08/18/2022
Why we can't sell just hens or pullets!!!!
I get asked this question all the timeā¦ why donāt you sell silkie hens or pullets?
Well, let me answer that question, and on behalf of (most) all silkie breeders.. Itās just the nature of the breed.
1) Silkies are naturally very slow to mature. It takes a silkie chick 5 - 8 months to reach maturity. In comparison, a meat production bird is ready for market by 6 weeks of age. A 6-week old bantam silkie is just getting old enough to wean off of heat lamps and is about the size of a 2-week old LF bird.
2) Silkies are not known for being great egg layersā¦ Many hens will only lay about 20 - 30 eggs per year, taking many breaks in between to go broody, which stops egg production for weeks to months at a time.
3) It is very hard to determine a silkie chicks s*x until they reach maturity, trust me, I'm wrong almost always ā¦ As stated above, that can be half of a calendar year. Not only are they slow to mature, their walnut combs look identical at a young age.. meaning a boy chick looks just like a girl chick. In comparison, a single-comb breed cockerel's comb will stand up higher and be redder in color in as little as 2 weeks of age. That allows a breeder to cull out all the boys from a growout pen, allowing extra space for just femalesā¦ Not so in silkies. They truly all look alike.
4) The only reliable, proven way to s*x a silkie is a DNA swab test. Currently, the cost of each test is at least $25.00 for each bird tested. This makes it very cost prohibitiveā¦ Most DNA s*xed silkie pullets sell for $75.00 or more each. If someone tells you they can s*x a 2 month old silkie, they may also try and sell you ocean front property in Arizona. Buyer beware.
5) Pen size makes raising a large number of silkies difficult for the backyard breedersā¦ Because boys look just like girls, breeders are forced to feed a mixed flock of birds until s*xual maturity, ya'll know how expensive feed is - around 6 months of age.. Thatās a lot of feed, shaving, medical attention (mite treatment, wormer etc) and space, for a long period of time..
With absolutely no guarantee that any of the grow-outs will be female.
Currently, my largest grow-out pens will hold about 20 full sized silkies ā¦ Given a 50/50 ratio, (often is 3 to 1 boys), at best half the pen will end up being boys, Thatās only 4 - 5 pullets out of every 20 birds.. If I hold back 2 or 3 pullets for show or to replace my own stock, that leaves 1 or 2 birds to sell and around 5 or 6 cockerels (that I canāt give away because nobody wants boys). So breeders, like myself, will sell pairs on occasion, but even then, I just donāt have enough stock to supply all the requests for hens and pullets.
My advise is to purchase a bunch of silkie chicks, from a reputable breeder and raise them out just like I have to do.. Cull your cockerels and keep your pullets and in a year's timeā¦ youāll have hensā¦ Thatās what us breeders have to doā¦ Itās slow, itās costly, itās a lesson in patience.. But in the end, youāll have silkie hens that suddenly are a hot commodity!
Copied and pasted from Flynn Farm Silkies and Showgirls