Silkie Sites on the Internet
Introduction
A few years ago, seeing all of the sites mentioning Silkies on the Internet amazed me and prompted me to develop this site. I named the site, "Surfing With Silkies," but I've renamed the site recently. I optimistically tried to link every Silkie site in the world! Reality finally arrived. I cannot link every site that mentions Silkies but I can certainly try to link the BEST Silkie sites on the Internet. I am still a bit shocked by the number of sites devoted to Silkie fowl. Research indicates that these gentle little Silkie chickens were probably developed somewhere in Asia several thousand years ago. Silkies frequently are called Japanese Silkies or Chinese Silkies by those unfamiliar with the breed. Both names are technically incorrect in my opinion. Another common mistake (if you are writing in English) is changing the spelling of "Silkie" to "silky" - a spelling found in older writings about the breed. The breed of fowl referred to by the various names remains basically the same. Today, among English speakers, the name of the breed is simply "Silkies" for standard or large-sized fowl or "Silkie Bantams" for small or miniature fowl. In Europe and Australia, one may find both large and bantam Silkies. In the United States and Canada, the only Silkies are bantams - but the size is oddly between the two sizes of large ones and small ones found outside North America. Where will Silkies go from here? I cannot say. The trip should be interesting!
If I've missed one of your favorite Silkies sites, drop me a line at my e-mail address at the bottom of this page. However,if you are looking for a Silkie to add to your flock, please DO NOT EMAIL ME DIRECTLY!!! I really am not in a position where I can direct people to breeders on a worldwide scale any longer. The obligations of going to work, of caring for my two young children and of caring for a large flock of Silkies are overwhelming right now. The amount of email that this page generates is just incredible! Instead of emailing me directly, I can offer this suggestion. Please post your inquiry on the American Silkie Bantam Club's email discussion group which is a free email message board. There are many Silkie breeders on the email list. Most breeders are located in the USA. However, the list includes members from Europe and Australia and a few other places. Your question will almost certainly be answered promptly by one of the members. The list address is:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/americansilkiebantamclub
For long-term help, if you are in the United States or Canada, you might consider joining the American Silkie Bantam Club. Members receive a copy of our Breeder's Directory with names, addresses and telephone numbers of Silkie breeder's all around the United States. (We even claim a small handful of Canadian members.) The newsletters are full of useful information. The application is on our Club web page at:
http://www.americansilkiebantamclub.org
Silkie Clubs exist in several countries. If you share my fascination with these fluffy chickens, join a Club! Join us on the American Silkie Bantam Club email list on Yahoo. Get involved in a Club. You won't be disappointed.
THE LINKS
The American Silkie Bantam Club -- The original Silkie Club here in the
United States, the ASBC, is a large group devoted to raising and breeding Silkies. Show breeders and pet breeders both find a place in this organization. You will find a link to an application for
Club membership and some other useful information. http://www.americansilkiebantamclub.org
Silkie Exhibitors and Breeders of America, Inc. -- A new Silkie Club has formed in the USA which is exclusively dedicated to encouraging the breeding and exhibiting of show quality Silkies. http://www.sebaclub.com/about.htm
The Silkie Club of Great Britain -- One of my personal favorites! Our
friends from the U.K. have a web page of their own with some VERY nice
photos.
http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/Clubs/SilkieUK/SilkieUK.html Specialklubben for Silkehøns -- Visit the home page of the Danish
Silkie Club! More very nice photos!!! Updated
Link! http://www.silkehoenseklubben.subnet.dk/ Silkie Club of Australia, Inc. The Silkie Club of New Zealand -- This lovely page
includes the Silkie standards for New Zealand from the New Zealand Poultry
Standards. The page is located at MSN and includes a list of New Zealand
Silkie breeders.
