Silkie

Origin:  China

Category:  Softfeather Light

Egg Colour:  Pale cream to deep fawn

Sitter:  Yes

Although the tendency nowadays is chiefly for the utility varieties of birds, there are still a number of worshippers at the shrine of the fancy who succeed in breeding very beautiful or quaint, as the case may be, specimens of the feathered tribe.

Among the latter may be mentioned the Silkie, which has a strong follow ing in some parts of the Commonwealth. It is a breed of quite ancient lineage, and possesses a number of Interesting peculiarities. One of these is that which provides it with the name it bears, namely, the plumage, which more resembles fine hair than ordinary feathers. An additional peculiarity Is seen in the color of the skin and flesh, which Is of a deep violet, almost black, while the face, comb, and wattles are of a deep blue or purple color, with legs and feet of bluish black.

Silkies may be accounted fairly satisfactory layers, and considerng the modest size of the breed, the eggs are larger than might be expected. These eggs range In color from pale cream to a deep fawn, and are very delicate In flavor. This variety of poultry bears confinement well, it is a contented sort of bird, and thrives on small premises. Furthermore, a Silkie hen makes an ideal broody for hatching and rearing bantams, and English fanciers make a lot of use of them for this purpose.

To obtain greater size, the Silkie Is often crossed with the Wyandotte, and the resultant females used as mothers for larger chickens. This is quite an attractive catalogue of virtues, calculated to inspire some readers of this page with an inclination to make a speciality of the quaint little Silkie.

General characteristics

The cock

Head

Skull short, neat, and crested.

Crest as upright as the comb will permit, soft and full (not showing any hard feathers), with half a dozen to a dozen soft, silky, feathers streaming gracefully backward from the lower and back part of the crest to a length of about 1 1/2 inches (3.8cm).

Beak short, and stout at the base.

Eyes brilliant, and not too prominent.

Comb an almost circular cushion of flesh, preferably broader than long, with a number of very small prominences over it, and having a slight indentation or furrow transversely across the middle.

Face smooth.

Earlobes more oval than round.

Wattles nearly semicircular (not long or pendent) and concave.

Neck short or of medium length, broad and full at the base, with abundant and flowing hackle.

Body stout-looking; broad and full breast; stout and square shoulders, fairly covered with the neck-hackle; short back, with the saddle rising to the tail; broad stern, abundantly covered with fine fluff; soft wings, fluffy at the butts, the ends of the flights ragged and fairly covered with the soft saddle-hackle, "Osprey plumaged," ie some strands of the flights hanging loosely downwards. Short tail, very ragged at the ends of the harder feathers of the true tail, and sickles (allowable) if to be seen, not too noticeable nor hard, with a short round curve and not flowing.

Legs short.

Thighs wide apart, covered with very abundant fluff and standing out prominently; the shanks smooth and free from scaliness, and with slight feathering on the outer sides.

Toes (five), the fourth and fifth diverging from one another, the middle and outer toes feathered, but these feathers, like those on the shanks, not too hard. There should not be vulture hocks, but a profusion of soft silky plumage is admissible.

Carriage stylish.

Plumage very silky and fluffy, with a profusion of hair-like feathers.

Weight 3lb (1.36kg)

The hen

Head

Crest similar to a powder puff, and devoid of hard feathers, standing up and out, not inclined backward, hanging over the eyes, or split by the comb.

Comb small and hardly perceptible under the front of the crest.

Wattles either absent or very small and oval-shaped.

Body

Cushion broad and profusely covered with the silkies of plumage, which shold neatly smother the small tail, the ragged ends alone protruding, and inclined to be of Cochin appearance.

In other respects the general characteristics are similar to those of the cock, allowing for the natural sexual differences.

Weight 2lb (0.9kg).

Colour

Beak slate-blue. Eyes brilliant black. Comb, face and wattles mulberry. Earlobes turquoise-blue or mulberry, the former preferred. Legs and Feet lead. Nails blue-white. Skin mulberry.

The black

Plumage black with a green sheen.

The blue

Plumage an even shade of blue from head to tail, a "self-colour", and neither laced nor barred.

The white

Plumage snow-white.

Scale of points

Plumage, texture of: 30

Head: 30

Type: 20

Colour: 10

Legs: 10

Total: 100

Serious defects

• Hard-feathered vulture hocks

• Green beak or green tip to beak

• Ruddy comb or face

• Eyes other than black

• Incorrect colour of plumage or skin

• Plumage not silky

• Want of crest

• Polish or split crest

• Green soles

• Single comb

• Green legs

• Four toes

• Featherless shanks and feet

• Scaly legs

• Want of fluff.

Sources

• Broomhead, W. White. (1923). The Poultry club standards: containing a complete description of all the recognised varieties of fowls, ducks, geese and turkeys. 6th edition. New York: Cassell. p76-78.

• The Australasian (Melbourne, Vic. : 1864 - 1946) Sat 23 Jul 1910 Page 15 THE SILKIE FOWL.

• The Northern Miner (Charters Towers, Qld. : 1874 - 1954) Fri 27 May 1938 Page 4 CONCERNING THE SILKIE.