Silkie they are fair layers themselves, laying only about three eggs a week, they are commonly used to hatch eggs from other breeds and bird species due to their broody nature. Silkie chickens are very easy to keep as pets. They are suitable for children, as they can easily withstand being roughly handled. It is unknown exactly where or when these fowl with their singular combination of attributes first appeared, but the most well documented point of origin is ancient China (hence another occasionally encountered name for the bird, Chinese silk chicken). Other places in Southeast Asia have been named as
Silkie oz) (12in)and for the female, 907 g (32 oz)(10in). The "Australian Poultry Standard" and "British Poultry Standard" call for Silkie bantams much smaller; in the Australian, the standard weights are 680 g (25 oz) for males and 570 g (20 oz) for females. The British standard weight for bantam Silkies is 600 g (22 oz) for males, and 500 g for females (18 oz). Silkies are also known for their polydactyly, usually manifesting as an additional 1-2 digits in the foot. The genetic cause of this extra digit formation has been shown to be a SNP in a regulator of