It is no secret that Silkie Chicken is the labrador retriever of chickens. One of the low number of chicken breeds that you can keep in your apartment. If you are looking for a pet chicken, Silkie Chicken Is the breed for you.
They are small, smart, and gentle. However, when roosters come to mind, even the Silkie Rooster Temperament can surprise every chicken keeper.
Their distinct fluffy plumage caught even Marco Polo‘s attention. He was amazed by their fur, so it’s believed that he brought them to Europe via Silk Road.
Not all Silkie cockerels grow into angry roosters. Many factors determine the fate of the silkie chicken cockerels and the rooster character they grow into.
How Do You Handle Silkie Rooster Temperament?
First of all, not all roosters are stubborn. Especially those that belong to the smarter and friendlier breeds such as the Silkie. The best thing to do if you decide to keep Silkie rooster is to get them while they’re young.
A cockerel that grows up and develops into a friendly environment should have no problems growing into a friendly rooster. The stubbornness comes from stress caused by changes in the pecking order or not enough food and water.
Also, believe it or not, genetics have a lot to say on this matter. Due to the fact that there were generations and generations bred only for cockfighting it is safe to say that some of those angry roosters may be the grandad of your fuzzy little Silkie rooster.
In order to prevent this kind of genetics related anger problem with your rooster just double check the source where you are getting them.
While young, make sure that your Silkie cockerels get enough room to move and spend enough energy. This is very important because of roosters, as much as any other male animal, convert the extra energy into an excuse for bullying and aggression.
Good advice is not to spoil the roosters when they are young or at their prime. Spoiled roosters tend to show their authority even to their chicken keepers.
Silkies are pre-dispositioned to promote friendliness with their keepers.
They are the perfect breed for those that want slightly unusual pets.
However, even silkie chickens need to be taught their place in the household and what most recommend doing is try and feed them from your hand. Even when they are young they will surely remember their source of food and will not defy you afterward.
Handling an aggressive Silkie rooster is easy on paper. You clap your hands loudly until you`ve got their attention. But still, this is only on paper.
What you can do is separate the aggressive rooster from the flock and after they are calmer put them back.
If they repeat the aggressive behavior separate them for a longer time. This has done the trick for many chicken keepers.
Although many swear on the friendliness of a Silkie rooster, there are exceptions even for this breed. Luckily for us, Silkie rooster temperament going bad is not a regular issue with this breed.
What every experienced chicken keeper recommends is getting the roosters while young and starting from there, teach them to be friendly.
I am a BEGINNER with chickens. Just doing the architecture of the coop. But I am an animal guardian. Not popular with most “people”.
I have heard that separation of the rooster then reintroducing him to the flock to calm his temperament – but thought it would be like putting him in prison. I believe the separation should be a time to build a relationship and to bond (maybe with hand feeding). I guess I mean to say that the separation can be a Retreat or somewhat a Rehap for “Naughty boys”.
I have a mean Silkie Rooster I raised since day 1. No matter what I do holding down he is aggressive to everyone. Just a mean SOB. The hens are all lovable babies. He is being rehomed because I am not going to tolerate the actions. Love the breed just have a nasty rooster in this beautiful bird.
Joseph, I too have a mean Silkie Rooster and am thinking of rehoming as my children cannot enter the chicken run to visit with our other chickens without fear of being attacked. We got him and our other chickens as babies and have treated them all very well. So I’m not sure what we did wrong.
My silkie rooster attacked my daughter, left a big scratch below her eye, he could of blinded her. We raised him since he was a baby and now we can hardly go near him.
Hm, so sorry for your daughter. Is there any particular reason why the Silkie attacked?