Silkie

The Silkie, also known as the Silky or Chinese silk chicken, is a Chinese breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is soft to the touch, like silk or fur. Other unusual qualities include black skin and bones, blue earlobes, and pentadactyly (five toes on each foot) – most chickens have only four.

The birds are commonly reared for exhibition in poultry shows, and a number of color varieties have been bred: the Entente Européenne recognises ten plumage colors, the American Poultry Association seven, and the Poultry Club of Great Britain five. there are both bearded and non-bearded forms of most colours. In European countries both bantam and large fowl are recognised, while in the United States only the bantam is listed.

Silkie hens show a strong tendency to broodiness, and are commonly used to hatch eggs from other breeds and bird species; as a result of the same tendency, they lay relatively few eggs.