The Silkie is one of the most distinctive chicken breeds in the world, with uniquely soft, silk-like plumage lacking barbicels (the hooks that hold normal feathers together), giving them a fluffy, fur-like appearance. They also have black skin and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes instead of the usual four. Silkies are famously docile and strongly broody, making them beloved backyard pets and surrogate mothers for other breeds' eggs.
Our Silkies have converted every child who's visited from a chicken sceptic to a devoted fan. They're so peculiar-looking and so docile that children who would normally be cautious around birds confidently pick them up and stroke them. Our hen Duchess has been carried by children aged 3 to 13 and ne…
Read full review →The feathered feet of Silkies get very muddy in wet conditions and can develop bumblefoot (a staph infection) if the feet are consistently wet and soiled. I've laid hardstanding and covered areas in their run which has eliminated this problem. Regular foot checks for early signs of swelling or injur…
Read full review →Silkies with full crests need their vision checked regularly. My hen Beatrice had her crest grow over her eyes in summer and became anxious and flighty as a result — a dramatic change from her usual calm. A gentle trim of the crest feathers around the eyes restored her vision and her personality imm…
Read full review →Silkies are not production layers. My three Silkies average 2 small white/cream eggs per hen per week, which drops further when broody (which is often). They're kept as much for their personality and ornamental value as for eggs. If you want maximum egg production, choose a different breed. If you w…
Read full review →If you want eggs hatched and chicks raised without an incubator, get a Silkie. My hen Minerva has raised four clutches of chicks in three years, including duck eggs and guinea fowl eggs. She sits with monastic dedication for 21 days, raises her chicks with fierce protectiveness, and is back on a nes…
Read full review →Five years of Silkie keeping and they remain my favourite flock. Each hen has a distinct personality — Duchess is the bold leader, Pearl is timid but curious, Minerva is perpetually broody and maternal. They interact with each other in ways that are fascinating to observe. They come to greet me ever…
Read full review →Silkies cannot fly and their crest feathering limits their peripheral vision — both factors that make them extremely vulnerable to predators. We lost a Silkie to a fox who dug under a run we thought was secure. Since reinforcing with an apron of wire mesh around the entire perimeter and hardware clo…
Read full review →The first time someone visits our garden and sees our Silkies, they genuinely don't know what they're looking at. The silk-like plumage, the crest, the feathered feet — they look like something from a fantasy story. Our four Silkies are the calmest, sweetest animals on the property. The children car…
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