Silky Chickens

Silky Chickens originated in China. The Venetian explorer Marco Polo saw them in South China in 1298 and wrote about them in his chronicles, however, it is safe to say that they had been around a while before Marco Polo. Silkies get their name from their fluffy plumage and soft, silky haired appearance. They are easy to keep and make great pets. Silkies are the only chicken to have dark blue skin and black bones.

Silky Bantams are some of the most charming and beguiling oddities of the Poultry Fancy. They possess many characteristics that set them apart from the other breeds of chickens; the most obvious being the texture of their feathers which is almost fur or silk-like in appearance - hence their name.

They also possess topknots or crests on their heads and abundant feathers growing down their legs and middle toe. Silkies are among the few other breeds of chickens that possess five toes instead of the usual four. They are the only chicken to have black, or more exactly, dark slate-blue skins. Silkies also come in a Bearded and Non-bearded variety, and can be found in many different colours.

The Silky of past times and the modern Silky do not resemble each other in many respects, being that the ancient Silkies evidently did not have leg feathering or any crest to speak of. In fact, the Silky seen 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 colours are found today. The original Silkies were white only, but through meticulous and vigilant breeding by some dedicated fanciers the colours are becoming much better in quality than they were.

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