I love breeding partridge silkie chicken due to its unique plumage appearance with feathers that look like fur and feel like silk or satin. The breed also has a calm temperament and charming trait ideal for beginners or season keepers.
The partridge silkies have a black chest with vibrant plumage colors. They are also bearded or non-bearded depending on their gene expression patterns. I recommend adding both bearded and non-bearded species into your breeding pen.
Partridge silkie is a wonderful and peculiar chicken breed with hidden profile facts. My breeding pen consists of four partridge silkie hens and two roosters. I wrote this article to share how partridge silkie chicks and parents look-like.
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Partridge Silkie Chicken Chart Overview
| Size | Small to regular. Weigh about 1-4lbs (0.45-1.8kgs) |
| Rarity | Readily available |
| Origin | Eastern Asia |
| Purpose | Ornamental, pet, eggs, and a broody hen |
| Eggs Color | Cream, off-white, white |
| Heat Tolerance | Fair |
| No. Eggs Per Year | 100-120 eggs or 2-3 eggs per week |
| Countries Available | The United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia |
Partridge Silkie Chicken Profile
Silkies are the most highly sought-after chicken breeds by many keepers due to their unique appearances and behavioral traits. But the partridge breed is the most popular due to its striking color variant and charming characteristics. Let us now find that together:
Lifespan
Partridge silkies are excellent additions to every homestead since they are hardy and resilient chicken breeds. They can also thrive in cold and warm climates without limiting their lifespan.
These chickens have a lifespan range of 7-9 years under proper care routine. The long lifespan makes them an excellent choice to keep as pets or broody hens.
If you want your partridge silkies to live longer, keep them in an enclosed area for protection from potential predators. Ensure the enclosed area has adequate space, grass, food, and water.
Appearance
Silkie chicken partridge has fluffy feathers that feel like satin or silk when touched. The individual hairs grow in a fluffy and untidy fashion due to a lack of barbicels.
An adult partridge silkie rooster has a bright-colored plumage with a dark chest and tail. The female counterpart has a dull-colored plumage with a dark undercoat and light buff on the top.
The silkie chicks are striped like chipmunks that later fade away as they grow. The stripes are either black or brown on the back and face of the chicks.
Temperament
Partridge color is beautiful for adding to your chicken breeding pen. Besides that, partridge silkie chickens are more docile, friendly, and inquisitive companions.
These silkie chickens love cuddling and sitting on their owner’s lap for treats. The friendly traits make them ideal for families with small children.
Both hens and roosters are docile making them vulnerable to being picked by more aggressive chickens. I recommend keeping your silkies separate from more aggressive chicken breeds.
History and Origin
Partridge silkie chickens are unusual breeds due to their fluffy plumage and black skin. The species also has extra toes (five toes) and blue earlobes.
The chicken breed originates from Eastern Asia (China) about 1000 years ago. The silkie chicken was brought to Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries.
Marco Polo and Aldrovandi are the earliest travelers who brought partridge silkie chicken to Europe. These unique chickens reached the British Isle in the mid-19th century.
Health Related Issues
Partridge silkie chickens are vulnerable to Marek’s disease which attacks the nerves, spine cords, and brain. The illness causes paralysis and tremors or even death in the chickens.
I recommend getting your partridge silkie chicks vaccination from reputable hatcheries. Adult partridge silkies are also susceptible to overgrown toenails and leg mites.
Be sure to trim the toenail of the unusual fifth toe more often since it grows in an upward direction and may pose dangers. Remember to keep the feathered feet and legs clean always.
Cross beak is another common problem affecting partridge chickens. The condition will make your chicken struggle in picking food and may starve to death.
Egg Laying and Broodiness
Partridge silkie lay about 2-3 eggs a week which averages to 100-120 eggs a year. These small eggs are either white or cream depending on the bird’s genetic makeup.
These chicken breeds are obsessed with hatching their eggs and raising the chicks. We recommend exercising ultimate care when they go broody.
Brooding usually interferes with hen’s health and well-being since it barely eats or drinks. The condition can make your hen lose muscle tone and molt.
Hard Feathering Tendency
Partridge chickens have soft and silky feathers across the entire body. The fluffy plumage cannot be interspersed with too much hard feathering.
The partridge feather colors are due to the six genetic compositions. Roosters have two gold genes, two brown genes, and two pattern genes.
The gold gene adds color to the feathers while the pattern and brown genes provide the stippling and black pigments to result in a penciling on the feathers.
The partridge color looks reddish-brown tinged with black hues. But many partridge color variants are making these chicken breeds look different.
A partridge silkie chicken has black-centered hackle feathers with a thin border of the reddish bay and body color. The vibrant black penciling makes them adorable and ornamental.
My Final Thoughts
If you have read up to this point, you might be looking to breed partridge silkie chickens. These chickens are friendly, docile, and adorable. They also make the best ornamental or family pets.
A partridge silkie chicken is the most beautiful and popular species. But color does not matter when looking to breed and raise silkie chickens.
It is an excellent idea to have a basic understanding of the various silkie chicken colors. All silkie chickens are good broodies and fantastic mothers.
I hope you learned something from this article today. Feel free to share with your family or other chicken enthusiasts. Leave us with a photo of your partridge silkies in the comment.
Further Sources and References
- Poultry Club of Great Britain: British Poultry Standard for Silkies.
- Smith, Page, Charles, and Daniel: The Chicken Book (Pg 49).
- Cloris D. Franco and Et Al: Hyper-pigmentation in Silkies.