In a word, Silkie chickens are adorable. Their lightweight and small-size, coupled with the fact that they like to be handled, makes them a great pet for children, especially if you elect to show them.
We breed and hatch our Silkies at our farm in Reinholds, PA. We maintain our breeding stock with our incubating equipment. Chicks will be sent after hatching and shipped on Mondays. All Silkie chickens for sale are carefully packaged, keeping in mind the season to accommodate weather conditions. From April 1 through October 31, the minimum order is Orders from November 1 to March 31 require a minimum of If you'd like to have Silkie chickens from our Bantam hatchery on your property, use our online ordering form.
Menu Toggle navigation. Silkie Chickens. Weight Silkies reach only inches tall. Good For Silkie chickens are often raised as show birds. Temperament Their calm, friendly, and gentle temperament make them a great pet. Egg Production Silkies aren't known for their egg production and typically lay less than in a year. Time to Maturity Chicks from Bantam Silkie hatcheries mature reasonably fast. There should ideally be no hard feathers feathers that have central barbules.
The skin should be black, the ear lobes blue, and the comb and wattles should be blue or purple. Silkies have five toes and a good feather covering of the feet is ideal. When buying silkie chicks, check for any obvious deformities such as splayed leg. The certification requires regular testing for Pullorum and Typhoid. Pullorum and typhoid are both highly infectious forms of salmonella in chickens that, if contracted can potentially wipe out an entire flock.
The zoonotic potential of these diseases is low, meaning that the risk that humans can contract this type of salmonella is extremely low. Participation in the NPIP is not compulsory and only requires monitoring for these 2 specific diseases, although they do offer monitoring and testing of other common poultry diseases as well.
Anyone can breed poultry in their back yard and sell it without the certification, but if you are looking to buy stock, it is strongly advised that you only buy from a producer that carries the certification as introducing new stock to your flock that potentially carry these disease can be detrimental. At this stage, the selling stock is at the lowest cost to the producer. Not all sellers will package eggs well and not all courier companies will handle eggs appropriately so more common than not, expect a few cracked or broken eggs.
Being transported and exposed to varying temperatures as well as rough handling can have a massive negative effect on your hatching rate. The best, sure-fire way to avoid this, is to buy eggs from a seller in your area and to go pick up the eggs yourself.
This certainly applies to live birds as well. The younger the silkie, the lower the cost to the producer is. The downside of buying young silkies is that they are almost impossible to sex up to 8 — 11 weeks. Some labs offer a discount if you send a number of samples, for example, more than Older silkies, around layer age, are at the peak of their value, and pullets and good quality rooster will be most expensive at this age.
Many people will sell pairs for a better price as a way to get rid of unwanted roos and will even rehome roosters for free. Keep in mind that rooster comes at a price that might not cost you cash. Roosters will crow most silkie roosters may be less loud than other roosters — read more in our article on how noisy silkies are for tips to keep your silkies quiet.
In addition to this, keep in mind that keeping more than one rooster may lead to some flock politics and potentially fighting among the roosters. The best place to locate reputable breeders will be at your local fair.
Most silkie owners will love being complimented on the quality of their birds so make use of that opportunity to make contact with someone who will probably have good quality birds for sale.
Many backyard poultry owners, especially in the US report mostly positive experiences ordering anything from eggs to live birds on eBay. The trick is to order from suppliers who are located no more than miles away. There is a multitude of large hatcheries all over. Not all hatcheries will sell silkies though. Hatcheries will be able to ship eggs that you can incubate at home. Some hatcheries also sell day-old chicks. There are many local poultry associations, livestock markets, or stockyards that have regular auctions.
Feed stores and co-ops or a search on Google or Facebook should point you in the direction of your local auction. Facebook is a popular place for people to, for example, advertise roosters, who need a new home. You might also be able to make contact with people who breed good quality silkies. Look out for brag posts on the silkie-related group. Forums such as Back Yard Chickens are a great place to find all kinds of poultry and to connect with other people who might have silkies for sale.
Remember, it costs just as much to feed, house and care for a mediocre bird from a mediocre flock as it costs to feed pretty pet Silkies that came from a breeder who cares about the breed. The purchase price is only a small part of the cost of your flock.
Keep in mind you will be able to sell your eggs and chicks more easily if they come from good parents. If you are buying eggs then make sure they are breed standard and from well cared for and fed parents. Check the eggs for cracks, avoid dirty shells and candle them to make sure all the membranes are intact.
The parents should conform to the standards and have NPIP. If you are buying chicks then make sure they don't have any obvious defects like splayed legs and deformed keel bones. With Silkies the fluffy feathers and skin colour is very important. Like my content? Sign up to be on our email list. What is the cost of Silkie chickens and where to buy them. Buy freshly milled organic chicken feed shipped direct from the fields of the midwest.
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