Silkie with crazy feathers

[nnheacox]

This little silkie has the craziest feathers! I know it’s probably frizzled, but it’s wing feathers feel stiff and like they’d break if we touched them too much. Is that normal? Also noticed tonight that it has a single comb instead of walnut. This one has got me stumped

 

[Cockadoodledinos]

My frizzled silkies' feathers feel very soft not stiff, that is strange. Could it be a frazzle (both parents carried frizzle gene)? Some silkies do have a single comb, I think it's not to the standard but still cute imo

 

[Cockadoodledinos]

Frizzle on the log, prob a bit older than yours, for comparison.

 

[SilverBirds]

Silkies shouldn't have single combs, so probably not pure, or just not well bred. Did you get him from a breeder? If the feathers feel fragile it might be a frazzle. Frazzling is the result of crossing two frizzle gene chickens together. The cross is very problematic and any good breeder knows to avoid this. The over curled feathers are very brittle and fall apart easily creating bald patches, which makes them more prone to the elements. Many frazzles also suffer from other health issues which can lead to a shorter life. Time will tell if he's truly frazzled or just frizzled.

 

[nnheacox]

My frizzled silkies' feathers feel very soft not stiff, that is strange. Could it be a frazzle (both parents carried frizzle gene)? Some silkies do have a single comb, I think it's not to the standard but still cute imo

Maybe it could be Frazzled after reading up on it, I’m afraid that’s what it is. It’s about 1/2 the size of our other silkie. Our other silkie is very soft and fluffy.

 

[nnheacox]

Silkies shouldn't have single combs, so probably not pure, or just not well bred. Did you get him from a breeder? If the feathers feel fragile it might be a frazzle. Frazzling is the result of crossing two frizzle gene chickens together. The cross is very problematic and any good breeder knows to avoid this. The over curled feathers are very brittle and fall apart easily creating bald patches, which makes them more prone to the elements. Many frazzles also suffer from other health issues which can lead to a shorter life. Time will tell if he's truly frazzled or just frizzled.

After reading up on frazzled, I’m worried this is what we’ve got. I bought several (different breeds) from a feed store that also bred/hatched all of the chicks I bought. The other silkie we got from them is about twice the size of this one and fluffy. This poor little one has a bald booty and we’ve battled stuck-on poop from day one. But other than it’s feather and size it seems well and it’s quite spunky. Hoping we can give it a good life either way