Unlike most chickens, blue silkie chickens have soft "fur-like" feathers.
Blue silkie chickens, or blue siklie bantams, are a breed of chicken native to China. They are often raised in the United States and even compete in chicken shows. Blue silkie chickens were observed and documented by Marco Polo during his expeditions to the Orient in the 13th century.
Anatomy
Blue silkie chickens differ from other chickens in more ways than their feathers. They are also have five toes which is one more than most chickens. They also have large crests on the tops of their heads known as "topknots."
Coloring
Despite their name, blue silkie chickens come in a variety of colors, including gray, white, buff, red, blue, silver and black. The original silkie chicken was white in color, but due to mutation and breeding, they now appear in a multitude of different colors.
Skin
Blue silkie chickens are the only breed of chicken to have dark skin. Though their skin pigmentation appears black, it is actually a very dark blue. This is where the "blue" in blue silkie comes from. The blue silkie's bones are also dark blue, appearing black. Because of this, they are often referred to as "black-boned chickens."
Feathers
Blue silkie chickens do not have feathers like other chickens. Their feathers look more like silky hair than typical bird feathers, which is where they get their name. The reason for this is that typical chicken feathers have a "web-like" structure, each feather strand rigidly adhering to the center shaft by a barb. The blue silkie's feathers do not have barbs, so their feathers are lose and floppy instead of rigid like other birds' feathers.
As Pets
Silkie blue bantams are a docile breed of chicken. Because of their temperament and their soft fur-like feathers, they are often kept as pets. They adapt well to being handled by humans. Female blue silkie chickens are also known to readily adopt other bird's babies, becoming surrogate mothers. They will often sit on and protect eggs that are not their own.
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