Silkies cannot fly, so make sure that you have perches low enough for them. Silkies can be roasted like a chicken or boiled into a tonic soup that Asians believe can strengthen the sick, elderly, and pregnant due to its high iron content. Begin your search at your local humane . The dominant white gene I needs to be introduced from another breed, such as white leghorn. Usually, regular chickens are slaughtered at 6 weeks old, whereas organic ones at 14 weeks. Not sure the original cross was deliberate or not, but on of the pullets from this cross was a paint, and she was crossed back to silkies to create European paints. When Can Baby Chicks Go Outside? Take a look at the white Silkie in depth. (+ 5 Helpful Tips), How to Catch a Chicken Quick- 5 Best Tips, 17 Best Gift Ideas for Backyard Chicken Lovers in 2023, 9 Interesting Reasons Why Chickens Peck and Scratch the Ground, How to Make Garden Soil Out of Chicken Manure. I have recently come to love the Naked Neck Silkie. What are the main characteristics of silkie chicken? Silkie chickens come in solid colors such as White, Buff, Black, Blue and Self-Blue. They get cold easier due to the type of feathers they have. The silkie is such a unique chicken breed. Copyright 2023 Thank Chickens |As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. When a barred male, (B, B) is crossed with a non-barred female, (b+, _), all the chicks will be barred. What is the rarest color of silkie chicken? A Canadian expat, Nicole now lives on a lush forest property with her Kiwi husband and new baby daughter in New Zealand. Black Silkies can be bred by breeding a Blue and a Splash Silkie, a Blue and a Black Silkie, and of course, two Black Silkies. Beneath all their feathers you may be surprised to find that their skin is black but it does not stop there. Because their feathers have a hair-like texture, silkies are often susceptible to lice and mites. 2. I get numerous requests from people looking for pullets, however, the key to breeding all cuckoos is the male. 7 Things You Need to Know- Can Chickens Eat Bread? Interestingly, in our experience, Silkies usually get on well with other chicken breeds, despite their unusual plumage, presuming you have several (and not just one lone different bird). Buff hatches as a darker brown color. According to the American Poultry Association (APA), Silkies are only accepted in six colors: white, black, blue, buff, partridge, and splash. Silkies are hardy and resilient, and they are able to thrive in both cold and warm climates. Family Life - Stories, Pictures & Updates, Emergencies / Diseases / Injuries and Cures. All be it with the wrong comb. Do Ferrets Need Vaccination Shots? However, she has been involved in studying and breeding them for a number of years. These feathers are just like regular feathers, however, and extend down to their legs and feet, too. They make very good mothers and broody hens- they will hatch anything they set their little minds to! Silkies begin laying eggs around 7-9 months of age, which is a little later than the average chicken. How many colors do Silkies come in? The patterned varieties include Paint, Splash, Partridge and Gray. While silkie chickens are unique, they are not rare or endangered. I keep my Silkies separate from the restbut on nice days, Ill let them all out together without a problem. Some breeders describe them simply as darker buff variations, although there are breeders specially working on developing red Silkies in Australia. The color does not exist naturally in Silkies and must be introduced by another breed. This also makes them more susceptible to an attack by a predator. These spots can vary widely in number and size, and the gene responsible for this coloration is unpredictable and doesnt seem to follow any rules. To find out more about me and my team visitabout Farm and Chill page. Red Silkies are a rare variation and not recognized. There are only 7 recognised colours of Silkies; buff, blue, black, splash, partridge, Gray, and of course white.If you like competition, raise the white variety.If you want to be different, raise the blue/black/splash varieties as these are the only colours that can be 'interbred. Featured Image Credit: Olga Salt, Shutterstock, 13 Types of Angelfish for Freshwater Aquariums (With Pictures), Goldfish Aquaponics 101: Feeding, Stocking, & Care Guide, Cute Frogs: 9 Pictures That Will Make You Happy. SOLD STRAIGHT RUN ONLY. Do Silkies lay blue eggs? 5 Important Tips, 11 Important Things You Need to Know about Chicken Scratch, How to Make Homemade Instant Pot Yogurt for Chickens, 17 Best Tips-How to Feed Chickens on a Budget, 9 Best Tips-How to Breed Crickets at Home, How to Make High Protein Treats for Molting Chickens, FAQ Silkie Chickens: 14 Rare Facts About Silkie Chickens You Need to Know, #1 Recognized Varieties and Colors of Silkies, #2 Silkie Chickens Have a Very Unique Appearance, #3 Silkie Chickens are the Most Broody Breed, #5 Silkie Chickens Egg Color and Laying Frequency, #6 Silkie Chickens Have a Unique Personality, #7 Silkie Chickens Have a Unique Background. Why are My Chickens Pecking Each Other? Silkie chickens make great pets. 7 Best Tips-How to Set Up Chicken Roosting Bars. Make sure that your silkie is not wet when they are going to roost at night.