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Silkie Chickens

Gold Gold female White female

Breed Rating (70 Reviews)

Appearance
Friendliness
Hardiness
Egg
Garden

Silkie History


The origin of the Silkie hen is uncertain although they have been around for several hundred years. It is thought that they originated in India, China or Japan and they arrived in Europe around 200 years ago where they were sold as crosses between rabbits and chickens! They are a lightweight chicken with a broad, stout looking body which is covered in fine fluffy feathers. They have short, rather ragged looking tails and the head is short and neat with an upright and full crest. The beak is short and broad, the face smooth and the eyes black and bright. The comb is circular and described as a mulberry comb and the wattles are concave, semicircular and not particularly long. The legs are purplish blue in color and they have a fifth toe.

Silkie Behaviour


Silkies do tend towards broodiness and make wonderful mothers despite being rather poor layers. They are calm, friendly, trusting and rather lively birds which are unable to fly so can be kept with very low fencing and they also do very little damage to the garden. They begin laying around Christmas when the hen will happily sit on a clutch of eggs and will still go broody even if her eggs are removed! Silkies are frequently used as foster mothers for other hen's eggs. They stop laying altogether during the summer months. They don\'t have waterproof feathers so they need to be kept in dry conditions but require little room so can be kept in smaller runs. They are rather susceptible to scaly leg but are robust little chickens and can withstand the cold very well. The black skinned and black boned silkie is considered a delicacy in China where they believe that the ground up bones have special healing properties. They have a lifespan of around 9 years and can be tamed and considered a real pet which makes them especially suitable for children.

Silkie Varieties


Black, blue, gold, white, partridge, triple laced partridge, triple laced silver partridge, grey, cuckoo, red and buff.

Silkie Pictures

Our silkies
Silk chickens
Silkies
Silky silk rooster
Juggles
I Said brush the tail! Lady.
A white silkie chicken with beautiful feathers.
mini blue bearded silkies
Skyskwarker
Obi hen kenobi
Princess layer
A silkie chicken hiding in a vegatable patch.
Our silkie hen bluebelle
white silkie chicks
Chicken in garden
Chicken in run
Close up of chicken
a black silkiie and grey silkie
black silkiie
Chicken in garden
silkie cockerel
Chicken in run
Child holding chick
Bailey
Egbert
Buffy - my gold partridge miniature
Lunar - my silver partridge miniature Silkie
Chicken in garden
A fluffy white chicken

Silkie For Sale


Please note: All animals listed here are for collection only. They cannot be delivered by the seller or by Omlet. The seller will send you their contact details to arrange payment and collection.
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Latest Reviews For Silkie (5 of 70)



Silkies are the best - Heidi, South Glos,

We’ve had a few different breeds but silkies are undoubtedly my favourite.. my dad wanted chickens again after we lost our last hens a few years ago so I surprised him with 2 silkie hens.. Egwina and Bailey.. they are so funny and are very interested in everything you’re doing. Since then we’ve had a few more silkies and they’ve never been any trouble! Great with the dogs and kids aswell as being great sitters on their eggs.


I like chickens - Lucy,

I really love chickens especially mini alpacas


Silkies - Ellie,

Silkies are very friendly and great with kids, they look so cute and funny, but their feathers are not waterproof as with other breeds, so need adequate shelter from rain.


Got given a silkie cockerel &3hens - Andrea,

The funniest chickens ever love them to bits, been reading msg's about them & am very surprised my hens are laying most days ! Thinking I may have a go at hatching some as Mr silkie keeping very active !


cute - Damian,

They are so friendly my two pet Silkies they don't even mind being picked up! There egg production is not good but as I got them for pets I'm not really bothered anyway. I have found that they will NOT perch on the roosting bars and will only sleep together in a nest box so I took the divider out and have it as one big nest box which they sleep together in. They will also never be without one anther and are sad if they are apart!

Breeder Clubs for Silkie