Silkie guide
How to Care for Silkie Chicks: A Beginner's Guide
Silkie chicks are tiny, gentle and a joy to raise. They need the same basics as other chicks, plus a little extra care because of their fluffy feathers and crests. Here's how to get them off to a great start.
Set up the brooder before they arrive
- A brooder: a large plastic tote, stock tank or sturdy box with tall sides.
- Heat: a brooder heat plate or a securely clamped heat lamp. Heat plates are safer and closer to a mother hen.
- Bedding: paper towels for the first few days (so chicks learn what food is), then pine shavings. Avoid slippery newspaper and cedar shavings.
- A thermometer at chick level.
- A chick feeder and a shallow waterer. Add marbles or clean pebbles to the water tray so tiny silkies can't drown.
Turn the heat on a day early so everything is warm when the chicks come home.
Keep them warm, and keep them longer
Start at about 95°F under the heat source for the first week, then lower it about 5°F each week. Give chicks room to move away from the heat too.
Watch the chicks, not just the thermometer:
- Huddled under the heat and peeping loudly: too cold.
- Spread far from the heat, panting: too hot.
- Spread out, eating, napping, quietly chirping: just right.
Silkie tip: silkie feathers stay fluffy and aren't waterproof like other breeds' feathers. Silkie chicks often need heat a little longer, and they must stay dry. A wet silkie chick chills fast.
Food and water
Feed a chick starter crumble (around 18 to 20% protein) from day one until about 8 weeks. Medicated starter (amprolium) is fine with our Marek's vaccinated chicks. Only skip medicated feed if your chicks were vaccinated for coccidiosis.
When chicks first arrive, gently dip each beak in the water so they know where to find it.
Daily checks
- Pasty butt: droppings can dry and block the vent. Check bottoms daily for the first week and clean gently with a warm, damp paper towel.
- Crests and eyes: as the crest grows it can cover a silkie's eyes. If a chick struggles to find food or water, carefully trim the feathers right around the eyes.
- Clean, dry bedding: spot-clean wet bedding around the waterer every day.
Marek's vaccine and biosecurity
Our chicks are vaccinated for Marek's disease, which silkies are especially prone to. The vaccine needs a couple of weeks to build protection, so keep new chicks away from older birds, and wash your hands and change shoes between your adult flock and the brooder.
Moving outside
Silkies can usually move to the coop once they're fully feathered and nights are mild, often around 8 weeks or later in cool weather. Remember that silkies can't fly: use low roosts or none, add a ramp, and give them a dry, draft-free, predator-proof space.