Facts about Silkies

Silkies are one of the oldest, most beautiful and unique breeds of bantam chickens.  They were written about by Marco Polo in the 13th century, when he told of seeing "chickens with hair like cats that lay the best of eggs".

Silkie feathers are unique because they lack the barbicels that hold a normal feather together, so a silkie feather resembles hair.  Silkies have a feathery crest on the head, and feathered legs and feet.  Although a silkie might have some "hard feathering" in the wings, tail and on the feet, the majority of their feathering is silkie.  Because of the nature of their feathering, silkies do not fly and generally do not perch at night like other chickens.   Silkies have very dark skin and bones, which makes them un-appetizing as a dinner entree to most folks.   Silkies also have beautiful turquoise blue ear lobes and 5 toes on their feet.   They come in a rainbow of colors, including White (most common), Black, Grey, Blue, Buff, Red, Partridge, and Splash.

Silkies are generally sweet-tempered, even the roosters are usually  respectful and non-aggressive towards humans.  Silkie hens are wonderful and make a great choice for a child's first 4-H project.  Silkie hens are legendary for their brooding and mothering instincts and stories abound of silkie hens hatching and caring for other breeds of chickens, ducks, geese, guineas, and gamefowl, as well as their own chicks.  A silkie hen is never as happy as when she is sitting on a clutch of eggs, even if they're not her own!