Silkie chickens is a breed of chicken that has a specific type of feather structure. The feather structure of Silkie chickens allow the chickens to appear fluffy or fur-like. The feathers of Silkie chickens dont have the tiny hooks that is present on the feathers of standard chickens, so the feathers of Silkie chickens do not naturaly interlock with one another.
Because Silkie chicken feathers do not naturaly interlock, the feathers of Silkie chickens have the potential to become matted if the Silkie chickens gets wet. Additionally, Silkie chickens have a large crest of feathers that grows on their heads, and that crest increases in size as the Silkie chickens age. An age chart for Silkie chickens can help to indicate when the Silkie chickens is receiving the correct amount of feed or heat.
Silkie Chickens Age and Care
Silkie chicks on the first day of life are very small and light. Because Silkie chicks have relatively sparse down cover, the chicks can easily get chilled. Furthermore, Silkie chicks require a brooder that is set to just under 100 degrees Fahrenheit; the chicks can decrease the temperature of the brooder as they gain their flight feathers.
By the first week of life, Silkie chicks will have developed wing quills and will begin to eating starter crumble; if the chicks eat the starter crumble on their own, this indicates that they are beginning to develop the ability to better regulate their body temperature. Between the first and third week of life, Silkie chicks go through a transition period during which they have both down patches and silky feathers. The feeding requirements for Silkie chickens will change as the chickens gain their adult shape and size.
Silkie chicks will require starter crumble as the young chickens gain their flight feathers; once the Silkie chickens have become fully feathered, they will require grower feed. Silkie chickens will gain their full weight by the age of two months; at two months of age, they will weigh approximately one pound. If you underfeed Silkie chickens, they will not develop the round body shape that is characteristic of Silkie chickens of adult ages.
Additionally, an age chart can help to indicate the age-related changes of Silkie chickens, such as the growth of the crest, the color of the earlobes, and the need for specific types of feed. Silkie chickens have blue earlobes when young, but the earlobes often change to a turquoise color around the eighth week of life. Furthermore, you cannot determine the sex of Silkie chickens when the Silkie chickens are young, but the differences in each individual chicken’s features can make it possible to determine the sex of the chicken as the Silkie chicken ages.
Cockerels (male Silkie chickens) will have pointed flight feathers (hackle feathers) and streamered crests by the age of mid-teens weeks. Pullets (female Silkie chickens) will have a neat crest and will eventually begin to exhibit the behavior of crouching when they are ready to begin laying eggs. Rooster males will begin to crow around the age of three months; however, the crow of a rooster when young may sound squeakily.
Additionally, hens will become broody at the age of five or six months of life; broody hens will lay on their side and flatten themselves on a nest to incubate their eggs. Broody hens are often successful at incubating their eggs, but they lay fewer eggs then non-broody hens; thus, you may need to provide a broody cage to increase egg production from the hen. Silkie chickens will require different forms of care as they age.
For instance, Silkie chickens should be provided with roosts that are low to the ground and between 12 and 18 inches in height; Silkie chickens are flightless. Additionally, you should always keep Silkie chickens in coops that are predator proof. Silkie chickens may need their crests trimmed near their eyes by two months of age; Silkie chicks feathers will naturaly poke the eyes of the chickens.
Silkie chickens need to be given a bath once a month, but must be thoroughly dried after their bath or they will become chilled. Additionally, Silkie chickens should not be placed in flocks that contains high-flying Silkie breeds, as other Silkie chickens in their flock often bully Silkie chickens. Silkie chickens naturally exhibit social behaviors with other Silkie chickens of the same age, and all Silkie breeds use dust baths to naturaly keep their feathers dry and healthy.
Silkie chickens come in a variety of colors, including white, black, buff, splash, and paint. Regardless of the color of Silkie chicken, the growth patterns of the breed will be the same. At six months of age, Silkie chickens will have developed their adult plumage.
Additionally, Silkie hen chickens will begin to lay their eggs at six months of age, but egg production will be at its peak at one year of age. If you watch and care for the life stages of Silkie chickens according to their age, Silkie chickens can be successfully raised to adulthood. You should of watched the growth patterns closely.