The Growing Chicks at My Farm

March 25, 2024

The youngest residents at my farm are thriving.

Earlier this year I incubated and hatched more than two dozen baby Silkie and Ayam Cemani chicks. Since then, the peeps have grown and moved into their new "nursery" coop where they can have access to the outdoors. All of them are alert, healthy, and very curious. They will remain in this enclosure until they are old enough to join the adult chickens.

Enjoy these photos.

: I love raising all kinds of chickens. This Silkie peep hatched early last month right here in my stable feed room.

: They grow quickly. Here, these chicks are about three weeks old.

: The Silkie, also known as the Silky or Chinese silk chicken, is a breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy, satin-like plumage.

: This breed is very calm and friendly.

: There are eight Silkie color varieties accepted by the American Poultry Association. They include black, blue, buff, gray, partridge, splash, and white.

: All these chicks have clear eyes and are very alert – signs of good health.

: Silkies have black eyes, dark beaks, combs, and wattles.

: Underneath all that feathering, they also have black skin and bones and five toes instead of the typical four on each foot.

: At this stage, the chicks are already communicating with each other. In general, chickens are quite vocal. They make around 30 different calls, expressing everything from “I am hungry” to “there’s a predator nearby.”

: Chicks remain in my stable for a few weeks until they are big enough to go to the “nursery” coop. This was “move-in day.”

: At first, they all stay together in one big flock.

: This is a young Ayam Cemani already perching on the big ladder in the “nursery” coop. It is an uncommon and relatively modern breed of chicken from Indonesia. This breed has a dominant gene that causes hyperpigmentation, making it entirely black, including feathers, beak, and internal organs.

: Ayam Cemani chickens are cold and hot weather hardy, low maintenance, tame and easy to handle.

: Once the hens are old enough to lay eggs, they lay a surprisingly abundant amount of eggs – and, the eggs are bright cream in color.

: In the back of the coop is a small ramp. The chicks are able to go in and out as they please during the day. At night the doors are all closed to keep them safe from predators.

: Here is a group of Ayam Cemanis. While all the birds get along fine, “birds of a feather flock together.” Ayam means “chicken” in Indonesian. Cemani refers to the village on the island of Java where this breed originated. The breed was first described by Dutch colonial settlers and imported to Europe in 1998 by poultry breeder Jan Steverink. The roosters weigh about five pounds full grown, while the hens are about a pound less.

: All the young chickens love being outside. They are now almost eight weeks old. Here are two white Silkies foraging. When determining their sex, female Silkies will keep their bodies more horizontally positioned, while males will stand more upright, keeping their chests forward and their necks elongated. Males will also hold their tail more upright, where females will keep it horizontal or slightly dipped toward the ground.

: Because the Silkie’s feathers lack functioning barbicels, similar to down on other birds, they are unable to fly, but they can stretch and flap their wings.