Kinder Korner by LaRose: Silkie Chickens

What is one of the world's dumbest, and cutest birds of all time?

It would have to be Silkies.

Silkies are a type of chicken. They are a bantam, which means they are a miniature breed. The are meant for showing, and pets, not for major egg laying.

Instead of feathers like most chickens, their feathers resemble fur. Making them very soft, very fluffy, and very silkie. Silkies are extrememly cute. But their skin is black, and they have 5 toes instead of 4. They are actually a very ugly bird, with pretty feathers. There are two different catagories of silkie. Pets and Show birds.

Pets are very very ugly, they don't have a lot of fluff, so you can see their skin, and they just look scraggly. Most if not all silkies you will see are just pet quaility.

But the show ones are very beautiful! Their crests (the fluff around their head) get so big, they have trouble seeing and doing things like normal birds.

Because of selective breeding over time to make their crests bigger their brains are not inside their skulls. They have no skull on the top of their head, and their brain is only covered by skin. So a light tap on the head gives them brain damage and they die.

You can see in the picture of their skull how the top is open.

This combined with their low sight makes them one of the most fragile birds in the world.

Because good show silkies are so fragile, and because they don't lay many eggs, they are very rare. Making them a very expensive pet.

I used to hate them, but over time I grew to love them and dived into the venture of breeding them.

I've bought birds from across the country, and spent way more than I care to think about.

I have two nice flocks now. But I'm still trying. It hasn't been easy. I've lost more birds, than I have. If they get stressed or pecked in the head they get brain damage and get a condition called wry neck. They neck bent backwards, and they can't eat or drink, and they just flop in circles and eventually die.

I've had to force feed with an eye dropper several birds for months on end. They also have to take steroids. (Try explaining that one to the vet) Out of the ones I spent months working on I've saved maybe 2, out of at least 6 times that many.

They have to have special housing, and they really can't go outside very much. They stay inside most times. You have to make sure they can see enough to eat, by putting their crests in little pony tails.

To sum it up, they are a pain in the butt. I don't know why I still have them. After watching hundred dollar birds after bird die from stupid reasons.

But they are beautiful!Have I made any money back?

Nope. Not yet. They don't lay enough eggs to sell to hatch. And It's hard to raise birds old enough to sell.

I had 4 beautiful birds to sell in a couple weeks. They are like 6 months old. Despite all odds I got them to make it to adult hood where they are more hardy.

Of course I worked late last night so my mother took care of my pets.

What does she do. She lets them outside where they have never been before. And thinks they will just go back in their house at night. o.O

Well they are dumb as rocks, and of course they don't.

So I wake up in the morning and go feed. And find them outside in the pouring rain, gasping for life.

I could have killed her.

I rushed them inside and blow dried them. Luckily 3 seem like they are okay. The fourth was a little hen that I just saved from wry neck a few weeks ago and still hadn't recovered her strength yet. She is barely hanging on, but she is laying down, eyes closed, and I don't have much hope of her living.

Gr. Darn it. All my work. *bangs head on desk* I was so close to selling one. lol Then mom had to go and kill it.