How to Care for Silkies

Unique, personable and endearing are just a few words used by silkie owners to describe the breed. Typically raised as pets or egg layers, silkes are renowned for their broody nature, and excel at raising not only their own young, but also the young of other birds, including water fowl. They respond well to human interaction, are quiet and require less space than most other laying breeds of chicken. Silkies tend to be low-maintenance birds, but need a little extra protection, due to their docile natures.

Things You'll Need

  • Shelter
  • Food
  • Water
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Instructions

  1. Caring for Silkies

    • 1

      Build an indoor shelter. Kits for chicken coops are available through many online retailers, or at feed stores. If you are handy, you can build your own coop, or re-purpose an existing structure. Minimum requirements for shelter include protecting the birds from heat, cold, predators and rain. Shelters should have a roof to protect the silkies from flying predators. Include roosting perches and nesting boxes, no more than four feet from the ground. They also tend to roost together on the ground, so leave some open space for them to congregate.

    • 2

      Create outdoor shelter. Silkies are incapable of flight, and tend to be slow movers. Make sure any free range areas include fencing for protection of the birds. Silkies also don't handle sandy or muddy conditions well; they are best kept in grassy, dry locations. They also don't tolerate extreme cold well, so limit their outdoor time during cold temperatures.

    • 3

      Purchase specialty food for egg laying chickens. Along with a free range diet of weeds and bugs, silkies need access to feed formulated for egg laying breeds, which can be found at your local feed store. Silkies do best when given the feed in crumble form, as they are very petite birds and can choke on pellets and corn.

    • 4

      Provide access to clean water. Due to their dainty size, they do best when given water in chicken watering containers. Keep the water clean, refreshing it every day.

    • 5

      Check frequently for parasites. Because of the nature of their feather, silkies tend to pick up mite infestations more easily than other breeds. Silkies are very friendly birds who relish the attention, so check them over often to bond with them and keep them healthy.