Silkies the Fluffballs of the Chicken World

Silkie chickens have been documented as being admired since the times of Marco Polo. They are believed to have originated in China, where these black skinned, black boned and black meat chickens are used for medicinal purposes as well as in great food dishes. Silkies are known as being one of the more friendly, docile breeds of chicken and as such, they make great pets for children. They are a breed noted for their broodiness and for being great parents, even the roosters will assist in rearing and defending the chicks.

Silkies belong to the Feather legged Bantam Class here in the US and the first variety, the whites were admitted to the APA Standard of Perfection in 1874, and the blacks were admitted in 1965. Since then other color varieties that have been admitted to the standard include buff, blue, splash, gray, and partridge. To see pictures of some of my silkies, you can visit my google photo section at http://picasaweb.google.com/KathyDahlbeck/Silkies There are also several other colors that various silkie enthusiasts are working on including cuckoo, lavender, chocolate, porcelain and I am sure there are more in the making. I have some very nice cuckoo silkies coming from the past 2 generations and have just started to work with the lavender gene and with some showgirls.

Although silkies are only accepted as bantams here in the US, there are several breeders working on making a standard sized silkie, as there is in other parts of the world. The silkie bantam is one of the larger of the bantam breeds here in the states, with standard weights of 36 ounces for the cock, 32 ounces for the cockeral, 32 ounces for the hen and 28 ounces for the pullet. There are also some breeders working on a frizzled silkie and sizzles and a naked neck silkie which is referred to as a showgirl.

Silkies have several features that are different than most other breeds. They have black skin, five toes on each foot, feathering down the shank and on the first 2 toes, a crest on their head and a walnut comb. Silkies generally prefer to sleep on the ground in a huddled group, rather than on a roost like most varieties of chickens, though there are exceptions that do prefer to roost. Silkies have soft feathers due to the lack of the barb in the feathers, which makes them appear more a cat or rabbits fur than a feather. Due to the type of feather they have, the silkies are not able to fly. A 3 foot high fence will keep most silkies contained, but due to their lack of flying ability, they also are more prone to predator attacks when out free ranging. One other notable feature found in the silkie, as well as other crested breeds of chickens, such as polish and sultans, is that there is a hole in the skull. The area where the crest is found has an opening in the skull bone, leaving the brain less protected from injury, especially in the ones with the large vaulted skulls. Silkies also can have difficulty being able to see when they have the large oversized crests that breeders are moving toward these days.

If you would like ot see more of the birds I raise, or would like to get some hatching eggs or started birds, visit my website listed below. I also work from home with an internet business, for more info you can also find that at my website.
Kathy Dahlbeck
Dahlbeck Fancy Feathers
http://www.geocities.com/egglady111/index.html