I have a nine month old Silkie who has black spots all over him even on his eyeball I first noticed them the day after I got him he was two weeks old then and they didn't seem to effect him in anyway I'm really just curious
I see no one has replied yet. I wish I could give you a educated answer, however I also have a silkie mix that has some of that splotchy black skin. It's not as noticeable on my silkie mix though. In my case it seems to be under the feathers on its body. The only way I know it's even there is because the chick is a white silkie mix. I just thought it was pigmentation from both parents. I am under the impression that pure bred silkies will have black skin, and I have pure silkie who do. Then any mixes that hatch seem to have either white skin, or splotchy black.
is the bird cuckoo? If so, the barring gene is inhibiting dark skin. And the bird may be lacking two copies of the Fm gene that causes black skin, also making it lighter.