SILKIE CHICKEN: FACTS, RAISING AND CARE – A COMPLETE GUIDE.
Silkie Chicken: Facts, raising and Care – A Complete Guide.
If you are looking for a friendly, talkative and gentle breed as a first hen for your children or as a friend for yourself, you may have found the right thing.
Silky chickens are exactly what they sound like: funny, sweet and friendly.
But they are not suitable for all types of weather. Before you invest, make sure that Silkie will fit in well with your family and your environment.
Where do Silkie chickens come from?
Silkies have a long and proud history. There is a lot of information about Silki in ancient Chinese writings. Eastern cultures often believe that the Silkie has more healing powers than any other type of chicken.
This belief is correct: recent studies have found that Silkies produce more carnosine, an important antioxidant, than other poultry. That is why Silkie is still used in Chinese medicine today.
Marco Polo made the first Western record of the Silkie film in 1298. He was surprised to see a bird with black skin and “cat hair” during his travels in China. He is believed to have taken the Silkies and was the first to introduce them to the West. In the early 1900s, Silkies were used on tours as “freaks”, described as “chickens with fur instead of feathers”.
Today, Silkies are one of the most popular chicken breeds among families.
Read also:WHEN DO CHICKENS START LAYING EGGS? 6 SIGNS THAT THE TIME IS NEAR
The personality of Silkie chickens
- Silkies are sweet, gentle birds that are affectionate and love to hold and wave.
- They talk while following you, which they will do for about six months.
- They make great mothers, in fact, sometimes it seems like their only purpose in life is to be a mother!
- There is nothing they love more than raising clutch of egg – and they don’t care who the egg belongs to.
- Silkies are often happy to raise other types of poultry, including ducks and goslings. They are always worried when their “kids” get into the water!
Silkies: physical appearance.
- Their unique lower wings come in many colors including white, black, blue, gray, gold and porcelain.
- Silkies come in standard or “Bearded” styles – the Bearded Silkie has fur and a mustache.
- All Silkies have black faces, bones and skin. Their flesh is very dark-blue-gray.
- Silkie’s beak should be gray or gray-blue.
- The legs are attached to the wings and the underside of the wings are gray.
- The legs are also gray and the real Silki has five toes.
- The ear hole should be a beautiful shade of turquoise blue.
- Wattles and crest should be black or a dark mulberry shade – if they are red, it is not silkie enough.
- The “walnut” compound (also known as “cushion”) is a feature.
Learn more about their physical appearance.
- Silkie’s “silky” feathers are like this because they don’t have the “mustache” of other chickens. Their shiny appearance makes them look much bigger than they really are and makes them soft to the touch.
- The first silk is a standard size, which is usually displayed in the UK.
Are they good egg layer?
No, they’re great for sitting on the egg, but if you want a real diaper, no Silkies.
They will lay about 100 to 120 eggs per year.
They may stop laying eggs completely during the summer months.
Despite some information on the Internet that blue hens lay blue eggs, this is a myth. Silky eggs are the standard brown to red color.
Read also:Top 14 Chicken Diseases, Symptoms, Prevention and Treatments
Silkie Chicken: Something that can cause problems
- Because they are calm and trusting by nature, they can often be intimidated by other groups of animals.
- If you intend to keep them with others, you should take care to prevent this from happening.
- Their feathers are not like the feathers of other chickens.
- Because their feathers are like soil, they do not repel water. Therefore silkies do not do well in humid climates unless they can be stored properly.
- For the same reason, they don’t like snow.
- Their wings may appear large, but in reality, they do not keep Silkies warm, so extreme cold weather is not ideal – unless otherwise, they can be kept warm and dry.
If you live in a climate that is prone to cold, wet seasons, Silkies are not the best type of chicken for you.
Watch video here:
