Types of Silkie Chicken

Silkie chickens are distinct from other breeds because of their unique and fluffy plumage, which has a silky texture. Silkie chickens have dark blue skin and bones and turquoise blue earlobes. Unlike other chickens, silkies have five toes on each of their feet rather than four. They are calm, docile chickens that are regarded as good pets and often exhibited in shows.

  1. Bearded and Non-Bearded Silkies

    • Silkie chickens are either bearded or non-bearded. Bearded silkie varieties possess a muff of feathers just below the beak that covers up the earlobes. In non-bearded silkies, the face is more visible. Many bearded silkies have their faces mostly hidden by plumage, hiding much of the blue and black color in their flesh.

    Black

    • Both male and female black silkie chickens have lustrous greenish-black plumage. Their undercolor is typically a dull black, except for in dark-legged varieties. Dark-legged black silkies typically have an undercolor that matches the rest of their plumage.

    Blue

    • Blue silkie chickens have glossy black heads and bluish-slate hackles. The back, tail and saddle are clear bluish slate with glossy back markings. The legs, breast and neck are a similar bluish slate but with black lacing that is more sharply defined. Both male and female chickens have similar markings and coloration.

    Gray

    • Gray silkie bantam chickens have dark grey heads with light grey hackles. The back is an even shade of gray and the saddle matches the hackle with darker gray streaks. The tail and shoulders are chinchilla gray like the back, with slaty-gray primary and secondary feathers on the wings. Males have a smoky gray under color with slaty-blue shanks and toes. Males and females are colored similarly, though females are more evenly-colored in chinchilla gray and slaty-gray with less variation in tone.

    Partridge

    • The male partridge silkie has a rich red web and lustrous green-black hackle. The front of the neck is black and the back is green-black and brilliant red. Wing plumage is largely reddish bay with black tips except for fluff, which is mostly black with a slight red tinge. The legs and toes are black. The female partridge silkie is primarily reddish-bay and black with black pencilings.

    White and Buff

    • Both male and female silkies are completely white with the web, fluff and the shafts of all feathers being completely white in all sections. Both male and female bearded silkie chickens have thick and full white beards that extend to the backs of the eyes and project outward from the sides of the face. Male and female buff silkies exhibit similar markings. Buff silkies have an even shade of buff across their bodies from head to tail.