http://communities.msn.co.nz/SilkieClubofNZ/ The Swiss Silkie and Poland Breeders Club (Schweizerischer
Siedenhuhn- und HaubenhŸhner-ZŸchterclub) - Contact information for the Swiss Club
and a few photos. Nice logo!http://www.tierisch.ch/Vereine/CH_shhzk/index.htm The Silkie and Poland Club of Germany (Sonderverein der Züchter
der Seidenhühner und Zwerghaubenhühner) - Good photos, breeders list, contact
information and lovely sketches. . . Be sure to check out the web site of the
Club secretary, Friedel Schwager, which is listed farther down the page under "Great Silkie
Sites from Around the World"http://www.silkies-polands.de/ The Dutch Silky Fowl Club - Seidenhühnerclub in Holland
- Take a look at this one! It is even in English for those Silkie
breeders who are linguistically challenged like myself. There are some
lovely photos and a copy of the Dutch Standard for Silkies. Be sure to
look at Photopage 3 for a picture of a rare and beautiful Cuckoo Silkie
cockerel.
http://go.to/silkies Have I missed your Club? Please let me know! SILKIE DISCUSSION GROUPS ON THE WEB. . . The American Silkie Bantam Club's Yahoo Discussion Group --
Email with dozens of Silkie breeders from around the world on this free email list.
Learn a lot about Silkies and feel free to ask questions. Most breeders are located in the
USA. However, the list includes members from Europe and Australia and a
few other places. Participation in the discussion group is
free to any Silkie fancier registered with the discussion group, not just
American Silkie Bantam Club members. Silkie fanciers of all degrees of
knowledge and expertise are welcome. The list includes a large number of
show breeders as well as many breeders who love their Silkies as pampered pets
only. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/americansilkiebantamclub SilkieBreeders Yahoo Group -- Silkie Breeders and Exhibitors
- This new list states that it is for serious Silkie breeders and those
persons interested in the exhibition of Silkies. Like the ASBC List, it is
free. It is a smaller group but it is certain to be a friendly one!
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SilkieBreeders/ The Silkie Bantam Standard Forum -- Silkie Breeders and Exhibitors
- I formed this new group on MSN which is devoted to systematically analyzing the Silkie Bantam Standard in the USA with an eventual goal of submitting suggestions to the ABA and APA to assist poultry judges in evaluating Silkie Bantams. This group is for serious and experienced show
breeders of Silkie Bantams. Interested observers (aka lurkers) are very
welcome but questions relating to showing, breeding, genetics and
general Silkie care should be directed to one of the other groups.
http://groups.msn.com/SilkieBantamStandard/ The Awesome Silkie Bantam Chat -- A large friendly list with an extensive archive, this group is a good source of information for beginners to the Silkie breed. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/asbc The Poultry Page's Silkie Site -- A virtual Silkie showcase! The
largest collection of Silkie photos on the web (apart from my site) is on this site. Also on the site
are links to some of the other Silkie sites listed here.http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGP/Silkies/BRKSilkies.html The Chook Shed -- This site contains some nice photos of and
information about Australian Silkies. The best find on the site is the
reproduction of Hashime Murayama's painting of white Silkies from the April 1927
issue of National Geographic -- truly a work of art.
http://www.webone.com.au/~greggles/se_asia.html Friedel's Silkie Page -- Silkies from Germany! This page is the
personal homepage of the secretary of the Silkie Club in Germany (also one of
the A.S.B.C. Onelist members) and it gives a rare insight into the quality of
Silkies in Germany. http://silkies.cjb.net/ Silkies at the Zoo -- Would you believe that the Honolulu Zoo had a
pair of white Silkies on exhibit? http://www.hawaii.rr.com/zoo/bantam_chicken.htm James Vincent's Silkie Page -- Mr. Vincent politely pleads for
information on the Silkie on his page. If anyone out there knows of articles or
books about Silkie Bantams that might be of interest, please let Mr. Vincent AND
ME know! http://members.tripod.com/JLVINCENT/index.html Chickscope: Silky Fowls -- Another site with very useful information
and some more nice photos. . . http://chickscope.beckman.uiuc.edu/resources/standard_varieties/silky_fowls.html Poultry Breeds - Silkie Bantam Chicken -- This good information
source describes the standard for the Silkie bantam in America. http://www.ansi.okstate.edu/poultry/chickens/silkieb/ Why the best-looking chicks don't go home with you...Feathered
Flights of Fancy-- This online article from Smithsonian Magazine shows an
interesting photo of Silkies.http://www.smithsonianmag.si.edu/smithsonian/issues97/jan97/chickens.html Tommy Andersen´s Hjemmeside -- Look to this page to give you insight
into Silkies in Denmark! Nice photos!!! (Hint: Check out the link on the page to
"Billeder" to get to the photos...)
