If you are looking for a chicken that would give you lots of eggs or meat on the table, then turn your head away from a Silkie. The Silkie would be a perfect addition to your chicken coop or backyard. This means that it would be hard to know if a Silkie is male or female until they reach that age. They are also difficult to sex until they become six months of age. They are usually made home pets or ornamental birds. Silkies are popular among the people not because of their egg nor meat production but because of their appearance and behavior. Do take note to let them forage on a secure area without predators because they cannot flee once threatened.
#SILKIE CHICKEN AS PET FREE#
However, they should be allowed to free range at times because they are also excellent foragers. If it’s winter or the climate is cold in general, they would get benefit from even just a little bit of heating. However, they don’t tolerate well with wetness. With their fluffy feathers, Silkies are cold hardy. They, however, can be pushed and picked on by aggressive breeds. They are best accompanied by other docile chickens like Polish chickens. When it comes to temperament and disposition, Silkies are known for being docile, friendly, and calm, even the roosters. For your hen’s comfort, make sure you invest in a top-quality chicken coop bedding. Unlike other hens though, Silkies lay eggs earlier. The colors of their eggs are cream and tinted. This means getting about 3 eggs per week. You can get only about 120 eggs per year from a good-laying Silkie. In terms of laying eggs, Silkies are poor performers. There are also unique colors like red, cuckoo, and lavender. Their colors can be black, blue, white, buff, gray, partridge, or splash. But in other countries, both bantam and large fowl types are recognized in Silkies. Size and ColorĪll Silkies in Canada and the USA are considered to be bantam. Underneath their fluffy feathers, Silkies have black bones and skin. Silkies appear fluffy because their feathers don’t have barbicels (structures that hold the feathers together). They also have a wide and short, gray colored leg. They also have five toes, unlike four usually found in other chickens. They have a short beak which is broad at the base and usually colored blue or gray. Silkies have dark colored wattles and oval shaped blue earlobes. If a Silkie you saw doesn’t have this color, then it is not a pure-bred Silkie. It is colored either black or dark mulberry. If it has a comb, it looks like a circular walnut. Its head is crested, having a pom-pom-like structure. Silkies are known for their unique appearance, far different from other breeds of chicken. They are even included in the top chicken breeds of all time. In fact, they are one of the most popular chicken breeds. Nowadays, Silkies still thrive in the world.
In the 1800s, some people believed that the Silkie was an offspring of a rabbit and a chicken. The Silkie then made its way into Europe.
He was only told of it by a fellow traveler and he described it in his journal as a furry chicken. He, however, did not actually saw the bird. The Silkie was first mentioned by Marco Polo while he journeyed across Europe and the Far East. It is also sometimes called Silk Chicken. The Chinese term for Silkie is wu-gu-ji, which means black boned. Experts believe that they originated in China during the Han dynasty, which occurred during 206 BC. One definite fact about Silkie is that it is a very old chicken breed.
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