Silkie

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Silkie is also an alternate spelling of Selkie, a mythical creature that can change between seal and human form.

The Silkie is a variety of chicken believed to have originated in eastern Asia. Silkies have the appearance of a big fluffy ball of feathers due to their feathers lacking functioning barbicels; essentially, all their feathers are very much like down. Their unique appearance and quiet temperament mean they are often kept as pets. The hens easily become broody, and are considered excellent mothers; however, they are poor egg layers. Silkies have short legs, poor mobility, and cannot fly. As such, predators can be more of a problem for silkies than other breeds. However the male is a more protective bird, and if you opt to have silkie hens you should invest in a rooster. You can still eat the hen's eggs (as long as they are fresh) as no chicks will develop unless the fertile eggs are incubated.

A prime example of a Silkie hen.

Four examples of Silkie chicks.

Silkies are smaller chickens, with size being intermediate between bantams and standard sized chickens. Silkies are near-unique among chickens — both skin and bones are black which, apart from Silkies, is only found in the rare Ayam Cemani breed from Indonesia (which is a normally-feathered breed that is completely black, including the blood). They also have five toes, whereas most chickens only have four.

Silkies are more susceptible to lice and scaly leg than other chickens, so regular inspections are important to ensure good health of the birds.

The American Bantam Association accepts six standard colors for silkies: black, blue, buff, white, partridge and gray. There are also two other colors: splash, and red. There are two varieties of silkie: bearded and non-bearded.

Marco Polo is reported to have encountered Silkies in China at the end of the 13th Century, where they are raised for the gourmet meat market to this day.

Silkies are only bantam size in the USA. Few people eat Silkies due to their black skin and purple flesh. Originally raised in China as a meat chicken. See them on the web goldeneggfarm.com in central Massachusetts, USA

Silkies are used in traditional Chinese medicine, due to their dark skin colouration. A cross has been undertaken to transfer this pigmentation to a larger breed. More details here: "Developing A Large Dark Skinned Meat Bird By Crossing With The Silkie", by Bill Stanhope, here <http://home.planet.nl/~stev7596/australa.htm>