housing silkies?

[Ged]

hiya as most of you know i have just got 3 partridge silkie chicks, what i was wondering is can i (when their bigger) run them with my other goldline hens? have read they need to be kept dry but how dry? my garden can get quite wet and muddy in the winter, i dont really want to seperate them from the girls if i can help it tho...any advice please thanks

[peter wade]

silkies being smaller than your other birds could be bullied i would to be on safe side keep them apart i know it would be nice if they could run together but you may not be able to, is your shed & run big enough for them if you try and put together

[snifter]

If they are anything like my experience keeping Polands, then yes, you will have to keep them as mud free and covered as possible in the winter and colder months. Their feathering doesn't help them in wet/muddy conditions.

I used to keep a covered run for my Polands. And if it rained or was really miserable they stayed under that all day. And it was on mud free ground. Also getting wet and not drying off before roosting means Polands can take ill (and their headgear being soaked isn't fun for them either) and its good to ensure they are either kept dry or you dry them before they go into roost. I'd think the same could be said of Silkies in winter months. Their feathering makes them higher maintenance.

I'd not run them with the other birds and would look to having somewhere more suited for them over the winter months.

[Ged]

thanks peter and snifter much help, ill keep them seperate from the other girls i think ...not sure what to do with the ground tho? any ideas? maybe i could put pallets down? or would it be better with gravel or something like? all tips greatfully recieved thanks

[kelloggs]

My silkies although sadly we are down to three run with all the rest and if anything they are the ones in charge, a couple of the silkies have only just joined the group as their cockerel died and they were very depressed and they had no problem settling in with the big girls and my cockerel knows not to touch them.(not that he dare)

As for mud mine love nothing better than having a nice wet muddy dust bath but they don't look any worse for wear and stopping them going out in the rain would never work so I let them enjoy it.