The silkie breed of chicken is so special to me . I've fallen in love with everything about the silkie from their black skin to their feathered feet. I've found the silkie breed to be exceptionally friendly , gentle, and loving. The silkie is truly the teddy bear of the chicken world. In fact when people see them most don't believe they are chickens! One of my favorite things is to bring one of my girls inside and let her sleep on my chest while I pet her. She enjoys this too as she purs (trills) when I pet her. It's the sweetest sound. I also enjoy to go out with my girls while they free range. If it's a sunny day I will go up to pet one and she will lay on her side and stretch her wing out in the warm sun and just lay beside me. All my girls do this. I've found my silkies love human contact and follow me or actually jump up and down when they see me as if saying pick me up pick me! I've found silkies to have soft voices and pleasant chirps. When it comes to egg laying the eggs may be smaller but they can keep up with the best of them! They lay the cutest pinkish color eggs. My chicks for this year are now 61/2 months old and eggs should be coming soon! Silkies are quite difficult to sex so as chicks I have mine DNA feather sexed. I have a lab that will sex them for ten dollars a sample. It's very worth it for me to know the sex early on. The process is very simple as you simply pluck a feather and send it in to the lab. They extract the DNA from the tip and are able to accurately tell you the sex. Silkies are full of personality and each one is different than the other. I've found they are very easy to train and they actually learn the meanings of words. I can say "treat" and they all come running! It amazes me how smart they are! They are calm and gentle and make the perfect pet. I highly recommend the silkie breed they surely will steal your heart. Silkie feathers are not like the regular feather of a chicken that's what gives them the look and feel of fur. Water does not run off a silkies feathers like it would a typical chicken so you want to keep them out of the rain. I've posted some pictures of one of my 6 1/2 month old silkies for you to see. She is a buff color. They come in white, buff, splash, blue, black and partridge colors. I'm certain if you choose silkies for your flock they will steal your heart! They make a great choice for a first time chicken owner! Silkies are truly amazing creatures! Each one brings such joy to my life. They are truly gifts from God. I love watching them play. The silkie really is a great breed for the whole family!
