Silkie Chickens | Bantam Silkies | Freedom Ranger Hatcheries (2024)

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What Are Silkie Chicks?

The silkie chicks we sell from our family of hatcheries come from an ancient Chinese breed, believed to date back as far as 206 BC. They were first included in the American Poultry Association standard in 1874.

All silkie chickens are considered “Bantam Silkies” in the United States and Canada, while other countries recognize two different types: bantam and large fowl.

You can easily recognize these beautiful birds by their soft and fluffy, fur-like feathers. Those feathers are not waterproof, and Silkies take on a comical look when wet. It’s best to towel- or blow-dry them if they become saturated.

Silkie chicks grow to have feather colors that range from blue to black, white to gray, buff, splash, and partridge. Splash Bantam Silkies have gorgeous pale blue feathers with splashes of dark blue or black. Partridge Silkies have a reddish-brown overall color, with black speckles.

Silkies have black skin and black bones, blue earlobes, and their feet have five toes (most chickens have four) and come in two colors: black or yellow.

These adorable fowl have the sweetest personalities and offer hours of amusing entertainment. Silkie hens are excellent brooders (egg sitters) and excellent mothers to their Silkie chicks.

Weight of Bantam Silkies

Silkies are fairly small, topping out at only eight to 14 inches tall. Males reach weights up to four pounds, while females tip the scales at only about three pounds. The American Standard of Perfection calls for fully grown roosters to weigh 36 ounces and hens to weigh 32 ounces.

Why Should I Buy Silkies?

Their powerful brooding instinct means they are compelled to sit on eggs—and they don’t have to be Silkie eggs. Silkie hens are often used to hatch other chickens’ eggs.

Speaking of eggs, Silkies will lay about three small- or medium-sized eggs per week. Under the right conditions (with enough light, for instance), they can lay eggs year-round.

Bantam Silkies aren’t generally raised for meat since you’ll only get about a pound of it. That meat is, however, delicious and considered by some to be a delicacy.

The Silkie’s Temperament

Bantam Silkies of all types make great pets. They exhibit calm, friendly, gentle temperaments and can even be handled by children under adult supervision.

The Silkie’s loveable nature does make them a target, however. More aggressive chicken breeds may dominate them, causing a stressful environment for the Silkie.

Bantam Silkie Egg Production

Egg production is not a strong suit for Silkie hens, and they typically lay about three eggs per week, which amounts to approximately 120 eggs annually. However, they start laying eggs earlier in the year than other chicken species.

Silkie eggs are cream-colored, small to medium in size, and taste like chicken eggs. The deep-yellow yolks are large in comparison to the size of the egg, meaning there’s less egg white than chicken-egg consumers might be used to getting.

Time to Maturity for Silkie Chicks

Silkie chicks from our Bantam Silkie hatchery mature quickly in comparison to other chicken breeds. Pullets (hens) are considered mature between eight and 10 months, while co*ckerels (roosters) take a bit longer, reaching maturity at 10 to 12 months.

Silkie’s soft, fur-like feathers will set at around three months of age, and they will enter their first molt when they’re six to eight months old.

Silkie chicks from our family of hatcheries are of good stock, and when given superior care, can live at least nine years.

Questions Frequently Asked About Silkie Chicks

Silkie chicks are highly desirable pets, given their sweet nature and adorable feathers. They raise a lot of interesting questions, as well. We have pulled out our most frequently asked questions about Silkies here, and we hope you find them helpful.

If you have additional questions or concerns about Silkie chicks, we encourage you to contact us. We’ll respond as soon as we’re able.

Can You Eat a Silkie Chicken?

Silkie chickens are indeed edible, and in fact, their meat is delicate and rich. But don’t expect a big meal to feed the entire family. Each dressed Silkie will only provide about one pound of meat.

Do Silkie Chicks Grow to be Good Pets?

In a word, yes. Silkie chicks and chickens are adorable—in both appearances and disposition. They are lightweight and small and enjoy being handled by humans, and this makes them great pets for children, particularly if you’re looking to get the kids started with showing animals competitively.

Availability of Silkie Chicks

Our family of hatcheries takes great pride not only in the quality and temperament of the poultry varieties and waterfowl we sell, but we also think you’ll find our ordering, shipping, and delivery process to be simple and hassle-free.

Silkie chicks for sale from our hatchery are maintained using our incubating equipment, we only offer the white Silkies. After those Silkie chicks hatch, they will be shipped directly to you, from southcentral PA to anywhere in the U.S. We will carefully and humanely ship these birds to you with weather conditions in mind.

From April 1 through October 1, the minimum order for Silkie chicks is 15. From November 1 through March 31, the minimum order increases to 25. We invite you to place your order for Silkie chicks today. Your backyard is about to get a whole lot prettier!