What to look for in a show quality Silkie?

No red in their combs, wattles or skin. Good toe spacing and of course the correct number of toes. That's a few things I could think of. there's still a lot more. What color are you getting?

 

Short backs, wide bodies, few hard or stiff feathers in the tail. Wings held high (horizontal) and not half-opened. Dark eyes.

 

The term "show quality" is thrown around quite a bit and while it can be somewhat subjective, there are some birds that just are not going to be competitive in a sanctioned show.

A bird show never be termed show quality until they are 6 months old at minimum. I've had birds that I would not have thought were going to be show silkies at 4 months of age, but by the time they finished out at 7 or 8 months they were spectacular.

Please go the the American Silkie Bantam Club website and look at the silkies that won national championships. That is close to what your silkie needs to look like to win at most shows. Now that said, ANY silkie can be entered into a show as long as it does not have any disqualifications.

Showing is fun, no matter whether your silkies win or not. That's the important part..having fun!