http://hjem.get2net.dk/andersen_silke/ Flower's Hen Web -- Go over and meet Jen's Silkies! She even has one
that is a "mystery" color...
http://members.tripod.com/~rizzratz/henweb.html The 4S Bar Silkies! -- See some nice photos of some Silkies over on
Jennifer's homepage! http://www.angelfire.com/nj/foursbar/silkies.html Little Rooster -- A site from the UK with some lovely photographs!http://www.littlerooster.co.uk/silkie.html Silkie Hens at Kintaline Farm in Scotland -- The first
Scotish Silkie site that I have found. . .
http://www.silkiehens.co.uk/ HatTrick Silkies - Hockey fans and Silkie fans rolled into one! Kidding
aside, look at this great page for step by step instruction on how to pack eggs
for shipping. There is also a useful discussion of netting pens to protect
Silkies from overhead attacks from hawks. This site is a combination of
Featherfoot Farm and Stetson Farm. http://www.hattricksilkies.homestead.com/ Maravelis Exotic Animals - This site includes an interesting bit of
history. The author states that he believes that the first Silkie color
was black and that white followed as a mutation. If anyone has seen an old
article or manuscript verifying this information, please pass along the
reference to me for my Silkie library!http://maravelisexoticanimals.homestead.com/SILKIE.html Earth Spirit Preserve - Another site with some cute Silkie photos!
http://geocities.datacellar.net/hulkoi/pageb.html Pet Info For You - Go look at the darling photos of the Silkie chicks.
This web page also sports a nice care sheet for Silkies.http://www.petinfo4u.com/chickens.htm Pocket Flocks - "If everyone kept a few banties in their backyard, there
would be no wars." This site is not exclusively "Silkie"
related but the quote was so good that I just had to include it! http://www.angelfire.com/de/pocketflocks/ Tim Burke's Pigeons and Bantams - This site is one of my favorites!
Take a look at the prize winning photo of the handful of Silkie Chicks.
Tim had to keep nudging them because they kept falling asleep and closing their
eyes. He sneezed and all of them looked up just in time for his son to snap the
picture! Beautiful! http://www.angelfire.com/ia/npcc/TB3.html
Chicken Brains: True Stories - No photos . . . but take time to read
about "Super Silkie Mom" and Big Rooster. It is why I love the
breed. The Silkie part is deeply metaphorical and the article is good on many
levels. http://www.womenwriters.net/archives/simmerman1.htm French Silkie Standard -- The French name for the Silkie is the Nègre soie.
Go to this page to see the standard in French. This link will bring you to
the "species" homepage. Find the "S" menu and click on
Silkie Bantam to get to the good stuff! There is also a nice bit of history
under the "history" link.
http://poulesnaines.free.fr/Anglais/the_species_homepage.htm
COMANCHE MOON FARM -- Raynell Key's Silkie place out West
http://geocities.datacellar.net/Heartland/Oaks/1465 Aristosoie - A French page devoted to the Silkie . . .
http://perso.wanadoo.fr/aristosoie/ Some Things I Want My Granddaughters To Know by Renie Szilak Burghardt - Just
read it! Silkies are in the story.
http://ltta.tripod.com/stiwmgtrsb.html "Hen Pen" -- Home of the Woodpightel Cottage Poultry
-- Nice little information page on the Silkie and a few
other breeds. The real find is a LOVELY water color banner of buff and
blue Silkies!
http://freespace.virgin.net/a.wood/Silkie.htm Anna's Chicken Farm - A nice page. Love the animation...
http://annaschickenfarm.tripod.com/ One Strange Bird! -- A beautiful and chatty page with a bit of folk lore
about the healing powers of Silkie soup from an American point of view. . .
