There is no doubt that the Silkie chicken is an ancient breed, probably of Chinese origin. The Chinese name for the Silkie chicken is wu-gu-Ji — meaning black-boned. An alternative name for this bird is the Chinese Silk Chicken. The evidence points to a Chinese origin quite strongly, but it cannot be stated completely.
It was first mentioned by Marco Polo around on his remarkable journey across Europe and the Far East. The Silkie chicken made its way westward either by the Silk Road or by the maritime routes, likely both. The ancient Silk Road stretched from China to modern-day Iraq. Numerous secondary routes crossed over into Europe and the Balkan states. When people first introduced the Silkie chicken to the European public, it was said to be the offspring of a chicken and a rabbit — a not so unbelievable thing back in the s!
The comb coloring should be black or dark mulberry — any other color, and it is not a pure Silkie chicken. Eyes are black. They have five toes instead of the usual four found in chickens. The outer two toes should be feathered.
Their feathers lack barbicels those are the hooks that hold the feathers together , hence the fluffy appearance. It also means that the feathering is not waterproofed, and so a wet Silkie chicken is a pathetic sight to see.
If they do get significantly wet, they need to be towel-dried or even blow-dried — which they enjoy if it is done regularly. Underneath all that fluff, the Silkie has black skin and bones. Sadly, this makes them a food delicacy in parts of the Far East. The meat is also used in Chinese medicine since it contains twice as much carnitine as other chicken meat — carnitine has anti-aging properties so it is said.
Interestingly, all Silkies in the US and Canada are considered to be bantam regardless of size. Every other country in the world recognizes both bantam and large fowl types. In the UK, large fowl Silkies should weigh around 4lb 64oz for the male and 3lb 48oz for the females, and bantams should weigh around g 21oz for males and g 18oz for females.
Accepted colors are blue, black, white, grey, buff, splash, and partridge. Several other colors are available, such as lavender, cuckoo, and red, but they are not yet accepted in the APA.
Silkies are poor performers in the egg-laying department. They start laying earlier in the year than most hens, starting up once the days begin to get longer — occasionally late December but more often early January.
They do best when put with others of a similar nature, such as the Polish hen. Despite their fluffy feathering, they tolerate the cold fairly well — wetness is something they cannot tolerate.
If your climate is freezing in the winter, they will benefit from a little supplemental heat. The Silkie chicken is notoriously difficult to sex until around six months old. Many silkie chicken breeders have bred their stock for natural immunity, but of course, you can get your birds vaccinated. With Silkies being very fluffy, they can be a target for mites and lice, so you should pay due diligence to these little fluffballs.
You may also need to trim the feathers around the eyes to help them see a little better. Other than this, the Silkie chicken is quite robust and will usually live for years, longer with lots of TLC! They are cuddly, fluffy, and tolerant, love sitting in your lap, and even enjoy cuddles.
This docility can lead to them being picked on by more aggressive flock members , so try to keep an eye open for bullying. Silkies are notoriously broody — the standing joke is that a Silkie can hatch a rock! They also make great mothers. Many folks keep Silkies to hatch out other eggs. If you live in an apartment and want to have chickens as pets, the Silkies are a perfect fit since they are pretty quiet too.
However, if you live in an area that is inclined to be wet and muddy, be aware that those conditions do not really agree with Silkies because of their feathering, but if you absolutely must have them, you will need to keep them clean and dry. Drying your Silkie chicken quickly can be the difference between life and death for your fluffy chicken.
This means they can catch a chill easily and die of hypothermia, especially if they live in cold climates. Tid-bitting is when a rooster finds a tasty treat and calls his hens over to allow them too much on it first. He usually clucks to them, picks up the morsel, and drops it so the girls can see it. While most roosters in this breed are friendly, there are also territorial and aggressive territories to strangers.
But as with all breeds, temperament can vary from chicken to chicken. The price of a silkie can vary. Read how to hatch eggs with a broody hen for more on that. They are broody and wonderful mothers. I did not know about drying them if they get wet. Thank you for that information. Do you know anything about a high-pitched drumming coo?
I got some bantam chicks for fun this Spring when I was picking out new chicks…. I have 4 of the little sweeties. They are so much fun. It turns out that we have 1 fella, because he has began to sing almost sounds like sore throat. They love to chase grasshoppers, funny to watch. Unexpectedly hatched two stunning partridge Silkies and a HUGE black hybrid with the most enormous feet.
They came with a batch of mixed Pekin eggs, so were not expected. Everybody, grandchildren has begged me not to get rid of them, the two Silkies I had a few years ago died of cold, and I said never again, just have to take them into the warm when the weather turns verycold!!
When you say your silkies died of cold could you give me further information on this. How cold — what was the temperature. I am in Scotland and have just purchased my first Silkies and would like to be prepared. Thank you! Important thing to remember is the difference in feathers on the Silkies and their inability to dry off like other chickens.
Keep them dry. I live in Canada and we get very cold winters. I have never lost a Silkie to the cold. We do not use heat lamps just a coop with other birds that they huddle with. The only thing you need to make sure is that they stay dry.
