Taking Care of Silkies/Satins

If you already have experience with Silkies, then none of this might apply to you. This is for other people who might have questions. When I say silkies here, I'm talking about the type of silkies and satins I breed, not ones you got from a hatchery, feed store, or another source that does not breed towards the SOP (Standard of Perfection). I can not speak for how other Silkies behave or act; I can only speak about how I know mine are.

I recommend housing Silkies and Satins with only Silkies or Satins. Most of my Silkies are docile and tame. However, they can get picked on, injured, and possibly killed if they are around other standard-breed chickens. I'm not responsible if you don't follow this advice and put them with other chickens, and they get injured.

I feed baby chicks and juveniles. Kalmbach Feeds 22% Protein Start To Finish Meatbird Unmedicated Crumbles Until they are 6 months old. I feed my adult Silkies Kalmbach Feeds Henhouse Reserve mixed with Kalmbach Layer Crumbles. I buy it online from Chewy.com. If you can not buy that, Tractor Supply has Nutrena Meatbird crumbles for babies and juveniles and Nutrena All-Flock for adults, which works well. You must provide grit if you feed your Silkies treats, or they can develop a sour crop.

All my Silkies and Satins have a metal Wing Band in their right-wing for ID purposes. It is called a Zip Wing Band, and I buy them from pinnonhatch.com. They are made to stay in their wing their whole life. You can remove it only by cutting it off with wire cutters. It is like an ear piercing; the hole might or might not close up. I only offer refunds if I'm wrong about their gender and you bring back him/her with the wing band still on the Silkie.

They have different personalities, and it is NORMAL for some of them to stand around and not do much, while others are more active. They need time to get used to their new environment. Picking them up too often will stress them out. I recommend not handling them for a few days and ensuring they eat and drink. I always have food and water available right in front of them so they can find it easily. They are not baby chicks, and they have been eating and drinking for their whole lives unassisted. I cannot stress this enough- Please let them acclimate for a few days before you message me, trying to say something is wrong with them. Usually, only people who have not had Silkies before are the ones messaging me trying to say that I sold a lethargic acting bird.

My Silkies are all bred, hatched, and raised here by me. I have been breeding Silkies for 8 years. I breed them as close to the Standard of Perfection as I can. All of my Silkies are in color-separated pens. I breed Paint, Black, Blue, Splash, and Lavender. Even though all the parents are breeder quality, it does not mean all the chicks will be. There are various reasons why I choose to keep only certain ones and rehome the others. Most of the time, there's one thing about them that I did not think was perfect for breeding purposes, but sometimes, it's only their color that I did not like. There's nothing wrong with them physically or healthwise; I'm only talking about how close to show quality they are. Most people only want pets, so this applies to people interested in breeding or showing.

Most of my Silkies do not roost. Instead, they sleep in a pile on the coop's floor. If you have a roost stick a few inches off the ground, they may choose to use it but might not. They do not like ramps but can be trained to do so if you show them how to go up them every night.

Silkies do not lay very many eggs. They lay about 100 eggs per year. They typically lay about 8 eggs before going broody. They do not lay eggs when broody and stay in their nesting place all day. You must ensure they leave the nest daily to eat and drink. They might not lay eggs for 1-3 months after going broody, and then the cycle repeats itself. You might get lucky and get a rare hen that doesn't go broody, but 95% of my Silkies and Satins do this. This adds to their costs since productivity is low.

I do not vaccinate any of my chickens for Marek's, and I don't recommend it for small backyard chicken keepers. If you want vaccinated chickens, you can buy them from a hatchery that offers them. I have a list of reasons I don't recommend it, but as the buyer, it is your choice if you want vaccinated chicks.

They are in excellent health when I offer them and have already been treated with ivermectin as a precaution before I sell them. I would never sell a chicken that I feel is acting off or has something wrong with it. I want everyone to have a great experience, and I would never jeopardize my reputation by doing that. It is up to you to look over them and quarantine them away from all other chickens for a minimum of 30 days, as recommended. During that time, you will be able to observe them and see if there is anything wrong with them before adding them to your flock. Some things are very common for chickens to catch, such as mites and coccidiosis, and are very easily treated and very seldomly deadly. 

Silkies can die suddenly like any animal. I don't have any control over their lifespan. Some of mine randomly die, whether from a sudden heart attack or just their time. I've had Silkies live for 7 years, and they are still doing well. On average, they live for about 4 years, but even if you look on Google, you will see various answers to this. I'm sorry if any of them pass on; there isn't anything I can do about it.

I do not offer refunds or replacements on any chickens; this should go without saying that I can't be responsible for anything that happens to them once they are out of my care. The only exception is if I'm wrong about their gender- If I make a mistake, I will refund you if you return her/him in good health and the metal wing band with the ID# has not been removed.