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
The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry" or "The Grey Selkie of Sule Skerry" is a traditional folk song from Shetland and Orkney. A woman has her child taken away by its father, the great selkie of Sule Skerry which can transform from a seal into a human. The woman is fated to marry a gunner who will harpoon the selkie and their son. "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry" is a short version from the Sheltands published in the 1850s and later listed as Child ballad number 113. "The Grey Selkie of Sule Skerry"