Bantam breed
Silkie
Also called Silkie Bantam, Silky
Silkies are small, fluffy ornamental chickens with fur-like feathers, black skin and five toes. They lay a few small cream eggs a week, start laying late, and go broody often. Their soft plumage gives little protection from cold, wet weather.
At a glance
100–120eggs a year
2–4eggs a week
30–39weeks to first egg
2 lbhen weight
2.25–2.3 lbrooster weight
Smallegg size
Traits
- Cold hardylow
- Heat tolerantmedium
- Goes broodyhigh
- Fine in a small runhigh
- Egg colour
- cream to lightly tinted
- Temperament
- calm, friendly, docile
- Good with kids
- Usually, yes
- Noise
- quiet
- Origin
- China / Asia
- Comb
- walnut
- Bantam size
- Bantam only
- APA standard
- Recognized
- Purpose
- ornamental, pet
Good for
- pets
- families with children
- small yards
- hatching eggs under a broody hen
Watch out for
- needs dry, covered housing in cold, wet or muddy weather
- frequent broodiness interrupts laying
- docile birds can be bullied by larger breeds; keep at least two
- poor fliers that may not perch
Looks and feathers
Fur-like silkie plumage (feathers lack barbicels), crest, feathered legs, five toes, black skin. APA recognizes Silkies only as bantams, bearded and non-bearded; some hatcheries sell larger, non-standard Silkies.
Our drawing shows the most common US variety; colours vary.
Similar breeds
All breedsSources
- 1Silkie Bantam (breed page)My Pet Chicken
- 2Breed Spotlight: Silkie Bantam ChickensCackle Hatchery (blog)
- 3White Silkie Bantam Day Old Chicks (product/breed profile)Meyer Hatchery
- 4White Silkie Bantam (product/breed profile)Cackle Hatchery
- 5Accepted Breeds & VarietiesAmerican Poultry Association
- 6Which chicken breeds may need extra heat in winter?My Pet Chicken
- 75 Bantam Breeds that Tolerate Warm WeatherCackle Hatchery (blog)
Hatcheries often disagree on eggs a year; ranges span every source we read. How we check the facts.