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'backyardchickensmama_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_6',135,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-backyardchickensmama_com-large-leaderboard-2-0'); 4. They are so unique in appearance, once you see one you will never forget them! A post shared by Kelly's Chicken Adventures (@ilovechookens). You are using an out of date browser. It also helps the eggs stay fresh. Can Chickens Eat Apricots? Which small dogs have the least health problems. My main goal is focusing on the male rather than the female and hope to achieve a smaller com, nice short back, tight wings and medium crestBlack Silkies colour genetics - eb/eb S or s+ (or both in males) Pg/Pg Ml/Ml and other melanisersOR - E/E S or s+ and other melanisersOR - ER/ER S or s+ and other melanisers. Silkies are definitely one of the most unique and unusual chicken breeds, and in addition to their unique coloring, they have an extra fifth toe and blue earlobes! In fact, they are even considered one of the oldest purebred chickens in the world. This is how they get their nutrition and exercise, so make sure that they have an area thats big enough for them to roam around. Unexpected wing colors developing in silkie chicks. So if someone online tries to sell you a black egg at great cost, or if you see an image of a fresh black egg anywhere, rest assured it was not laid by a chicken! Plan four square feet of run area per bantam Silkie; eight to ten square feet for heavier Silkies. What would be my best pick for chicks? The Walt Disney character Donald Duck is a Pekin duck! Being a fancy ornamental breed, silkies are also great for exhibitions or poultry shows. This website is for educational purposes only. Overall, Silkies can make great pets and can bring a lot of joy and companionship to your life. There are quite a few differences between male and female silkies. Even its wattles and combs are dark-colored, often in the dark blue to the plum range. I am working on achieving a jet black colouring. Red is the rarest color of silkies. Lavender and porcelain are very rare colors and eggs for them go for a pretty penny. One of the biggest ways to distinguish a silkie rooster from a hen is its physical appearance. They have fluffy feathers, dark skin, & extra toes. Colours of Silkie recognised for competitive showing includeblack, blue, buff, grey,partridge, andwhite.Alternative hues, such as cuckoo, lavender, red, and splash also exist. Male have two Z sex chromosomes and the female has one Z and one W sex chromosome. These unique heritage chicken breeds range from distinctive to off the wall, and they can be difficult to find. These breeds make a beautiful basket of farm fresh eggs! Their plumage only has one solid color and does not have any pattern although the feathers in the wing area tend to be darker than the rest of its body. Nicole is the proud mom of 3 rescue fur babies, Baby, a Burmese cat; Rosa, a New Zealand Huntaway; and Mac, a Lab/Mastiff. Some breeds have had the vault longer than Silkies and so it has evolved to be more closed and less vulnerable to injury. They are prone to bullying and predators. This is a little later than the average chicken which is around 6 months. European paints came from a cross between a largefowl white leghorn and a largefowl black silkie. You have to watch adding any birds to the flock. Silkies plumage is so fluffy and soft, like silk or satin. The Blue Silkie Bantam is a gorgeous variety of the Silkie Bantam breed, miniature chickens that originated in China and Japan. Size and Weight Silkies here in the US tend to be slightly smaller than their European counterparts. I wanted to see what all you silkie lovers thought the colors will be! Also, silkie roosters tend to be louder and more aggressive than the more reserved silkie hens. 10 Things You Need to Know- Can Chickens Eat Watermelon? Lets get started! Our foundation stock is a wide gene pool so we have many different varieties to work with. Aside from their unique plumage, the silkie is also known for its black skin. Roosters get a bit of gold or silver in their hackles at about 1.5 years of age as they are rarely on extended black. 5 Important Tips, How to Get Chickens Laying in their Nesting Box-14 Tips, 12 Secrets that Will Get Your Chickens Laying More Eggs. Description. Despite the silkies small size, it produces meat that has an exotic flavor thats similar to duck. The color is actually because of the feather. COPYRIGHT 2023, BACKYARD CHICKENS MAMA. Silkies are also known for their calm, friendly temperament, which makes them exceptionally great pets for homes that have children. Considering them for pets but worried if they are short lived. On average, a male silkie can grow up to 14 inches tall. Unfortunately, its not so. All silkies have fibromelanosis, giving their skin and organs that iconic black color. Do Silkies need special care? But on average, they can produce around 100 eggs. Silkies plumage can get wet, unlike regular chickens feathers that repel water. Some breeders describe them simply as darker buff variations, although there are breeders specially working on developing red Silkies in Australia. Silkie chickens come in a variety of plumage colors. Thanks for reading our article about male and female Silkies and for leaving a comment. A Rare Breed of Chinese Origin The Silkie is probably an ancient breed from China which distinguishes itself from all other poultry breeds by its plumage which is fur-like. 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