http://home.att.net/~Myakka2/Silkies.htm Fluff
'N Strut Silkie Bantams -- Visit this lovely page to see some
"different" Silkie colors!
http://www.krollmark.com/~twarab/fluffnstrut.htm CentralPets.com's Silkie Fact Sheet -- Excellent information source!
http://centralpets.com/pages/critterpages/birds/domestic_birds/DBD4791.shtml Backyard Chickens' Silkie Page -- Really a very nice article on the current status of Silkies in the USA these days. . .
http://www.backyardchickens.com/breeds/bantams_silkies.html Hans L. Schippers's Silkie Page - Read a little more history from the Dutch point of view. . . This page is in English and is definitely worth a visit!
http://home.hetnet.nl/~kippenrassen/engels/silky3.htm The Pearson Zoo -- Visit the Pearson Zoo's picture-trail to see some stunning photos!
http://www.picturetrail.com/pearsonzoo INFORMATION ABOUT SILKIES IN THE ORIENT. . . China Taihe Original Silkie Fowl Ecological Protection Area - Since Silkies
originated in Asia, this site deserves a place at the top of the list of Silkie
sites in the Orient. Take a look at the article "The Original
Silkie Fowl" on this site for a bit of Silkie legend that you will not find
anywhere
else. WONDERFUL PAGE!!! http://www.hjxwth.com/eindex.htm Interested in Silkies in China? "The Mystical Taihe Black-Boned
Chicken" is a translation of an article about Silkies from a Chinese
newspaper.http://www.cvm.umn.edu/avian/SFPC/TaiheBlackBoned.html The Ominous Black Chicken - Read a synopsis of a play about the healing
power of that famous sacred bird, the Silkie . . .
http://members.fortunecity.com/sqylogin/e20.htm Silkies in Korea In Korea, Silkies are a designated
endangered domestic specics. Read more about this situation
here...http://menic.utexas.edu/asnic/countries/korea/Koreaflorafauna.html Asahi Ukokkei Research Centre: See a Research Center in Japan
dedicated to investigating the curative powers of Silkie eggs!
http://www.optic.or.jp/com/asahi_ukk/asahi_ukk_e.html Silky Fowl -- More testimony to the healing power of the Silkie egg .
. .http://www.les.metro.tokyo.jp/English/ukokkei1.htm MIMASAKA UKOKKEI CHICKEN -- "How about running
your own store that sells Ukokkei yolk oil?" http://www.optic.or.jp/companies/mimasaka_ukk/mimasaka_ukk_e.html "The Animals of My Home" -- A homepage of a gentleman in Japan who
has some pet Silkies . . . http://www.minc.ne.jp/~jf6dfn/animal.html Japan Poultry Science Association -- Read the article on Japanese Native Fowl
from people who should know. Silkies or Ukokkei do not originate in Japan!
I think the confusion comes from the silky-feathered Chabo or Japanese Bantam
which is a uniquely Japanese creation.http://kakin.ac.affrc.go.jp/poultry.html
c/o Secretary, Sue Scott
6 Colville Rd
Yellow Rock
Australia 2777
silkieclub@optusnet.com.au
New Contact Information!
The Silkie Club of Australia doesn't have an official web
page. However, here is a link to an "unofficial" page with some useful information about Silkie Breeders in Australia and the Silkie Club of Australia:
http://featherfootelite.tripod.com/silkiesdownunder
GREAT SILKIE SITES FROM AROUND THE WORLD. .
.
