Silkie

Silkies are a bantam chicken breed, typically weighing between 2-3 pounds. Their soft silky plumage is abundant and has a texture similar to down, which wisps around in the breeze. They have a big crest on top of their heads, and most have a feathered beard as well, making them look like balls of fluff. They are incredibly sweet, gentle birds that make the perfect pets for children. Silkie hens are wonderful mothers – they love to sit on eggs and hatch their own babies and they can even adopt other baby poultry if given the chance. Silkie feathers can be a number of different colors. The colors we currently raise include white, buff, blue, black, splash and paint.

Besides their unique feathers, the silkie breed has several other unusual qualities, such as black skin and bones, turquoise blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot, instead of the usual four. Silkies have heavily feathered feet, and mulberry colored cushion combs. The combs are typically only visible on the males, as the female’s combs are smaller and hidden by their crests. It’s not known for certain where the silkie breed originated but I read one theory that the breed was created for a Chinese emperor and took much work since they have just about every recessive trait a chicken can have!

Silkies lay small tinted eggs, and their yolks are relatively large compared to the overall egg size. Our silkie eggs typically weight 1.5-1.7 ounces.

Silkies are one of the few ancient chicken breeds we still have around today, originating from Asia prior to the 13th century, truly a heritage breed.