Description
Silkie is considered a bantam chicken (smaller fowl) with 5 toes. Because of their gentle and docile nature, they make wonderful pets and adapt quickly to attention and handling by people. Their tendencies towards broodiness or setting on eggs are fantastic and Silkie hens will hatch and raise most any kind of poultry or fowl. Many breeders of quail or pheasant who prefer to hatch naturally as opposed to an incubator will keep a flock of Silkie hens for this purpose! Once a Silkie hen has decided to set her eggs, there is very little that will bring her from the nest until those eggs have hatched. They will even go broody without the presence of eggs. The Showgirl Silkie is a Silkie crossed with a Turken Chicken to get the naked necks.
In many cases even the males can possess some of the maternal instincts and can be very gentle towards the chicks, calling them over when he finds a tasty tidbit and as soon as the chicks are old enough to venture any distance away from Mom, they will be seen running around with Dad just as often.
Because of their frequent inclination towards broodiness, they are not prolific layers like the commercial breeds, as chickens do not lay while in the “broody cycle”. However when they are in their lay cycle, which seems to vary with each individual hen, they are very dependable layers. Since the American Silkie is a bantam (small breed) the eggs are not large – about medium in size ranging in colors from white to light brown. All chickens are vaccinated for Marek’s Disease and Non-GMO.
History
The date and place of origin of the Silkies is not known, however Marco Polo wrote of the fur-covered fowl with black skin during his journeys to China in the 13th century…hmmm. It is safe to assume that Silkies had been around quite a while before Marco Polo. The Silkie of that time and the modern Silkie do not resemble each other in many other respects, being that the ancient Silkies evidently did not have leg feathering or any crest to speak of. As a matter of fact, the Silkie seen in the showroom today has changed considerably in the last 30 to 40 years. Their crests are larger and the feathering down the legs is more abundant than seen previously. Also a larger variety of colors are found today. The original Silkies were white only, today there are several color patterns. Bearded and non bearded varieties.
We typically have a limited supply of this breed, and pre-ordering or deposit is recommended.
Sugar-Feather is member of the following groups:
