Silkie chicken
The Silkie is a small ornamental chicken with fur-like feathers, dark slate-blue skin and five toes on each foot. In the United States it is a bantam: the standard weights are 32 oz for a hen and 36 oz for a cock. Silkies are gentle, easy to handle and famous for going broody, which makes them good pets and good foster mothers but modest layers.
- Temperament
- Gentle, Docile
- Coop space per bird
- 3 sq ft
Is the Silkie right for you?
Good fit if
- You want a gentle chicken that takes to being handled
- You want a hen that will hatch and raise chicks, including other birds' eggs
- You want an ornamental or show bantam
Poor fit if
- You want a steady supply of eggs. Broody spells stop a Silkie laying
- You can keep hens only. The two hatcheries we checked sell Silkie chicks unsexed
- You want a large table bird. A hen weighs about 2 lb
Appearance and varieties
A Silkie's feathers look like fur. An ordinary feather is held flat by tiny hooks that zip its strands together; a Silkie's feathers lack those hooks, so the strands fluff out instead. Oklahoma State University notes that this is also why Silkies cannot fly.
The breed has a crest on the head, feathers down the legs and on the middle toe, and five toes on each foot instead of four. The skin is dark slate-blue, usually just called black. The comb is a very small walnut or cushion shape, the beak is bluish-black and the eyes are black.
Silkies are shown bearded or non-bearded. The APA lists 14 varieties: Black, Blue, Buff, Gray, Partridge and White in both forms, plus Self Blue and Splash as bearded only.
The breed club says show Silkies have changed a good deal in the last 30 to 40 years, with larger crests and heavier leg feathering than before.214
Temperament and handling
The American Silkie Bantam Club describes Silkies as gentle and docile birds that make good pets and adapt quickly to attention and handling.
Broodiness is the trait they are best known for. The club says a Silkie hen will hatch and raise almost any kind of poultry or game bird, that very little will move her off a nest once she has settled, and that some will go broody with no eggs under them. Breeders of quail and pheasant keep Silkie hens for exactly this job. The club adds that even the males can be gentle with chicks.2
Animals vary within a breed. Treat this as what to expect, not a promise, and meet the animal before you buy if you can.
Production numbers
What our sources report for the breed. If two sources disagree, you see the full range.
Housing, feed and health
Housing
University of Minnesota Extension gives a minimum of 3 to 5 sq ft of indoor space per bird, with one nest box for every 4 to 5 hens and a place to roost. That is for chickens in general, not Silkies in particular.
The same source says smaller breeds may need extra care to stay warm in winter, and that a mixed flock may need separating by size if heavier birds keep lighter ones off the feed, water or roost. Oklahoma State notes that Silkies cannot fly.591
Feed
Feed a prepared ration balanced for vitamins, minerals and protein. Laying hens also need crushed oyster shell for eggshells and grit for digestion. Kitchen scraps and scratch grains are fine as treats in moderation.
Keep clean, fresh water available all the time, above all in summer, because chickens cool themselves by panting. This is general guidance for chickens from University of Minnesota Extension.5
Health
University of Minnesota Extension describes a healthy chicken as active and alert with bright eyes, and says the easiest way to spot disease is to know what normal looks like for each bird. Clean the coop and run weekly, clean feeders and waterers regularly, and give the birds a dust bath.
This is a starting point, not veterinary advice. If a bird stops eating, wheezes or seems unwell, call a vet who treats poultry, or your county extension office.5
Price and where to buy
Prices are per White Silkie chick, read from two hatchery pages on 9 October 2026. Cackle's page was taking orders for 2025 and carries a customer review dated 4 May 2025; McMurray's carries a site notice dated November 2026. On the day we looked Cackle showed the chicks as temporarily unavailable and McMurray showed them as sold out. Neither hatchery sexes Silkie chicks.
Where to look
Start with a breeder you can visit. Nobody pays to be on this list.
| Seller or directory | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| American Silkie Bantam Club | Breed club | |
| Cackle Hatchery | Hatchery | Unsexed chicks $6.63–7.99 depending on quantity; ships early February to mid August |
| Murray McMurray Hatchery | Hatchery | Unsexed chicks $9.00 |
Similar breeds
| Breed | Hen weight | Eggs per year | Beginner | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silkie (this breed) | 2 lb | $6.63–$9.00 | ||
| Polish | 4.5 lb | 150–200 | $4.37–$12.00 |
History
Nobody knows exactly where or when the Silkie arose. It comes from Asia; most writers favour China or Japan and some India. Marco Polo wrote of a fur-covered fowl with black skin on his travels in China in the 13th century.
The breed club says the earliest Silkies were white only and had little crest or leg feathering. The other colours were developed later by breeders.
In the United States the Silkie is a bantam and is shown in the Feather Leg class. In Great Britain there is a large-fowl Silkie as well.214
Common questions
What is a Silkie chicken?
A small ornamental chicken from Asia with fur-like feathers, a crest, feathered legs, dark slate-blue skin and five toes on each foot. In the United States it is a bantam.21
How big do Silkie chickens get?
The APA bantam standard weights are 32 oz (2 lb) for a hen and 36 oz (2¼ lb) for a cock. Great Britain also has a large-fowl Silkie.1
What colour eggs do Silkies lay?
The breed club says white to light brown; Oklahoma State University says cream or tinted. The eggs are not large.21
Are Silkies good layers?
Not especially. The breed club says they are dependable while they are laying but go broody so often that they cannot match breeds such as Leghorns, because a hen stops laying while she is broody.2
Are Silkie chickens good pets?
Yes, by the breed club's account. It describes them as gentle and docile and says they adapt quickly to attention and handling.2
What colours do Silkies come in?
The APA recognises Black, Blue, Buff, Gray, Partridge and White, each bearded or non-bearded, plus Self Blue and Splash as bearded only. That makes 14 varieties.4
Sources
The small numbers beside each fact point to one of these.
- Oklahoma State University, Breeds of Livestock: Silkie Bantam Chickens (archived copy).
- American Silkie Bantam Club, About Silkies.
- BreedBarn, Editorial rating, method on the editorial policy page.
- American Poultry Association, Accepted Breeds & Varieties.
- University of Minnesota Extension, Raising chickens for eggs.
- Cackle Hatchery, White Silkie Bantam.
- Murray McMurray Hatchery, White Silkie Bantams.
- American Bantam Association, Active Breed and Variety List, March 2021 (PDF).
- University of Minnesota Extension, Caring for chickens in cold weather.
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