Things to consider about silkies:

Silkies require alot of work, I often talk people into going with Satins instead of silkies,  because they are less work for those who want the silhouette of a silkie but without the extra work. From their feathers constantly needing some cleaning and detangling to trimming of the crests so they can see ( they only really need their full crest if you are gonna be showing them) and checking their fluffy feet for buildup on the feathers. 

Silkie feathers require a higher quality feed and protein percentage. Silkies are my most expensive breed that I feed, supplement and give vitamins to. Silkies go vitamin deficient very easily. I have a list of the supplements we use as well as a recommended feed diet we follow from Dymond Dreamz farm.

If I have a bird from a particular line that seems deficient, I re-evaluate that line, as I try to avoid breeding birds that go deficient easily. (There are other things that can contribute to deficiency, like mites, and you should evaluate your own birds on a case by case basis as well as ask the breeder of the bird you got them from, as each breeder knows their lines best. )

Other feather information: They do not do well when they get wet and the humidity is too high or it is too cold for them. Chickens naturally have a higher body temperature and adjusting to being damp for long periods when they get wet, is not a strong suit of silkies. (If you have lived in North Carolina long enough you know how our weather can be unpredictable.) They need a covered run/area to stay dry and to help protect them from predators since they can not see above them well/ if at all. 

Silkies go broody often, if you are wanting a breed that lays many eggs, silkies are not going to be the breed you want. They do however make fabulous mothers and I have had teenage silkie boys mother chicks themselves. If you are looking for a natural incubator a silkie will fit the bill every time. (JUST BE AWARE YOU WILL NEED TO MAKE SURE THE HEN IS EATING AND DRINKING AS THEY WILL LITERALLY DIE ON A NEST.) I will always have silkies in my flocks just for that alone!

Silkies are expensive to buy:

Yes, silkies from chicks to adults are pretty costly, lets look at why.

*It is estimated that 60 to 70 percent of silkies hatch out male. In birds, the female of the species determines the gender of the offspring opposite of mammals where males determine the gender. So breeders are already starting off with more boys than girls when they hatch chicks, (in my opinion that's not always a bad thing, in breeding, a great male that's to standard or pretty close is worth so much more than 1 hen. A male can fertilize several females and help move a line along much faster in my opinion) some hens will produce more of one gender than the other. So it becomes necessary for breeders to do 1 of 2 things: track which hen is laying which egg and track the offspring, this means having more than 1 pen and separating out hens. That gets expensive right off in having lots of pen set ups OR a breeder has to hatch out lots of chicks to up the chances of getting enough females in a year.  

*Silkies are a very slow maturing breed, often there is no indication of whether a chick is male or female until they are anywhere from 6 to 8 months old. This is esp true in lines where the males look almost like the females right up to adulthood. There is dna sexing by blood sample but it costs $15 per bird to do so, that can get expensive very quickly when you test a batch of chicks to find out they are all male.

All of that means large hatches and growing the chicks out to almost adulthood and trying to recoup some of the cost of raising the chicks. Many breeders will not sell hatching eggs as it requires some experience in hatching certain breeds. Many eggs will develop only to have the chicks die right before hatch. There are many reasons that happens, incubators without sufficient heating ( cold spots) or too hot,  not enough humidity, too much humidity,  vaulted chicks who can not turn around in the egg properly. Chicks that did not develop properly. Diseases passed from hen to egg. 

*You are wanting to buy a silkie that is to the standard of perfection to breed or show or maybe just to have that high quality bird. Breeders who show will tell you that maybe 1 in 200 birds is going to be an almost perfect bird that can be shown. The other side of hatching and growing out lots of chicks of a breed that is very slow to mature means not being able to evaluate a bird beyond no obvious perfection issues like only 4 toes ( which is totally fine for a pet quality chick/bird and many start off with silkies who are pet quality we sure did) or having too many toes. Most silkies do not have all the qualities they need to be evaluated for show before 4 months, remember how I said silkies are slow maturing..( also NPIP programs do not test birds under 4 months of age and all  birds must be tested before they can be shown.) Last year in my blue lines out of the 15 I kept to growout for evaluating, 2 ended up being my keepers for future line development. I hatched well over 50 blue chicks last year which is not alot compared to other breeders, So much goes into developing a line from color, to body shape, foot shape (toes, spacing, feathering etc) does the bird still have its thrifty-ness (want to get the girls treats, forage) 

*Most lines are a work in progress, as one breeder said to me: Breeding is a puzzle. What they meant is that you keep moving around all the pieces until you hit the right fit to get the birds you are looking for.  All breeders are constantly working on their lines to improve on each year in some way. Most breeders sell their birds based on quality. Note that not all breeders breed toward the standard of perfection, not all show their birds and some have different views on what they consider to be quality. (Something to keep in mind.) 

All of that to say silkies are alot of work, and it is expensive to raise and breed them, it takes dedication to create a line and develop the birds you start with into high quality birds. It can be done, it takes patience though. The hard work pays off. Like with many things, in Silkies you get the quality that you are willing to pay for.  

Hopefully this has been helpful in helping you to make a decision on whether Silkies are right for you. They are such a fun breed to raise and they make amazing mothers. 

Below are a few pictures of our silkies, we keep our breeding groups small.