The Silkie Chicken Standard Type
A Silkie is a type of Bantam Chicken. The Silkie chicken is unusual because they have five toes, black skin, and their feathers have a mutation that creates the very fluffy appearance like that of a baby chick. As a result, they do not fly very far and prefer to sleep in a pile on the ground instead of roosting on a limb!
. In general, the Silkie is round when viewed from the top. They have voluminous crests on top of their heads and full cheeks (muffs) and beards. The Silkie must have round black eyes, short downward pointing dark beaks, and small smooth ears. A Silkie rooster will have a prominent single dark colored- walnut comb on his head. The Silkie is also known for having short graceful necks, a short back an a tail that is full and at its highest point, gives a balanced look when comparing head and tail.
. In general, the Silkie is round when viewed from the top. They have voluminous crests on top of their heads and full cheeks (muffs) and beards. The Silkie must have round black eyes, short downward pointing dark beaks, and small smooth ears. A Silkie rooster will have a prominent single dark colored- walnut comb on his head. The Silkie is also known for having short graceful necks, a short back an a tail that is full and at its highest point, gives a balanced look when comparing head and tail.
Recognized Silkie Color Types and Genetics
There are different types of Silkie colors. Some are recognized and others are bred for fun. Sometimes, serious breeders will try to create new colors with the hopes of having them become recognized with the breed registry. I am going to talk about a few of the color types that are most common and popular.
Gray Silkie
Basic Silkie Chicken Genetics
DNA is a blue print that codes for proteins. Genes produce traits that we can see such as feather type, color, body shape, number of toes, etc., Feather color is determined by genes that produce certain types of pigment. Below is a simple chart that explains some of the genes responsible for Blue, Black, and Splash Silkies.
Parents Possible Offspring
Blue X Blue Blue, Black and Splash
Blue X Splash Blue and Splash
Blue X Black Blue and Black
Black X Splash Blue
Black X Black Black
Splash X Blue Blue and Splash
Splash X Black Blue
Splash X Splash Splash (both blue/black splash)
The Color White in Silkies:
White Silkies are a little different. There is a gene that masks all color so the Silkie appears white. Silkies that have two copies of the i gene will be white. Silkies that have I i or I I will not be white. If they have I i they are said to carry the gene for "white". This helps to explain how you might breed two black Silkies and end up with some white colored chicks. The reason is that both parents had one copy of the "i" and some of the offspring inherited the copy and ended up with ii - thus white!
Andalusian Blue and Lavender:
There are two different sets of genes for creating the blue color in Silkies. One is the Andalusian Blue and the other a silvery color called Lavender. The gene for Andalusian Blue is Bb and the gene for Black is BB. The gene for lavender is ll (lower case l as it is a recessive trait). It is possible for a Silkie to possess both Bb and ll in its genotype. They would display both blue and lavender at the same time. If you were trying to breed Andalusian Blue Silkies this would not be desirable. Instead, some breeders will breed Blue to Blue or to Black. Likewise, Breeders will breed Lavender to Lavender or Black Silkies. Provided the Black Silkies are pure. Silkie breeders will breed their lavender to black Silkies so that they can continue to improve the overall type.
Parents Possible Offspring
Blue X Blue Blue, Black and Splash
Blue X Splash Blue and Splash
Blue X Black Blue and Black
Black X Splash Blue
Black X Black Black
Splash X Blue Blue and Splash
Splash X Black Blue
Splash X Splash Splash (both blue/black splash)
The Color White in Silkies:
White Silkies are a little different. There is a gene that masks all color so the Silkie appears white. Silkies that have two copies of the i gene will be white. Silkies that have I i or I I will not be white. If they have I i they are said to carry the gene for "white". This helps to explain how you might breed two black Silkies and end up with some white colored chicks. The reason is that both parents had one copy of the "i" and some of the offspring inherited the copy and ended up with ii - thus white!
Andalusian Blue and Lavender:
There are two different sets of genes for creating the blue color in Silkies. One is the Andalusian Blue and the other a silvery color called Lavender. The gene for Andalusian Blue is Bb and the gene for Black is BB. The gene for lavender is ll (lower case l as it is a recessive trait). It is possible for a Silkie to possess both Bb and ll in its genotype. They would display both blue and lavender at the same time. If you were trying to breed Andalusian Blue Silkies this would not be desirable. Instead, some breeders will breed Blue to Blue or to Black. Likewise, Breeders will breed Lavender to Lavender or Black Silkies. Provided the Black Silkies are pure. Silkie breeders will breed their lavender to black Silkies so that they can continue to improve the overall type.