While chickens are often barnyard or farm animals, they are found in suburban, urban, and even rural environments! Silkie chickens are one of the oldest and most unique breeds of poultry, and they originated in Southeast Asia as long ago as before the 1200s! So do silkie chickens make good pets?
Silkie chickens make good pets as they are easy to care for and benefit their owners in a mentally rewarding way. Silkie chickens are also small, so they don’t need as much space as larger fowl. They’re calm, inexpensive to keep, love human interaction, and have a beautiful appearance!
If you’re considering getting yourself a silkie chicken, or maybe even a few of them, you may wonder if it’s the best choice.
Well, continue reading with us as we go through all the reasons why silkie chickens make good pets, and you may be running to the pet store in no time!
Keeping Silkie Chickens As Pets
Keeping silkie chickens as pets will require time and effort, but this can be expected with any other pet. Although silkie chickens tend to become broody, who can blame them? With their beautiful appearance, it makes sense that they would want our earth to be crawling with them!
Silkie chickens are also not very productive egg layers, and you will never get more than 120 eggs a year from them, so if eggs are your primary goal with them, you may be disappointed.
Additionally, silkie chickens cannot fly, making them a target for predators, so you will need to keep them in a safe and secure pen or cage. Let’s explore the reasons why silkie chickens make such good pets:
Silkie Chickens Are Easy To Look After
Like all other chickens, it is crucial for their water, food, and living area to remain as clean as possible for them to stay happy and healthy. Silkies should also be checked weekly for any mites or lice, as it could cause changes in their health.
Should any mites or lice be found, the entire flock should be treated accordingly, which is inexpensive and easy. Silkie chickens are resilient, tough, and healthy birds who thrive in warm and cold climates.
Silkie chickens have a long lifespan, usually around nine years old, much longer than common types of chickens. The best part is that silkie chickens will continue to be beautiful even as they age.
Keeping Silkie Chickens Will Provide You With Mental Benefits
Besides the feeling of companionship and providing you with entertainment, silkie chickens can provide their owners with many benefits, making them as pets even more rewarding.
Some Silkie owners enter the birds into poultry shows, which could become a fun and rewarding hobby to get involved in. additionally, silkie chickens are a great form of pest control, as they will peck up any insects they can find.
Although silkie chickens won’t lay heaps of eggs, they will provide their owners with some delicious eggs they can consume or sell for extra money.
Silkie Chickens Are Small And Don’t Need Loads Of Space
Due to silkie chickens being so small, they won’t need as much space as other large fouls will need. As long as silkies have enough space to peck around and explore and a safe and secure coop, they will be perfectly happy and thrive!
Silkie Chickens Are Quiet And Calm
Silkie chickens are not noisy at all, which is something worth mentioning. Instead, they have a calm and friendly temperament, which makes them the ideal chicken breed if you live in an apartment and are allowed to keep chickens.
They will make a great addition to your household, provided you have the space. In addition, you will never have to be concerned about your neighbors complaining, as they cannot fly!
Silkie Chickens Are Inexpensive Pets
Silkie chickens are affordable pets, especially considering all the benefits of keeping them, including companionship, pest control, and delicious fresh eggs.
Although silkies will need a chicken coop which may be expensive, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime expense.
Additionally, they will only need food, water, and an occasional dust bath to control mites. Fortunately, these expenses can be cheap if you purchase simple or premade products and construct them at home.
Chicken feed is also very affordable, and silkie chickens will love eating food scraps from your kitchen and the insects they come across!
Silkies Love To Interact With Their Owners
Silkies are affectionate animals, and they will form a strong bond and get attached to their owners, following them everywhere they go. They also love to be cuddled on laps, held, and petted, where other breeds of chickens will squawk and peck.
This makes silkie chickens the perfect breed for small children, with adult supervision. If you feel you need a cute animal to love and who will love you the same way, a silkie chicken will provide you with precisely that.
Silkie Chickens Have A Beautiful Appearance
Silkie chickens are the first place when it comes to their looks. While standard chickens may be beautiful with their well-constructed and neatly arranged feathers, this is not the case with silkies!
Silkies have fluffy and puffy feathers that almost make them look like a feathery boa! They will surely attract lots of attention and know how to use it to their advantage.
Consider a Silkie chicken if you’re looking for a pet entirely different from a regular dog or cat. It is a gorgeous bird, and you won’t be able to help yourself but to love them unconditionally.
If you don’t mind everybody fussing about your silkie, you are sure to get loads of compliments and questions asking to pet them!
Final Word
If you’re a beginner looking for their first pet chicken, you may have found your perfect match! Silkie chickens are excellent for beginners and are tough yet easy-going.
Keep in mind that if you are currently raising other breeds of chickens, it is not recommended to introduce silkies to the flock, as they may be bullied or hurt.
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- Do Silkie Chickens Like to Be Held?
- How Much Space Do Silkie Chickens Need?
- Do Silkies Lay Eggs You Can Eat?
Sources
https://www.agriculture.com/livestock/poultry/silkie-chickens-make-great-additions-to_287-ar16545
https://www.tatlerasia.com/culture/entertainment/silkie-chickens-pet-singapore