Table of Contents
- Appearance of eggs and behaviour of silkies hens
- Curious Silkie Chickens: Tomato Lovers and Herb Aversion
- Harmonious Coexistence: Silkie Chickens and Their Feathery Friends
- Deliciously Versatile: Exploring the Culinary Uses of Silkie Eggs
- Nurturing Silkie Chickens for Beauty and Function
Many people often wonder if silkie chicken eggs are edible or if these chickens are only suitable as pets. However, the answer is yes, you can indeed eat silkie chicken eggs. In fact, people, including ourselves, consume silkie chicken eggs on a daily basis. Surprisingly, silkie chickens can also be eaten as meat.
Appearance of eggs and behaviour of silkies hens
Silkie chicken eggs are small and have a very light brown color, almost white, we anticipate that their eggs will have the same color, and we are eager to find out. Keeping silkie chickens is relatively easy. They are quieter than our other chickens, and even our silkie rooster crows more softly. Silkies have a sweet nature and are not as energetic as some ther breeds. They tend to keep to themselves more than our noisy egg-laying chickens.
Curious Silkie Chickens: Tomato Lovers and Herb Aversion
However, don’t be fooled into thinking that silkie chickens won’t cause any damage to your garden. While most of our vegetable and fruit garden beds are protected from chickens, the silkies have managed to access our green tomatoes and pluck them from the plant. So, the answer is yes, silkie chickens can and will eat tomatoes, particularly the green ones. We can successfully grow tomatoes in the tropics, alongside various herbs and other tropical food plants. Interestingly, silkies do not seem to enjoy the taste or scent of certain herbs such as Thai basil, tulsi, thyme, and oregano. They also stay away from my lemongrass and finger lime plants.
Harmonious Coexistence: Silkie Chickens and Their Feathery Friends
We keep our silkie chickens together with other breeds and have experienced no instances of bullying or conflicts. We also have geese, guinea fowl, and ducks, and the silkies get along well with all of them. However, we have noticed that a male duck (drake) could potentially pose a problem. With the help of our silkie rooster, we have been able to fertilize our silkie eggs and achieve a high rate of successful hatching for silkie chicks. Silkie hens have a tendency to go broody frequently, making them excellent for hatching eggs from other bird species, silkies make great mothers, unlike guinea fowl, which are not known for their mothering skills.
Deliciously Versatile: Exploring the Culinary Uses of Silkie Eggs
So, can you eat silkie eggs? The answer is yes. You can use them in the same way as regular hen eggs – fry them, scramble them, boil them, or incorporate them into baking or any other egg-based dish. On our homestead, we often have an abundance of eggs and sometimes cook a batch to feed our cats, dogs, and chickens. The eggshells can be baked in the oven, ground up in a blender, and added to your soil or chicken feed for added calcium.
Nurturing Silkie Chickens for Beauty and Function
Silkie chickens can be kept in tropical regions, however, it is important to ensure they have access to a dry area during the wet season. Having silkie chickens is a great joy as they are visually appealing, gentle in nature, small in size, and serve various purposes. Like all chickens, they provide us with meat and eggs, while also contributing to soil fertilization and pest control.