Silkies~The Rubin Ranch

Our backyard flock started with our Silkies. I love their whimsical look. They have a small, heart-shaped body, five toes (different than the typical 4 for other breeds), black skin, silky hair-like plumage, and a very fashionable poof of that silky plumage atop their cute little heads!

Silkies are considered an ornamental breed. They only lay approximately 3 fun-size eggs per week, so this is not a bird you'd want to get for exceptional egg production. We got them for fun and the kids really like them. Silkies are sweet natured; some even call them the "lap dog of chickens." They are very dainty in comparison to my other breeds. Since moving the others ladies out to the chicken condo, I've noticed that our Silkies don't make quite the dusty mess of our garage that the others did and they manage to keep their food/water fairly clean. They even seem to be dropping most of their little meadow muffins in two corners of the pen! Since getting 3 new little Silkies, I decided to keep them in until they get a little bigger. Brooke, our older Silkie, is living up to the mothering reputation of Silkies by tending to the new little ones.

I've learned throughout this process that finding the right breeder/hatchery is important. Lucky for us, we found a great breeder when it came to looking for our Silkies. Elana Rubin @ The Rubin Ranch in Mequon, WI knows her stuff and has been spectacular. If you're ever looking to add Silkies to your flock, please, give Elana a call. I have her site linked under the Happy Hen Links section as well.