Silkies, they have been called fluff-balls and teddy bears, Without a doubt they certainly are unusual looking chickens!
Their strange appearance, friendliness and mothering skills are surely what endears them to many folks.
There is no doubt that the Silkie is a very old breed, probably of Chinese origin. It is believed by some that the Silkie dates back as far as the Chinese Han Dynasty, in 206BC.
The Silkies head should be crested, looking somewhat like a ‘pom-pom’ (similar to a polish chicken). If a comb is present, it should look like a ‘walnut’, being almost circular in appearance. The comb is blue or mulberry.
Their feathers lack barbicels (those are the hooks that hold the feathers together), hence the fluffy appearance. The main feathering looks just like the under-down of regular chickens. The fact that the feathers do not hold together means a Silkie cannot fly. It also means that the feathering is not waterproofed and so a wet Silkie is a pathetic sight to see. If they do get significantly wet, they need to be towel-dried or even blow-dried – which they enjoy if it is done on a regular basis.
Underneath all that fluff, the Silkie has black skin and bones. Sadly, this makes them a food delicacy in parts of the Far East. The meat is also used in Chinese medicine since it contains twice as much carnitine than other chicken meat – carnitine has anti-aging properties (so it is said).
