However a coop of only Silkies will not hurt the new arrivals not even the cockerels. Remember — from pip to hatch can take as long as 36 hours. Let Mumma do the work she knows what she is doing! Once all the chicks have hatched then you can help by removing old shells.
What do I feed the new baby chicks. Once they are weeks they can move onto a grower or a rearer then at about 20 weeks they can go onto adult food. Be careful with water, this will need to be in a chick water feeder, if you put a saucer in or anything shallow and open chicks can fall in and drown very easily.
You did it, you now have a lovely little clutch of chicks hatched by your very own broody Silkie. Once the chicks are large enough they can go on their own. You will know when this is as your Mummy Silkie will continue to sit on the chicks to keep them at the right temperature until they no longer need her. Silkies have the most unique coats of fluffy plumage, with the sweetest temperament. They are perfect if you have other breeds of chickens, pets, and children.
Being so docile, and cuddly, they are more of an ornamental pet than regular chickens, if that makes sense. You can eat them just the same as you would any other eggs. Silkies are one of the most lovable, friendly, cute, and fun backyard chicken breeds. If your hens never see a rooster, your eggs will only ever be eggs, but still just as good for you. They are also high in calcium, selenium, zinc and phosphorous.
Choline is used to build cell membranes and has a role in producing signaling molecules in the brain. Above all else, eggs are linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, reduced risk of stroke, better eye health and even weight loss! And all of this comes from a single butt nugget — can you believe it!? Silkies are notoriously slow growers and they take quite a long time to mature. Your Silkie hens will only start laying at approximately 7 — 9 months of age, but some may take even longer.
It is a fairly common belief that the longer a Silkie hen takes to start laying, the larger her overall production will be — so good news for the late bloomers! Silkies will generally consistently lay their eggs for two years or so, then gradually their production will start to decline.
You will only notice that she might not be laying as much as usual anymore and then she might skip an entire week. You would be forgiven for assuming that you would need at least one nesting box per hen. Chickens are social little animals and most hens will very happily share their nesting box. You will also find that not only do they like to share, but if you have multiple nesting boxes, you might find that all your girls lay in the same one — keeping their eggs in one basket you might say.
When designing your coop, it is a good rule of thumb to provide one nesting box for every three to four hens. As a side note, Silkies are also known for going broody and it will cause less squabbles if you have enough nesting boxes to go around should one of the little bantams decide to go broody. Due to the fact that Silkies are fairly poor layers, you will most likely not be intending to sell your eggs.
That being said, you will still need to take egg-ceptional care of your personal layer hen to ensure delicious and nutritious eggs for your table. A sick or stressed hen might go off lay and will not be able to provide you with the eggs you require, however little there may be. You will need to start by ensuring your Silkie hens have access to good-quality feed that will provide all they want and more in the nutrition department. A good quality commercial feed has exactly the right balance of protein, calcium and minerals.
The absolute top quality will be organic, non-GMO food for layers. You will also need to make sure that your girls have access to fresh water and oyster grit. Like my content? Sign up to be on our email list.
Below: A sample of Silkie eggs. What do Silkie eggs look like? Silkie chicken eggs are generally a porcelain white to cream colour. Below: Silkie eggs vary from porcelain white to light brown or even pinkish. Buy freshly milled organic chicken feed shipped direct from the fields of the midwest.
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