Start holding him and hold him down and pet his neck. I have a little devil black rooster and a very large sex link and my little devil scares everyone so we are holding him daily and everyone has to hold him to get used to them.
He is so funny and he scares the big rooster. Love your site and read most blogs. I have a question. We have just lost a silky cross, she was only about a year old and we just found her dead today.
She was happy and well yesterday and she was a lovely friendly girl. Can you tell me if this is unusual or give me any idea what could have caused it. Thanks Gill Walker an avid reader. What you are referring to is called a vaulted skull. It is sometimes present and sometimes not. They will both end up with fluffy crests!
It might have been attacked by a predator. If you tell me what the bird looked like while dead, then I might be able to figure out the cause or predator. I have three white Silkies, they are such a joy. They do talk to me, one quite loudly when she wants a a treat or spots a chipmunk… I keep reading everywhere not to let them be wet or cold. Mine want to play in the rain, it drives me crazy with worry after all of the scary stories.
They have shelter but they choose to go out in the run to dig for bugs when its wet. I go touch them to make sure their bodies are warm enough and they seem fine. I started taking care of Chinese Silkies since and I find my quadro set good egg layers.
They can easily fill up my egg trays in less than a week. I just love them being all so soft, fluffy and docile. It is very useful and says about meat and egg production, feeding, housing, and flock diseases.
They like grass you could put some in their cage when your around then always talk soft And slow they like a mellow invirirment talk to them a lot let them hear your voice sometimes when they will eat out of your hand if they fell safe and maybe sit on your lap but you have to make them feel safe first. Good luck. I recently learned that silkies prefer to sleep on the floor or ground, rather than roosting. Something to keep in mind when designing their space.
I had one who kept sleeping right under the roost, and other chickens kept pooping on her! I have a little silkie she is black and her name is onyx. She is the sweetest thing in the world. She lives inside the house, we keep a diaper on her. She follows me all over the house, she knows her name and comes when I call her.
I took her to the vet and she is blind. They are the best pets. Maybe get her a baby silkie as a friend a baby would sit right by her. I was surprised as I thought they would lay for another months given it is winter. I have owned silkies for 5 years and my laying experience is a bit different than described here. I get 5 to6 eggs a week per hen when they are laying but you can count on them going broody 2 or 3 times a year which means no eggs for at least a month or six weeks.
So they are actually pretty good layer when not broody. And mine lay better in winter than some breeds. I adore the breed. They are friendly , docile and lovely with kids. No all roosters are nice but the majority are. And they are fantastic moms. Any suggestions on transitioning a Silkie to the coop with other chickens? I have a 7 week Silkie and a 7 week Polish. I put them out for the day and back in the house-cage for the night.
They are constantly being chased around during the day and pecked at. How on earth will they be in a small coop for the night? Nervous New Mother. I bought four chicks and one turned out to be a silkie. I just love it but the others peck it all the time. I tried to keep it separated but it seemed to stress it more. What should I do. Maybe you can have another silkie friend for it? We have three hens, a pekin, langshan and silkie and they all get along really well.
Best of luck. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Home Breeds The Silkie chicken is loved by many for their unusual appearance and furry feathers.
They have found their way into the hearts and minds of poultry lovers all over the world. Chris Lesley. Chris Lesley has been Raising Chickens for over 20 years and is a fourth generation chicken keeper. She can remember being a young child when her grandad first taught her how to hold and care for chickens.
She also holds a certificate in Animal Behavior and Welfare and is interested in backyard chicken health and care. Written by Chris Lesley Updated: January 17, Written by Chris Lesley Updated: January 6, Silkie hens are well known for their broodiness and are probably used more often than any other chicken to hatch valuable eggs of less reliable breeds.
Since a broody hen stops laying, Silkies tend to have low egg production. Further, at least in my experience in raising Silkie chickens, the hens tend to brood more often, and thus lay fewer eggs, as they age. A lot of chicken breeds are placid, or become so when raised in a gentle environment.
However, Silkies are naturally more calm than most other breeds, tending to be friendly toward humans without any special effort to be tamed. Silkie roosters tolerate other roosters in the flock more readily than most other breeds. However, they have an undeserved reputation for being easily bullied by more aggressive breeds.
In my experience, they are not that readily intimidated. Surprisingly, then, the Japanese scientists found that Silkies are Go figure! Silkies make amazing pets! The first step is to separate them in the coops and outside runs. The idea is to keep them separate but visible to each other. Seeing but no touching each other. Poultry netting is a good way to separate them.
Even just a dog crate sitting in the run will work. Do this for a few days to a week. When it is time to actually put the birds together there is a few ways you can do it. Some people think that the best time to do it is at night after they have gone to bed. Stick the new ones on the roost and they will all wake up together the next morning and may be more accepting. Another method is to do a free range situation.
Let the new birds out to free range first. Then let the rest of the flock out. There is plenty of room for the new birds to run and hide or just plain get away from any unwanted pecks.
By letting the new birds out first, they can find out where the food and water is first. Make sure that you have multiple feeding dishes and watering stations. The older flock may try and block the new birds from eating and drinking.
Make sure that they have plenty of room. Overcrowding will stress everyone out and make the older birds resentful.
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