Non-Bearded Silkies Chickens
Stunning Non-Bearded Silkie Chickens For Sale.
Introduction to Non-Bearded Silkie Chickens
Non-Bearded Silkie Chickens are full of character, they are sweet, docile birds. They have lovely clean necks with no beard muffs. Having beardless chins allow you to see their pretty faces and gorgeous blue lobes more easily and makes their pom-poms look extra fluffy! Hardier than their bearded cousins they are more robust and a little smarter, they make great pets and back garden poultry.
More About Non-Bearded Silkies
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Character
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Suitability
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History
Character
They are a small bird with soft silky feathers and a docile, gentle nature.
Silkie hens are renowned for their clucky curiosity and their mothering instincts, often going broody even if they are not sitting on eggs. They make fantastic pets and are great fun for children, they are ideal garden hens, they will not destroy your flower beds or scratch up your grass and will be content pottering around your garden with you. Non Bearded Silkies tend to be a little smarter than their bearded counterparts, they can learn to climb a gentle ramp and have a little more confidence, they are more mobile and will forage further from their coop, however, they are not suited to huge open spaces.
Suitability
Silkies although suited to our British climate prefer to stay dry and warm, their soft feathers have no natural waterproofing so if they get wet through and then cold it can lower their immune system. During the winter months you can wash and blow dry them. They have feathered feet so foot maintenance in the winter is important, and if possible, keep in a covered dry run or a run that has good drainage with gravel or bark, they would not be happy in a wet or muddy environment.
They are however resilient and robust when being handled by children, they do go very broody and will often sit on an empty clutch so if you’re looking for a prolific layer the Silkie is perhaps not for you, they will give you 4-5 small white eggs a week through the summer months, they tend to stop laying in the winter, they are a flightless bird so will ned a house near or on the ground, however, Non Bearded Silkies can learn to climb a small inclined ramp.
History
Non-Bearded Silkie hens originate from East Asia, they can also be known as European Silkies as when first brought to Europe this non-bearded variety was the main variety of Silkie known. Since their introduction you can now find 4 types of Silkies including Showgirls and Sizzles. We are not entirely sure why there is a bearded and a non-bearded variety but the bearded variety are often referred to as U.S. Silkies as in the States this tends to be the main type of Silkie available, in Europe the main type of Silkie found was the non-bearded type and it is only recently that bearded Silkies are now available here too. Their life expectancy is about 9-10 years.