What Are Silkie Chicken Used For? 5 Advantages To Know

Have you ever seen a chicken with black skin before? If you separate this little Silkie Chicken’s feathers, you’ll see their dark black skin!

Perhaps it is strange for some, as most of us are used to the white skin of chicken that we find in most types of chicken we buy from the market. This is not only what distinguishes Silkie chicken. Slikie has many unique characteristics, the most important of which is their small body that is covered with soft, fluffy feathers that look like fur. Which gives it a very distinctive aesthetic appearance.

But what about its other characteristics and is there a benefit behind its acquisition? Let’s learn more and know about the most important aspects of benefiting from silkies chicken.

What Is Silkie Chicken Used For?

There are 3 main benefits of raising Silkie chicken which are high quality meat, fresh eggs and companionship. Silky chickens are quite affordable, as they only need a modest chicken coop and do not require high fencing because they do not fly. You also need little amounts of fresh food and clean water, and an occasional dust bath to keep lice and mites away.

Let us explain in more detail and learn the advantages of raising silkie chickens, and how we can benefit from them in the coming lines.

1. Unique Meat

Although silkie is not often raised for meat, the delicious taste of its meat has earned it a great place in the manufacture of delicious meals in high-end restaurants, especially in Asian countries.

Silkies are small and not a meat-bearing chicken breed. They also take a long time to grow, but the dark pigmentation of their skin makes them have a very tasty meat. They have black skin and bones, and their meat is darker than that of regular chicken.

Their beaks and legs are also dark in color, tending to be dark blue. Research indicates that this dark color is due to a complex genetic process that leads to increased expression of Endothelin 3, which is a gene known for enhancing the growth of pigment cells. The dark meat of silkies is exotic and unfamiliar in European and American dishes. In contrast, it is highly demanded the table in many Asian countries.

Silky meat is appreciated by many Asian countries, especially China, which uses it a lot in many dishes. Silky meat is also popular in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Malaysian dishes.

Silkie has a rich history in Chinese culture. It has been featured in many distinct Chinese traditions and folklore. The ancient Chinese believed that their dark meat, skin, and bones had great health benefits. They ate the flesh and skin, ground the bones into a powder, and turned them into a variety of prescriptions and medicines. Some recent studies have validated their belief, as they discovered that the dark meat, skin, and bones of Silkies are rich in antibodies.

Nutritional Benefits Of Silkie Meat 

Silkie meat has a good set of nutritional benefits that make it nutritionally and healthily superior to other types of chicken found in the supermarket. Every 100 grams of Silky Meat contains 21.4 grams of protein, only 2.6 grams of fat, and only 0.8 grams of saturated fat, and 121 calories. In contrast, 100 grams of regular chicken contains about 5 grams of fat and 1 gram of saturated fat! About twice or more the fat content of silkies. Also, regular chicken contains 150 calories per 100 grams.

The great thing about silkies’ meat is that it contains a high level of carnosine. Studies have shown that the black meat of silkie chicken is one of the richest sources of carnosine. It is a natural peptide that doctors prescribe as a dietary supplement to relieve conditions such as diabetes or autism. It is also prescribed to increase muscle mass and ward off the effects of aging.

You can take advantage of these unique features in Silki meat and get a large profit from raising it. Although it is a little more expensive than other chickens because it is slow growing and needs more feed until it reaches a reasonable weight, the cost of selling it is also great due to its delicious taste and high nutritional value.  

Feeding silkies is no different than feeding other chicken breeds. If you are going to raise them for meat, the chicks should be fed with broiler starter feed instead of regular chicken starter feed. They should also be fed the final broiler feed for 6 weeks before being slaughtered to get the best quality meat. It is preferable to slaughter silk between 6-12 months.

2. Great Aesthetic Appearance

Silkie chicken has an aesthetic appearance as a result of its thin feathers that resemble Silk. Its size is small, which gives it a cute appearance, and contains five toes in the leg, unlike other chicken breeds that contain only four.

Silkie chicken comes in many varieties and colors, including bearded ones, and is not decorated with beads. Its colors vary between 7 common standard colors, black, blue, spray, orange, gray, white, and partridge. In addition, there are some non-standard colors, but also common ones, such as red, lavender, porcelain, and cuckoo. Its cute shape, beautiful feathers, and delicate size, all of which made it an essential contributor to poultry shows. you may always find it in poultry shows that take place all over the United States.

So you can raise it for this purpose, you just have to take care of it and maintain its aesthetic appearance and you will bring behind it a great gain.

You can reap the gains from silk for many years, as this strain is long-lived. its life may extend to nine years, and it still retains its aesthetic appearance.

Keep them in a clean barn and give them as healthy food and clean water as possible to ensure that the birds remain in good health. You should check your silkies constantly to look for mites and lice that may invade their abundant, thin feathers, and to follow up on health changes as well.

In the event of the appearance of lice or mites in one of the birds, the entire flock of silkies must be treated, which is easy and inexpensive. Silkie is generally affordable and disease resistant because it is very hardy and very tolerant in both cold and warm climates.[1]

3. Wonderful Pet

In addition to their cute appearance, their temperament is also like this. Silkie chickens are distinguished by their calm and meek nature. They are kind, friendly beings, and wonderful as a pet, especially if you have children. They will be very entertaining and sociable. your children will enjoy running around and giving them food.

In addition to entertainment and companionship, they are easy to care for, as they do not fly. Which makes them always within your reach and not exposed to escape. It will also be a pest control machine to remove insects from the barn, as it devours all the insects that it finds.

Read more on Silkie chicken Behaviour:

• Do Silkie Chickens Get Lonely? A Comprehensive Answer.
• Why Do Silkie Chicken Purr?

4. Egg Production

In addition to being a fun pet, They are also a good source of eggs. silkie continues to lay eggs during the winter, unlike other chicken breeds that stop producing eggs in the cold. because thick, fluffy feathers of silkie keep it warm as it works like fur.

Silkies do not lay large quantities of eggs, It can only lay 100 eggs per year compared to other strains, but it provides its owners with relatively large, fresh eggs most days of the year to meet your family’s needs or to sell.

5. Excellent Nurseries

Silkies work as wonderful mothers, and they are known to be the most distinctive breed of chicken in incubating qualities. So much so that they are widely used to incubate and raise the offspring of other poultry breeds.

Brooding is a strong instinct in Silkie, as she understands very well that there must be a certain amount of eggs for her to lay on, and not any amount that makes her lay. Usually, a silkie hen lays enough eggs for a month, then her little brain sends her a signal that it is time for the chicks to hatch. She will raise chicks anywhere, even if it is for a long time. She will still be a caring mother who takes care of them.

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