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
View attachment 4209013
View attachment 4209014View attachment 4209015View attachment 4209016
That first hen is lovely - love the colouring.
 
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?!
You would think. The silkied feathers are recessive while normal feathers are dominant. So a silkie (furry feathers) bred to a normal feathered bird will show normal feathers, but good chance of the 5 toes, black skin (or mulberry which is the black and red comb color mixed together), feathered feet, crest, size. However, those birds will carry the silkied feathers trait.

If bred to another of the same sort of mix, 75% of the offspring will be normal feathered (satin), with 1/3 of those NOT carrying the silkied trait (2/3 will be like the parents: satin, with possibility of throwing silkied babies). The other 25% of the chicks will be silkied. (The other trait mixes can come and go within that too, creating greater variation between offspring from the same parents).

2 silkied feathered birds will produce silkied feathers 100% of the time.
 
Hauled the babies out for a look see, I am worried about the oldest chippy chick. She had a pasty butt so I cleaned it up and put a dab of polysporin in the site as her umbilicus is also located there and looked a bit off to me.

I made sure she had a drink and some food - her crop is empty, the other two are full. In the morning I will make sure she is out eating with the other two.

Who knew having chicks would be as stressful as horses.
 
Tedi is sporting a cute Buckeye Fascinator back there
PXL_20250831_175653078.jpg

PXL_20250831_175653078~2.jpg
 
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.
If Marty is a Black Silkie she seems to have what they refer to as "leaking" a different color which I believe they say is a disqualification in show terms for Black Silkies.

But if she has both a gold collar plus gold speckled wing tips also she'd be classified a Dark Partridge ~ not a registered color for partridge yet cuz there's no established uniform standard but that's what breeders are calling them right now ~ not a popular variation I guess:idunno. As far as I can tell they probably never will standardize them. I refer to them as "mutts" since they aren't a registered Silkie partridge color... yet.

Gold speckled partridge wing tips on a Dark Partridge:
DSCN8881.JPG

DSCN8878.JPG


Our Mika is a Dark Partridge ~ a lot of her gold circular collar is hidden by her outer black feathers. She has to sit or move at a certain angle to see her gold collar. Same w/ her speckled wing tips too where the black body feather fluff covers the wing feathers. At 1st glance one might think she's all jet black... then she moves & the partridge shows.

DH isn't the best photographer w/ lighting or angles ~ he takes these w/ his cellphone.

Broody pancake Mika
MIKA 25 BROODY PANCAKE  07-12-2025.jpg


DH is not the best picture taker but you can sort of see Mika's gold wing tips on her black body feathers? When she stands the gold collar disappears.
MIKA 24 SANDBOX  06-27-2025.jpg


Again... not the best pic... Mika is the center chick moulting but if she moves just right her gold collar (hackles?) show.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom