Silkie chickens make excellent mothers and I have used them to hatch eggs from all of my birds (ducks, chickens, geese, peafowl, guineas, and turkeys). Their are two distinct varieties of silkies, the bearded and non-bearded. Silkie feathers lack barbicels which gives a similar appearance to down on other birds.
Today they are one of the most popular breeds of chickens. Silkie chickens were accepted into the Standard of Perfection in 1874. Silkies probably made their way to the west by the silk road and maritime trade. The earliest record of silkies is by Marco Polo who wrote about them in the 13th century during his travels in Asia. It is unknown exactly were they came from however the most documented point of origin is ancient China. They lay about three eggs a week and are often used to hatch out eggs of other birds. The hens are exceptionally broody, and make excellent mothers. They are among the most docile of poultry and are considered to be an ideal pet. They come in several colours, are often exhibited in poultry shows, and are well known for their calm and friendly temperament. Their great flavour and strange look is sure to generate some conversation if you serve it up at your next big meal, and with winter setting in they’re the ideal bird to make delicious soups and broths with.Silkie chickens are a breed named for their unique, fluffy plumage and have other unusual qualities like their dark blue flesh and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot. Silkie chickens are harder to come by than the regular variety, but there’s plenty of specialty poultry shops and Asian butchers that may stock them or will order them in for you. They’re considered a real delicacy in China especially and have been used in traditional medicine for centuries, as they’re high in antioxidants, protein and Vitamin B. It also means it’s carcass makes amazing stocks and bone broths. This makes Silkie chickens perfect for soups and hot pots. There’s very little factory farming of Silkies, they’re naturally raised free-range and often organically, which gives their meat a little more flavour. Despite the flesh being a different colour, the flesh tastes very much like their paler skinned cousins. The Silkie is slightly smaller than a regular chicken, with the males rarely getting bigger than 2 kilos. Dutch merchants claimed they were the offspring of chickens and rabbits, while some others suggested they were covered in cat hair. The traders selling these birds made sure to surround them in myth and mystery. Marco Polo wrote about encountering “furry chickens” back in the 13th century, but it would be another 200 years before the Silkie started making it west to Europe. These days they’re found throughout Asia and even as far west as India. The origins of the Silkie are unknown, but they’re thought to originate from China, where they’re known as wu gu ji, or “black chicken”. Though they’re not prolific layers (about 3 eggs a week), their super broody nature makes them ideal surrogate mums, so they’re often used to raise other species of chicken and bird. They make excellent pets and are often exhibited at poultry shows. Silkie chickens are incredibly docile and broody. The thing that really sets them apart is their bluish/black flesh and bones. They also have strikingly blue earlobes that protrude from their plumage. Because they don’t have feathers that hold together, the Silkie cannot fly, but they have five toes instead of a regular chicken’s 4, so there’s that. They’re covered in downy, fluffy plumage which is very soft to the touch and often likened to silk or satin (hence the name). They’re pretty different, and that may be an understatement.įor a start, they don’t really have feathers. I’d be willing to bet you’ve never even heard of a Silkie chicken, let alone seen one. You know what a chicken is.īut here’s the thing: You don’t know what chickens look like. They’ve been domesticated for thousands of years.
You can fry them roast them, poach them and barbecue them.
SILKIE CHICKEN BLUE SKIN
You know what a chicken looks like right? Feathers, red comb, 4 toes, white skin and bones.
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