Henny Penny is a Satin Silkie - they have regular feathers.

View attachment 4208968

@Sylvester017 as you can see Marty (behind Henny) has the gold feathers on her neck. They are there all the time.
And my SHRH

Georgie, and Holly with the chicks today
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Hard or normal feathers on a silkie.
Isn’t that just a chicken?
I clearly need to go look this up. I never heard of a satin. And I never heard of a silkie with normal feathers. I mean how can you be a silkie and have feathers?
I am very confused!
But I love a good research rabbit hole, so off I go!
 
Henny Penny is a Satin Silkie - they have regular feathers
But, but, but how can a Silkie have normal feathers and still be a Silkie? I mean a Silkie is a Silkie because it has silkie feathers.
If it doesn’t have silkie feathers, surely it isn’t a Silkie?!
 
But, but, but how can a Silkie have normal feathers and still be a Silkie? I mean a Silkie is a Silkie because it has silkie feathers.
If it doesn’t have silkie feathers, surely it isn’t a Silkie?!
Well, it is a silkie bred to a non-silkie, so it is only 1/2 silkie...or further down the line..less then 1/2 silkie (or 3/4 silkie if bred back to a silkie)
 
But, but, but how can a Silkie have normal feathers and still be a Silkie? I mean a Silkie is a Silkie because it has silkie feathers.
If it doesn’t have silkie feathers, surely it isn’t a Silkie?!
Yep agreed. But who can argue with the breed registries.
 
Well, it is a silkie bred to a non-silkie, so it is only 1/2 silkie...or further down the line..less then 1/2 silkie (or 3/4 silkie if bred back to a silkie)
I can get my mind around 1/2 Silkie.
I will let @featherhead007 opine on whether a 1/2 Silkie is a whole chicken or not!
 
I can get my mind around 1/2 Silkie.
I will let @featherhead007 opine on whether a 1/2 Silkie is a whole chicken or not!

Bert June 2024

1/2 Silkie (dada is Mr P) he can only have normal feathers even though Fluffy is a silkie. The silkie feather gene is recessive - you need 2 for showing the silkie feathers.

But he does have the silkie leg feathers.
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Betty Aug 2025

She is his 1/2 sister, and she is a frizzle like her mum Curly. Frizzle gene is dominant you only need one to show the frizzy feathers. Her feathers are normal feathers. She has black skin like The silkies but no leg feathers; and only 4 toes.
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Silkies have a specific shape, much like Polishes have their own shape. 5 toes, often dark skin and innards, comb and wattle shape, big ol cushion at the base of the tail.
A silkie mixed may inherit the specifics, but not the silkied feathers, then they're satin. Often they also have traits of other breeds.

Satin silkies are basically just a name for a bird with a specific shape or bloodline, but normal feathers.

Hope this helps, my migraine pills have finally started kicking in.
Some photos of my sillies
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Bert June 2024

1/2 Silkie (dada is Mr P) he can only have normal feathers even though Fluffy is a silkie. The silkie feather gene is recessive - you need 2 for showing the silkie feathers.

But he does have the silkie leg feathers.
View attachment 4209011

Betty Aug 2025

She is his 1/2 sister, and she is a frizzle like her mum Curly. Frizzle gene is dominant you only need one to show the frizzy feathers. Her feathers are normal feathers. She has black skin like The silkies but no leg feathers; and only 4 toes.
View attachment 4209012


Edit: 2 frizzle gene are bad news they produce a sizzle which has brittle feathers and usually have health issues.

This is what I was shocked to realize Clyde was a frizzle and also Fluffy. I can never ever hatch eggs from Fluffy and Curly that Clyde fertilizes. But Georgie, Holly and Marty would be fine. They are regular silkies.
 

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