#JAPANESE SILKIE CHICKEN SKIN#

Dutch merchants claimed they were the offspring of chickens and rabbits, while some others suggested they were covered in cat hair. The traders selling these birds made sure to surround them in myth and mystery. Marco Polo wrote about encountering “furry chickens” back in the 13th century, but it would be another 200 years before the Silkie started making it west to Europe. These days they’re found throughout Asia and even as far west as India. The origins of the Silkie are unknown, but they’re thought to originate from China, where they’re known as wu gu ji, or “black chicken”. Though they’re not prolific layers (about 3 eggs a week), their super broody nature makes them ideal surrogate mums, so they’re often used to raise other species of chicken and bird. They make excellent pets and are often exhibited at poultry shows. Silkie chickens are incredibly docile and broody. The thing that really sets them apart is their bluish/black flesh and bones. They also have strikingly blue earlobes that protrude from their plumage. Because they don’t have feathers that hold together, the Silkie cannot fly, but they have five toes instead of a regular chicken’s 4, so there’s that. They’re covered in downy, fluffy plumage which is very soft to the touch and often likened to silk or satin (hence the name).

They’re pretty different, and that may be an understatement.įor a start, they don’t really have feathers. I’d be willing to bet you’ve never even heard of a Silkie chicken, let alone seen one. You know what a chicken is.īut here’s the thing: You don’t know what chickens look like. They’ve been domesticated for thousands of years.

You can fry them roast them, poach them and barbecue them.

#JAPANESE SILKIE CHICKEN SKIN#

You know what a chicken looks like right? Feathers, red comb, 4 toes, white skin and bones.

Japanese silkie chicken