Silkies, Silkie Bantam, Black Chickens

The Silkie chicken is a chicken that is black-pigmented right down to its bones. It is an old breed of chicken, with an Asian pedigree. In China, Silkies are believed to have healing powers, particularly in the treatment of female complaints.

Silkies are soft, hairy-feathered fowl. Their feathers are not barbed, and look more like silky fluff than feathers.


It is unlikely that you will find black chickens at the local grocery. Asian markets are more likely to have it. Silkies available in the US come from Canada. There the birds are slaughtered by Buddhists, exempting them from USDA inspections.


A Silkie ready for cooking looks very much like any other chicken ready for the pot. Except for the color.  The black chicken does not lose color, so if you cook a black chicken, you also serve a black chicken.

A search for black chicken recipes seems to return a lot of soups, although black chickens can apparently be treated just like regular chickens.

Note: I've decided. If I find a black chicken, I will buy it and cook it. I'm going make chicken salad with it.

Something else I learned: Besides being black, Silkies have 5 toes on each foot (most chickens have 4).