Unpopular Opinion: Satin Silkies Are Ugly

[Whittni]

You heard me, Satins are just ugly Silkies>>>Satins. What do YOU think?

Satins are just mixed breed silkies

 

[Whittni]

I also think chickens with partial crests like Swedish Flowers are ugly Full poof crest or none!

 

[Theorrin]

full poof or none at all!

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Hmm, I'm having a hard time agreeing fully because to me Silkies are ugly, too I do agree that Satins are just glorified mixed breeds, but there's a ton of those these days out of hatcheries so why not.

To your second point, I'd much rather my chickens have a small crest and actually have faces than have the full poof and barely any vision.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

How do you feel about Spitzhauben crests?

I like both the stains and the smaller crests, but if you knew me, it wouldn't be a surprise at all. The small creats are pretty nice if you have birds out of a pen

 

[fluffycrow]

Hmm, I'm having a hard time agreeing fully because to me Silkies are ugly, too I do agree that Satins are just glorified mixed breeds, but there's a ton of those these days out of hatcheries so why not.

To your second point, I'd much rather my chickens have a small crest and actually have faces than have the full poof and barely any vision.

 

[Theorrin]

watch my silkies from TSC not be silkies now lol

 

[nuthatched]

Silkies are purse dogs in general but I prefer the look of the satins. They're not always mixed breed though.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

They're not always mixed breed though.

Since the gene for silkied feathering is recessive, if a bird has silkied feathering, they must be pure for the silkied gene. Thus, breeding a Silkie to a Silkie will always get you more Silkies, never Satins, and so every Satin must have an outcross to a smooth-feathered breed somewhere in its background. Most commonly, Cochin bantams and Polish are used for this, though it seems like I more frequently see the Polish outcrosses referred to as 'Polkies' these days and the Cochin outcrosses as 'Satins'.

 

[Goats N Cluckers]

That's one of the wonderful things about chickens - there's something for everyone. Don't like satins? Don't keep 'em. It's easy enough to rehome or process them. Although, I don't care much for silkie meat, and the color is just unappetizing to me. Personally, I think all of the silkies are adorable. When they get to scratching in the leaves or hustling across the yard they make me laugh.