Silkies in the Netherlands! -- Visit Joke Osinga and her
Silkies! Find some excellent tips in English(!) on caring for Silkies and be sure to look at
all the Silkie pictures... Joke has move some of her Silkie information over to
the Dutch Silky Fowl Club's page but her own pages are still very nice. Be sure to look at both links! http://home.wanadoo.nl/gjosinga/page1.htm and
http://home.hetnet.nl/~kippenrassen/engels/indexe.htm
Pamela's Silkie Chickens-- This page just has a
wealth of useful information for the beginner. . .
http://www.olypen.com/pcpets/silkiechk.htm
Fowl Play -- This UK based web page of chickens, bantams and
waterfowl shows a photo of a nice pair of large white Silkies. You will also
find some Silkie history here! http://www.chickens.net/
Interested in more information about Silkies in
Japan? The pictures of the "Ukokkei" (a Japanese word for Silkie)
are great but I wish I could read Japanese!!! If you read Japanese, love
Silkies, and could assist in translating these pages, PLEASE email me! By the
way, if your browser prompts you to download some Japanese text support, feel
free to click "no" to the download. You DON'T need it to view the
pictures!
| Ukokkei I | Ukokkei V | Ukokkei IX |
| Ukokkei II | Ukokkei VI | Ukokkei X |
| Ukokkei III | Ukokkei VII | Ukokkei XI |
| Ukokkei IV | Ukokkei VIII | Ukokkei XII |
| Ukokkei XIII | Ukokkei XVII | Ukokkei XXI |
| Ukokkei XIV | Ukokkei XVIII | Ukokkei XXII |
| Ukokkei XV | Ukokkei XVIX | Ukokkei XXIII |
| Ukokkei XVI | Ukokkei XX | Ukokkei XXIV |
SOME VERY INTERESTING SILKIE CROSSES . . .
David's Blue Egg Page-- Another favorite of mine! This unusual page discusses an experiment where an Australian poultry breeder used the Turken breed(similar to a Naked Neck) to introduce the blue egg shell gene into the Silkie breed. Incredible photos and an interesting discussion of the genetics involved. http://geocities.datacellar.net/Petsburgh/6624/index.html
PromisedLand Silkies, Showgirls and Nigerian Dwarf Goats -- Keith is doing a great job improving the Showgirls. Check out the photos! http://geocities.datacellar.net/Eureka/9926/chickens.htm
Stoneberg's Home Page -- "Showgirl Silkies" -- This page shows some very interesting photos of an experiment to create a "Showgirl" variety of Silkie. The cross, again, is between Naked Necks and this time, a Blue Silkie! To my knowledge, George is no longer breeding Showgirls. I was lucky enough to inherit his flock. http://geocities.datacellar.net/Heartland/Bluffs/4134/index.html
Exotica Farm's -- History of the "Showgirl Silkie" -- This page at one time gave a bit of background on the movement to create the "Showgirl" variety here in the United States. Any know where the page went? Question??? http://www.exotica-farms.com/
The Poultry Page's Showgirl Site -- A nice collection of photos! I need to send a few new ones to Feathersite. The Showgirls have really improved since these individuals! http://cyborganic.com/People/feathersite/Poultry/CGP/ShowGirls/BRKShowGirl.html
SHOPPING FOR SILKIE THINGS
Silkie Stuff - I believe these folks have the FIRST online store for Silkie collectables on the Internet. Purchase your Silkie buttons, magnets, key chains and sCented candles here! Excellent references and good quality merchandise. http://www.silkiestuff.homestead.com/
The Fairest Fowl - An excerpt from a lovely book by Ira Glass with photographs by Tamara Staples sporting Silkie photos - among other breeds. A "must" for any Silkie fancier... http://www.raincoast.com/titles/excerpts/fairest_fowlX.html
This site gives a serious review of the film, NATURAL HISTORY OF THE CHICKEN. It was a great film. I take issue with the term "Japanese Silkie" but it is still well worth watching and adding to your video collection. http://www.brainybirds.com/article1009.html
Extraordinary Chickens - A beautiful book by Stephen Green-Armytage with incredible photos. There are only a few Silkies but this book is also a "must" for any Silkie fancier . . . http://www.nytimes.com/books/01/01/21/bib/010121.rvchic.html
Aristosoie - "Mon amie la Nègre-Soie" - A French CD rom (at a cost of approximately 36 Euros in May 2002) with information about many aspects of the Silkie . . . http://perso.wanadoo.fr/aristosoie/
Diane Jacky Art Gallery -- Nearly every Silkie fan in the world recognizes the tiny color pictures of the different Silkie varieties that adorn most poultry catalogs. Diane is the artist! Visit her web page were you can see her work and order VERY nice reprints of her Silkie paintings. She also sells T-shirts. I ordered a Blue Silkie print and several calendars showing Silkies. The Blue Silkie print was simply stunning in its detail - much better than the tiny catalog image. The prices are very reasonable and the quality is superb! http://www.dianejacky.com/
SOURCES OF SILKIE CHICKS OR EGGS IN THE USA . . .
