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23 <br />Silkie <br />From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia <br />Silkie is also an alternate spelling of Selkie, a mythical creature that <br />can change between seal and human form. <br />The Silkie is a variety of chicken believed to have originated in eastern <br />Asia. Silkies generally have a fluffy appearance due to their feathers <br />lacking functioning barbicels; essentially, all their feathers are very much <br />like down. Their unique appearance and their quiet temperament mean <br />they are often kept as pets. The hens easily become broody, laying only a <br />dozen or so eggs before attempting to hatch out their clutch. They are <br />considered excellent mothers. Their broodiness makes them a poor <br />breed for egg production, and their dark skin makes them difficult to <br />market as meat birds in Europe and America. <br />Silkies are near -unique among chickens: both skin and bones are black. <br />Black skin is found in only silkies and some rare breeds - the Indonesian <br />Ayam Cemani, the South American Black Quechua Olmec, and the <br />Swedish Svart Hona. The Black Sumatra and Raparwi breeds sometimes <br />have black skin also. i'i. Silkies also have five toes on each foot, whereas <br />most chickens only have four. Their crowns have to be trimmed <br />occasionally so they can see properly. <br />The American Bantam Association accepts six standard colors for silkies: <br />black, blue, buff, white, partridge and grey. There are also other colors: <br />red, calico, cuckoo, etc. One theory presents white as the original color <br />with black following as a mutation. Buff was introduced via a cochin <br />cross, as well as for the cuckoo pattern. There are two varieties of silkie: <br />bearded and non -bearded. Marco Polo is reported to have encountered <br />Silkies in China at the end of the 13th century, where they are raised for <br />the gourmet meat market to this day. Silkies are only bantam size in the <br />USA. American silkies are actually intermediate in size, not proper <br />bantam but not large fowl either. Elsewhere there are standards for both <br />the bantam Silkie and the standard Silkie. Silkies are used in traditional <br />Chinese medicine, due to their dark skin colouration. A cross has been <br />undertaken to transfer this pigmentation to a larger breed,121 <br />