also have 2 ducks lol. If you could just share some info on them that would be great. Her name is Matilda my grandson named her. She is just so sweet. Thanks Leeann oh we live in tabernacle nj
jayne says
another benefit of silkies is leveling out egg production. They are broody half the summer when other breed are laying well but my silkie girls are champion fall and winter egg layers. Its a cold late November day today but every one of my silkies laid an egg today. My big girls like the austolorps and susssex are tapering down a bit for winter. Here in Tennessee, my silkies won’t necessarily lay an egg a day all winter but their winter production is as good or better than most breeds. However, a late February thaw will send a couple into broodiness and then they will be broody on and off until October. I’ve used them to raise store bought new chicks lots of times and they’ve always been cooperative and good mammas. I just slip the chicks under them and they think their eggs hatched. A day later I remove the unfertile eggs they have been sitting on (I dont keep roosters) and they are fine.