Silkies are arguably the cutest and friendliest chickens around. Unlike most chickens, their feathers are so soft and fluffy that they resemble Muppets more than chickens. Throw in some extra toes, black skin, and electric blue earlobes and you’re starting to get the picture.
Thing is, all that floof attracts tons of dirt and worse. Worse meaning poop hanging off their backside in a most unattractive fashion. A good healthy diet helps keep pasty butt at bay, but every so often you gotta get in there and do the ugly side of animal husbandry. A nice soak in warm water really helps break that poop up as well as keep the chickens calm and cozy.
After a good soak and lather you have your self an ugly looking drowned rat kinda chicken. A soaked silkie means a cold silkie once the sun sets. Many can get sick this way, so it’s important to either do this in the morning so they have time to dry or give them a little spa treatment with a blow dryer. Just be careful they don’t get over-heated when doing so!
I wanted to share this little video with you all so you can see how much Piper adores the spa days here at the Mind Your Dirt Luxury Spa Treatment Super Center and Poof Emporium. So here it is…
She is the absolute cutest little fluffball in the world. And now she’s strutting around the backyard in all her majestic glory. You go girl!
Extra toes? You should show us.
My chickens would never put up with this. I guess they’re not pets. They used to follow me around…but I was ill for a few months and Rick took up the task of chicken chores. Now they barely acknowledge me–but Rick is the chicken hero!
You’re absolutely right! *runs outside to hassle chicken* I’ve taken some pics and added them to the post. As for chicken love, Piper and Knuckles are the only two that obsessively follow me everywhere. Knuckles especially. She was raised in my beard and is 100% obsessed with this hairy ape thing. I have a few other girls that see me as the rooster so they bow down when I come in. Which would be totally respectful if the implications weren’t so disturbing. I always murmur, “Take it easy Cheesecake, I’m here to feed you, not bang you.” The rest of the girls are only food driven and would likely kill me if the scale was reversed.
I love her! Thanks for sharing. I might need to get me a silkie our next go ’round – my three ladies would never allow an interloper at this stage.
There is an art to introducing new hens for sure. The thing is a breed as small as a silkie would get her butt kicked on the regular by larger breeds. Got so bad at my house I had to build a second coop! Food for thought for thee.
https://mindyourdirt.com/2015/10/06/pipers-new-house/