The Silkie (sometimes spelled Silky) is a breed of chicken named for its unique plumage, which is said to feel like silk. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as black flesh and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot (most chickens only have four). They are often exhibited in poultry shows, and come in several colors.

In addition to their distinctive physical characteristics, Silkies are well known for their calm, friendly temperament. Among the most docile of poultry, Silkies are considered an ideal pet. Hens are also exceptionally broody, and make good mothers. Though they aren’t known as ideal layers themselves, they are commonly used to hatch eggs from other breeds and bird species.

When we first got chickens, we chose the Silkie for its neat appearance as well as its calm nature.  We had small kids that would be handling the chickens, so the temperament was important to us.  We have also received plenty of small eggs from our birds and we have thoroughly enjoyed having chicks grow up on the farm with lots of handling from our family. 

Our birds get put up every night to keep them safe from predators, while the rest of the time, they are out free-ranging on our fenced-in property.  We also have quite a few Silkies that have discovered that if they come up on the deck and follow us around, they will get hand-outs.  Yes, our birds are spoiled!
We have a few Silkies that are non-bearded, but we have been trying to slowly incorporate new birds with only selection for bearded Silkies.  We aren’t showing our birds, but we sure do enjoy having them for bug control, eggs, and entertainment.

If you are intersted in purchasing some of our fabulous feathered friends give us a call or pop us an email!