Silkie

representative

Bearded →

A Silkie carrying the muff/beard gene, adding a puff of feathers under the beak and across the cheeks beneath the crest. One of the two standard Silkie head types.

Tip: Beard plus crest holds moisture around the face — keep waterers low-splash and check for matting and chill in cold, damp weather.

representative

Non-Bearded →

The clean-faced Silkie showing the turquoise-blue earlobes and wattles, without the cheek beard. The other recognized head type.

Tip: Exposed wattles can frostbite — provide a dry, draft-free coop in winter; otherwise these are famously docile, broody beginner birds.

White →

The classic Silkie: fluffy fur-like white plumage, black skin, and five toes. The most widely available and recognizable color.

Tip: Silkie feathers lack barbicels so they're not waterproof — keep these birds out of rain and never let them get chilled and soaked.

Black →

A self-black Silkie with the same fluffy plumage; the dark feathers over dark skin give a striking all-over black look.

Tip: Sun and soiling can give black plumage a rusty/purple cast — provide shade and keep the fluffy feathers dry and clean.

representative

Buff, Blue, Grey, Partridge, Splash →

Additional recognised self and patterned colours bred for exhibition.

representative

Paint / Porcelain (unstandardised) →

Trendy hobby colors not (yet) in the standard: 'Paint' is a white-and-black spotted form (built on the dominant-white/extended-black genetics), and 'Porcelain' is a soft lavender-buff-and-cream patterned look.

Tip: Because these aren't standardized, color consistency varies between lines — buy from a breeder whose stock matches the look you want, and keep the fluffy plumage dry like any Silkie.

representative

Buff →

An even golden-buff Silkie, a warm and popular self color in the fluffy Silkie feather type.

Tip: Buff fades in strong sun — keep them shaded to hold an even color, and as with all Silkies keep them dry since the plumage won't shed rain.

representative

Blue →

A slate-blue Silkie from the heterozygous Andalusian blue gene, so a blue pen produces blue, black, and splash chicks rather than breeding true.

Tip: For the most blue offspring, pair blue x splash; keep the loose plumage dry as blue feathers also sun-bleach unevenly.

representative

Grey →

A penciled grey Silkie variety with a soft dove-grey feathering and faint pattern, distinct from the solid 'blue' self color.

Tip: Keep grey birds clean and shaded so the delicate tone doesn't yellow, and protect the non-waterproof plumage from rain.

representative

Partridge →

A patterned Silkie with intricate penciled brown/black markings on a golden ground — a more complex, naturalistic color than the selfs.

Tip: Penciling shows best on clean, dry plumage — keep the coop dry, since soiled or wet fluff hides the fine pattern.

representative

Splash →

A white/pale base splashed with irregular blue-grey markings — the homozygous form of the blue gene. Splash x splash breeds true to splash.

Tip: Cross splash with black to reliably produce blue chicks; keep the light plumage clean and dry as stains and rain show readily.