Two pets in one? An introduction to keeping Silkies chickens in your backyard

Is it a rabbit crossed with a chicken? That’s what Marco Polo may have thought when he first encountered a Silkie on his travels in the Far East and it was a myth perpetuated as they were introduced into Europe centuries later.

Silkies are in fact an ancient breed of chicken whose distinctive ‘furry’ look is due to the distinct lack of hooks on the barbules of the feathers that would normally zip them together into the recognisable feather shape. They also have several other unusual characteristics including five toes, blue ears and black skin. Silkies are small (especially the bantam version), docile, good with children and available in a number of colours including black, white, brown and blue.

You may have never considered keeping chickens as pets before but they are fascinating, inquisitive and surprisingly intelligent animals that are easier than you might think to look - they also come with the added benefit of delicious fresh eggs on tap. 

A trio (the minimum that should be kept) of Silkies can be housed in a relatively small space and require no more daily attention that other traditional pets such as rabbits or guinea pigs. A daily top up of food, change of water and, if you clear the overnight poop on a daily basis, bi-weekly cleaning makes up the usual routine.

The most important thing to consider when keeping chickens is providing a safe, predator proof, environment. Coops can be bought (or made) in many different styles from the traditional hen house the to the space efficient ‘ark’ style that incorporates the living quarters and run in one. You should ensure enough space (minimum 1m square metre per bird in the run) enough perching area (about 30cm per bird in the coop) and a nesting area are available. Other than that Silkies don’t like getting their feathers wet so you will need to provide a sheltered area for more inclement days but this can be a simple space under the coop or, more effectively, by means of a roof or tarpaulin covering the run.

All chickens love to free range, scratch about just to sunbathe on the lawn whenever possible. Silkies can’t fly due to their fluffy feathers but are good jumpers so while they won’t be escaping over the garden fence - as some other breeds can - they can easily hop in to flower beds, or other places they may not be allowed, if you let them out to roam unattended. They also like somewhere to make a dust bath whether this is a simple area of dry earth or an old cat litter try filled with sand. Dust bathing is natural behaviour and helps keep parasites down.

Chickens drink a lot of water so should always have a fresh supply available. They will happily exist on pelleted food which is especially formulated to contain all the nutrients they need however, treats will always be appreciated and they will enjoy a wide range of titbits from strawberries and broccoli to mealworms and corn. You will need purpose designed feeders and drinkers that prevent them chucking their food all over the place as this can attract unwanted visitors but chicken feed and equipment is now widely available from feed merchants, garden centres and high street pet stores.

They do occasionally get ill with complaints relating to the respiratory system, digestive system or egg laying organs most common. It is a good idea to check that there is a chicken friendly vet in the vacinity as not all small animal vets will understand these specific ailments. If you provide the correct environment and cater for their basic needs however you shouldn’t experience any more problems than with other pets.

A couple of things I should mention are that you will need to check your house deeds don’t restrict the keeping of chickens and until you have more experience and/or agreeable neighbours don’t keep a cockerel -  you don’t need them for your hens to lay eggs and they can be a bit of a handful.

Chicken keeping is a fulfilling and somewhat addictive hobby that I would thoroughly recommend to anyone. More detailed information and tutorials covering keeping poultry, livestock husbandry, growing your own food and a variety of country crafts can be found on the specialist online smallholders resource www.pocketfarm.co.uk

A Great Day Out - Simples!

Before Child, I’d not visited a garden centre since, as a whining 12 year-old, I was dragged around Poplars Nurseries by my parents. Bedding plants and border shrubs totes aren’t my thing. I may be slightly more enamoured by soft furnishings and scented candles now that I’m A Grown Up, but my horticultural skills are still limited to liberally spraying the patio with weedkiller and reminding the husband that he needs to mow the lawn every other weekend in the summer.

But one of my favourite places to visit with Charlie nowadays is the Van Hage garden centre in Amwell.

Let’s start with the kids’ stuff first. There’s a mini children’s zoo. I’m not sure if it qualifies as a zoo (I don’t actually know how you qualify a zoo, full stop), but it’s certainly got a good selection of animals for kids to peer/poke at: chickens, monkeys, rabbits, ducks, geese, turkeys, pigs, meerkats, rabbits, guinea pigs, chickens, goats, giant tortoises, peacocks, rabbits, and more chickens. Charlie loves it, although he tends to run around pointing out the animals to other people (we do visit often; did I mention it’s free?).

There’s a miniature train to ride on, too. Again, we’ve been on it countless times, although it’s not stopped being fun just yet (even for me).

And in the run-up to Christmas, the place becomes even more magical. The incredible Christmas displays and decorations aside (one day I hope to be able to afford more than the odd bauble), there’s a real ice rink and a Santa’s Grotto. (I should note that I haven’t visited the grotto with Charlie so far. There’s a booking system and I’m not that organised).

During the summer the centre also plays host to a circus, which takes place this year from August 23rd to 31st. Find out more here.

But the place also has loads to offer adults – even those of us who don’t like plants.

There’s a whole shop devoted to candles, for a start. I could genuinely spend a fortune in there on the Banana Cream Cake Yankee Candles jars.

The Food Hall has an amazing selection of treats and jars of stuff that look pretty, but are unlikely to be used (in my kitchen, at least).

There’s a book section, a clothing store (selling Barbour and Hotter shoes, amongst other brands), home and giftware, and a toy section, which mostly features sturdy traditional toys.

I could spend hours there without ever looking at a shrub. And the café is good and reasonably priced, too.

Even if, like me, you’d rather patio over the garden, you should visit Van Hague. Just leave your purse at home if you can't resist (pricey) scented candles.