[notinmybackyard]

hey.
sorry if this has been discussed before but couldnt find a thread for it.

have just been offered 3 silkies that are fully grown (or at least enough to tell they are hens!), but am pretty sure they not vaccinated or clipped.
have read somewhere that after 11 weeks, they shouldnt be vaccinated and also that you cant get them in small batches. i have read the list of deceases that can be present, so am slightly worried about this. (i dont have any other poultry or pets at the moment, but do have 3 kids).
having said that, they are incredibly cute and will probably be "terminated" if i dont take them!
thanks all - notinmybackyard

[snowflake]

I have silkies that are not vaccinated because I hatched them myself and they have been fine no problems.
As long as they have a good ballance diet and wormed twice a year, keep the coup clean , you should have no problems. Your children will love them and be fine as long as you all wash your hands after handling the hens.

[grumpydad]

i dont think silkies are fliers so they dont need to be clipped.
mine were from a breeder and vaccinated and i lost 3 to diseases that they should have been free from, so i will now tend to think that vaccination can only help so far.
keep the coop clean, read lots and dont be afraid to ask questions, even if you think they are stupid basic questions, we only learn if we ask.
last, enjoy the chucks, they can be characters

martyn

[themagicaltoad1]

It's the same with any animal really, (including us), there's an endless list of diseases they could get but it doesn't mean they will. If these birds are from a large breeder they may have already been vacinated, as the vacines come in batches of 1000, most smaller breeders don't bother. My 3 silkies can only manage about a 10 ft, just above the lawn, flight and that's without clipped wings, they only do it if they see me and want to reach me in a hurry in case I have food for them There are lots of things you will need to consider if getting them, don't be fooled by many of the coops and runs on the market that say they are suitable for x amount of hens, they're all usually very space limited and unless you are willing to let them free range, and poss wreck your garden, they are generally too small, and you may need to extend the run. They make great pets when they get used to you, my daughter usually has a chicken in her arms when she's in the garden Silkies are prone to going broody though which is good if you are looking to hatch eggs but a bit of a pain if you're not. And ditto what's already been said.

[notinmybackyard]

hey.
thanks to all that replied and sorry for not getting back to you sooner. could see my original question but not the replies.
i took them on in the end without vaccinating or clipping and have to say they are great - real characters.
i spoke to a breeder up the road, who off the record said dont bother vaccinating for that amount of birds and gave similar advice to you all. keep 'em clean was his main advice.
the coop maybe a bit small, but am planning on building a new one. they also have free range of the garden when someone is there, so they should be ok.

when you say broody in this context, does this mean they dont like giving up their eggs or  something else?

[themagicaltoad1]

There's another thread on here "bantam getting broody" that will tell you a bit more. When a hen goes broody they stop laying because all they want to do is hatch eggs. They will sit in the nest box all day, even if you've taken away the eggs, often not coming out for food or water. They need to be shut out of the box, some people keep them in a plain container for a while til the mood breaks otherwise it can go on for weeks.

[Sarah Mitchell]

Hey Magic - Silkies are fab and you are very lucky to get them... but what I would like to see please is some pics of them in their new home... whaddya think?

[janette]

Hi we have 2 silkies at present 1 black and 1 white the white one is struggling her legs are a bit week and she has only laid soft shell eggs hey ho but yes silkies make excellent broodies the black one hatched 7 out of 7 earlier this year they were light sussex . Mine run all over the garden and don't do much damage but I'm sure they eat lots of bugs.!!

[Sassy]

From what I have read vaccinations are only really worthwhile for factory farmed birds because of the awful conditions that they are kept in. Most backyard breeders do not bother. Also as has been mentioned they can still come down with what they have been vaccinated against and you would need to make sure you did not mix vaccinated and non-vaccinated birds in the future. Many of the vaccinations need to be administered within the first few days of being hatched anyway.

Good husbandry is far more important than vaccinating the birds - oh and a good supplier.

Good luck