MOST SILKIE SHOW BREEDERS IN THE USA DO NOT SELL CHICKS OR EGGS. SILKIES AS A BREED ARE SO DIFFICULT TO BREED IN SHOW QUALITY THAT IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL IF A PARTICULAR SILKIE CHICK WILL BE SHOW QUALITY UNTIL IT IS SEVERAL MONTHS OLD. HOWEVER, A HATCHERY CAN BE A GREAT SOURCE OF PET QUALITY SILKIES FOR A BACKYARD FLOCK OR FOR A BEGINNER TO THE BREED. AS FOR HATCHING EGGS, I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY LUCK ORDERING OR SENDING SILKIE EGGS BY MAIL. UNLESS EXTREMELY FRESH EGGS ARE SENT IN A HORIZON LIVE BIRD SHIPPING BOX AND SHIPPED BY UNITED STATES POSTAL SERVICE EXPRESS MAIL OVERNIGHT, THE EGGS USUALLY SUFFER AIR CELL DAMAGE AND DO NOT HATCH. SILKIE EGGS SEEM MORE FRAGILE THAN EGGS OF OTHER BREEDS IN MY OPINION. HAVING STATED MY OPINION, HERE ARE SOME LINKS:
Eggbid -- The web's largest poultry auction!http://www.eggbid.com/
Murray McMurray - My favorite hatchery! My very first Silkie chicks came from Murray McMurray when I was new to Silkies. The company is very reputable for healthy and beautiful pet-quality Silkies. http://www.mcmurrayhatchery.com/
SILKIE BREEDERS IN THE UNITED STATES . . .
BROWN EGG BLUE EGG -- Alice Stanford of Wisconsin raises show quality Bearded White Silkies. Her sister, Kate Stanford, raises show quality Bantam Araucanas. http://www.ameritech.net/users/rasillon/BrownEggBlueEgg.html
EZRAH'S POULTRY PALACE -- Valerie Hirvela's Silkie haven in central Florida http://geocities.datacellar.net/Petsburgh/Zoo/5613/
LADD'S FARM -- Inga Ladd's refuge for "all silky-feathered things" in southeastern Missouri. This one is my personal web page. *http://geocities.datacellar.net/Petsburgh/Park/3826/Laddsfarm.html
PATTY'S GREEN ACRES -- Formerly SOUTH FORK RANCH SILKIE BANTAMS and still a good page to visit. http://geocities.datacellar.net/southforksilkies/index.html
ERIC KUTCH -- Visit the site of one of the leading breeder's of Bearded White Silkies on the West Coast! Broken Link! http://user.cavenet.com/bluerib/kutchsilk.html
WINDRIFT RANCH SILKIES - Lovely pictures! http://www.windriftranch.homestead.com/
THE SILKIE SHACK - Meryl Lechner's page . . . Meryl is a breeder of some
beautiful Blue and Splash Silkie Bantams.. Be sure to follow her link to Salmon
Silkies, an exciting new color!
http://hometown.aol.com/Lilrasc01/
Other items of interest: Silkies: Telling the Pullets from the Cockerels
Please read before
emailing me with a gender question! The Blue Hen
- A True Silkie Story My little boy and one of my favorite Blue Silkie
hens . . . (Summer 1999) My
little boy and a Silkie friend... (Summer 2001) My
daughter in the Silkie yard... (Spring 2002)
You are
probably visitor number 
since June 29, 1999! I
believe I've gotten many more hits but my counter stopped working for several
months... This page was last updated on April 7, 2004 by silkiechickens@earthlink.net.