#SILKIE CHICKEN SKIN#

Originated in Southeast Asia- believed to be China. They are a common breed, so getting your hands on one of these fabulous birds shouldn’t be a problem. The silkie is a feather-legged true bantam, meaning they are only available in bantam (miniature) size, and have profuse feathering covering their legs- a splendid sight indeed! Some Silkies have been known to live longer, so give them a little extra TLC and you’ll have their love for many years to come! With their pretty and profuse plumage, love of a snuggle, and their super sweet nature silkies are one of our favourite breeds- what’s not to love? Whether you’re on the silkie bandwagon or not, by the end of this article we can assure you that you’ll have some lovely new silkie additions in your backyard flock quicker than we can say brilliant beautiful bantams!Ī standard silkie chicken will generally live between 7-9 years, however this does all depend on the care given to them.

If you love silkies, go check them out for incredible information. 307-308.Update: A special thanks to the team over at Silkie Chicken Experts who helped us write this article. The American Standard of Perfection 2010, The American Poultry Association, 2010, p. 180.Ģ The Chicken Book, Page Smith & Charles Daniel, University of Georgia Press, 1975, p. Owners in areas with harsh Winters need to take special precautions to keep Silkies both warm and dry.ġ The Book of Ser Marco Polo The Venetian, Cambridge University Press Digital version, 2010, p. Unfortunately, the breed's feathers are not particularly well insulating, so Silkies are not well adapted to cold environments. They are extremely docile and their ornamental plumage makes them a standout in a flock. Silkies are fair to good egg layers depending on which sources you consult. In Europe, standard sized Silkie chickens tend to be the norm, with roosters weighing 4 pounds and hens about 3 pounds. In the U.S., bantam silkies are common with roosters weighing about 2.25 pounds and hens weighing about 2 pounds. All however have black skin, a fifth toe and lovely soft feathers. Modern Silkies come in a variety of colors and the APA recognizes black, white, blue, and buff varieties of the breed.

#SILKIE CHICKEN SKIN#

Black skin of the breed is evident in this close of a Silkie chicken's face They also have feathers on their legs and both their skin and bones are black (actually dark blue) Not surprisingly, the Chinese name for Silkie is 'Wuguji' (烏骨雞) which means black-boned chicken. The breed has five toes while most other chicken breeds have four. Silkies also sport a number of other unusual physical characteristics.

As a result, Silkie feathers have a downy texture and an appearance that does indeed look like fur. Barbicels occur on the feathers of most chickens, but not on Silkies. These tiny hook-like structures bind together adjacent filaments on the shaft of the feather to create a stiff structure. The unusually soft and downy texture of the Silkie's feathers occurs because the breed's feathers lacks barbicel. Ulisse AldrovandiĪs noted by previous chroniclers of the bird, Silkies have distinct plumage. The breed was almost certainly in Europe by 1598 when Ulisse Aldrovandi, a naturalist at the University of Bologna, Italy published a book on chicken keeping where he described the Silkie as 'clothed with hair like that of a black cat.'2. Silkie chickens probably made their way back to Europe along the same Silk Road that Polo traveled and which was an important trade route for spices from the East. They are black all over they lay eggs just like other fowls, and are very good to eat.' - Marco Polo You must know they have a kind of fowls which have no feathers, but hair only, like a cat’s fur. And there is a strange thing there which I need to tell you. “The people live by trade and manufactures and have great store of silk, ginger and galingale…. This chicken had feathers that looked like fur1: While visiting the city of Kenjanfu in China, Polo observes and describes an unusual breed of chicken. The Silk Road From China To Europe of Marco Polo The first apparent description of the breed in Western sources occurs in the Travels of Marco Polo published in 1300.

Originating in Asia, the breed may have been first described by Chinese poet, Du Fu who lived between 712-770 AD. Silkie Chickens are one of the oldest purebred breeds in the world. The breed is cold tolerant and considered docile. An egg laying breed that’s a fair-to-good layer of small sized cream colored eggs.