Silkie Chickens: Breed Guide for Backyard Keepers

What makes a Silkie different

The Silkie's feathers lack the tiny barbs that hook normal feathers together into a flat vane, which is why the plumage looks and feels like fur or down. The poultry extension service describes them as looking more like hair than feathers. Add a puffball crest on the head, feathering down the legs and onto the feet, and five toes on each foot instead of the usual four, and you have one of the most recognizable chickens in the world.

Underneath, the bird is just as unusual. Silkies have black or very dark skin, meat and bones whatever color their feathers are, a trait from a pigment gene called fibromelanosis. They carry a small walnut-shaped comb and bluish earlobes, and are usually treated as a bantam-sized breed, with adults weighing only a few pounds. Recognized colors include white, black, buff, blue, gray, partridge and splash, and a frizzled-feather form also exists. See our backyard chicken supplies if you are planning a small flock.

Temperament: why families love them

Silkies are known for being docile, easy to handle and tolerant of being picked up, which makes them a favorite with children and first-time keepers. Many will sit happily on a lap, and their small size makes them less intimidating than a large dual-purpose hen. They are poor fliers, so a modest fence keeps them in, and they rarely bother a garden as much as active breeds do.

Individual birds vary, and roosters of any breed can become pushy or aggressive, especially around small children, so supervise kids with a cockerel. Their gentle nature also has a downside: Silkies are often at the bottom of the pecking order in a mixed flock. Keep them with other calm, small breeds, or watch closely when combining them with larger, bossier hens.

Eggs and broodiness

Silkie hens lay small cream or tinted eggs, typically two or three a week in their laying season, which is modest next to a production breed such as a Leghorn. They often take long breaks in winter and whenever they go broody, so do not choose Silkies if a full egg basket is your priority.

What they do supremely well is sit on eggs. Silkies go broody readily and often, and many keepers use them to hatch eggs from other breeds, including ducks and quail. A broody hen will sit tight for about three weeks and raise the chicks with real devotion. If you do not want chicks, collect eggs daily and see our guide to broody hens for ways to gently break the cycle, because a hen that sits for weeks eats and drinks less.

Housing and care needs

Because their feathers do not shed water, Silkies soak through in rain and dew and can chill quickly, especially chicks and older birds. Give them a covered run or a roofed section, keep bedding dry, and bring a wet, shivering bird inside to dry off. Draft-free shelter with good ventilation matters more for Silkies than for most breeds.

They also roost low, or sleep on the floor, since they are poor fliers. Fit roosting bars close to the ground and a ramp into a raised coop. Their crests can block their vision, which makes them easy targets for hawks and slow to spot danger, so a secure, predator-proof coop and run is essential. Trim feathers around the eyes if they seem to bump into things, and check the feathered feet regularly for mud balls and scaly leg mites.

Health and grooming

Feathered feet pick up mud and droppings, which can harbor mites and cause sores, so keep runs well drained and bedding clean. Check under the feathers on the legs every couple of weeks for raised, crusty scales. The fluffy plumage also hides lice and mites well, so part the feathers around the vent and under the wings during routine checks.

Silkies are sometimes vaccinated against Marek's disease as chicks, since the breed is often described as susceptible, so ask the hatchery whether chicks were vaccinated. Call a veterinarian who treats poultry if a bird is lethargic, stops eating, has labored breathing, swelling or a wound, or is losing weight. Many state extension offices can point you to a poultry vet or a diagnostic lab.

Is a Silkie right for you?

Choose Silkies if you want calm, friendly pets, a reliable broody hen, birds for children to handle, or a striking addition to a small flock. They suit small yards, and their low flying means simple fencing works. They are also popular for showing, with breed standards set out by the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association.

Look elsewhere if you mainly want eggs, live somewhere very wet without a covered run, or plan a large free-ranging flock in hawk country. Many keepers settle on a mix: a few productive layers for the egg basket and a pair of Silkies as the flock's mothers and the family's favorite pets. Either way, a secure coop and run come first.

This page is general information, not veterinary advice, and it cannot replace advice from a veterinarian who treats poultry.