Fluffy Pet Chickens, the Silkie Chicken

Silkie Chickens look more like bunnies than like chickens, but indeed they are birds.  Silkie Chickens (sometimes spelled Silky Chickens) are exotic chickens, as they have blue - black skin, flesh, and bones. Another unusual feature is that silkie chickens have an extra toe on their feet. 

Silkie Chickens are one of the most popular chicken breeds for pets.  They tend to be friendlier than most other chickens and often enjoy being carried around, particularly if handled from a young age.  One of the things that make them so popular as pets is the fact they are friendly, even the roosters are not usually as mean as the roosters of some other breeds. However it should be noted that they are gentle even among other chickens and as such tend to be bullied if in with other breeds. 

Silkie chicken hens are terrific mothers and are noted as being very broody hens - often used to hatch and/or raise chicks from other chickens, or even game birds.

photo source - House Chicken, Sweet Treats, having a day at the Park.

Silkie chickens are soft to the touch, and although their feathers look like fur, they should never be brushed.  Their feathers lack barbicels which lock feathers together neatly.  Although most chickens can fly a bit, silkies are considered completely flightless because their feathers are so poor.  Additionally the loose feathers mean they are less able to cope with cold weather. 

 

Silkie chicks can be purchased from Hatcheries, local farmers, exotic livestock auctions, and bird shows.  Some people enjoy buying "hatching eggs" which are eggs that need to be incubated in order to hatch.  Other people do not want the trouble and buy week old chicks.  Still others prefer to buy more mature birds.

At five months of age the hens start laying light brown eggs, and, like all hens, will lay eggs even without a rooster.  Laying does tend to decrease after two years, but a well cared for pet Silkie can live for more than 8 years.

Our silkie rooster and a chick.

Silkies are small chickens, even their standard size is small, but they also come in a bantam size as well.

When buying Silkie chicks, or chickens, always check to see that the vent area is clean when selecting any bird.  Never buy birds from a farm if you see other sick looking birds around.

Read about what happened to us when one of our hens hatched 9 chicks and one hatched late!

Cutest Bunnies in the World

At the Animal Cabin we like all kinds of animals, from tiny bugs, to massive creatures, but of course we also love looking at some cute critters, and what could be cuter than a bunny?

Writer RJ Evans is noted for his original sense of humor, and ability to find the most awesome pictures!
He must be a Star Trek fan too because in this link he references one of Star Treks most famous animals - the Tribble.

The Angora rabbit is Earth's version of the Tribble, and nearly breeds as fast!

photo source
If you think this Angora bunny is cute you will want to check  RJ's article The Real Life Tribble - click here.

Angora rabbits are not easy pets to care for, they require regular grooming or their hair can become a real problem for them.  If hair around their rump is allowed to become dirty it can attract flies which can lead to a deadly problem - fly strike.



Read more about angora rabbit breeds.
See other cute rabbit breeds.