AUSTRALIAN POULTRY FORUM™

Hi everyone,

Those colours are great!

I was told by a chicken breeder (of pekins, not silkies) that the crest of a silkie when viewed front on should finish level with the top of the eyes - ie. that it shouldn't interfere with vision. Is that correct? What does the Australian breed standard specify?

Happyhenz, your black pullet with silver tips sounds pretty! Do you have any photos up in the gallery?

Deb

i will go put the pics in now.

THE AUSTRALIAN STANDARD FOR SILKIES

Silkies are one of the popular curiosities of the poultry world with their nearly black skin, face ,comb, wattles, flesh and bones and their hair-like plumage in which there is no web. Way back in 380B.C., Aristotle mentioned Chinese Silkies in his writings. The Silkie is also famous for its propensity to brood and as such is often used by fanciers, or crossed with other breeds, to produce very reliable broody hens.

CLASSIFICATION: Light breed - softfeather

ORIGIN: Asia

MALE CHARACTERISTICS:

Carriage- Stylish, compact and lively.
Type- Body, broad and stout looking. Back short, saddle silky and rising to the tail, stern broad and abundantly covered with fine fluff, saddle hackles soft, abundant and flowing. Breast broad and full; shoulders stout, square and fairly covered with the neck hackle. Wings soft and fluffy at the shoulders, the ends of the flights ragged and “ osprey plumaged”. I.e. with some strands of the flight hanging loosely downwards. Tail short and very ragged at the end of the harder feathers of the tail proper. It should not be flowing, but of a short round curve.

Head– Short and neat. Crest soft and full, as upright as the comb will permit, and having half a dozen to a dozen soft, silky feathers streaming gracefully backwards from lower and back part of the crest to a length of about 3.75cm (1 1/2 in). The crest proper should not show any hardness of feathers. Beak short and stout at base. Comb almost circular in shape, preferably broader than long, with a number of small prominences over it; preferably having a slight indentation or furrow transversely across the middle. Eyes brilliant and not too prominent. Face smooth. Bearded variety: The beard and muff is comprised of feathers turned horizontally backwards, from both sides of the beak; and from the centre vertically downwards. The whole forming a collar of three ovals in a triangular group, giving a muffling effect. Wattles concave, nearly semi-circular, not long or pendent. Ear-lobes Non - bearded variety: more oval than round. Bearded variety: very small, almost concealed by the bearded.

Neck– Short or medium length, broad and full at base with the hackle abundant and flowing.

Plumage– Very silky and fluffy with a profusion of hair-like feathers.

Legs and Feet– Free from scaliness. Thighs wide apart and legs short. Thighs covered with abundant fluff. No hard feathers on the hocks but a profusion of silky plumage on them is admissible. The feathers on the legs should be moderate in quantity. Toes five, the fourth or rear toe and the fifth diverging from one another. The middle and outer toes feathered, but these feathers should not be too hard.



FEMALE CHARACTERISTICS:

Saddle broad and well cushioned with the silkiest of plumage which should nearly smother the tail, the ragged ends alone protruding, and inclined to be “Cochiny” in appearance. The legs are particularly short in the female with the under fluff and thigh fluff nearly meeting the ground. The head crest is short and neat, like a powder puff and with no hard feathers, nor should the eye be hidden by the crest which should stand up and out, not split by the comb. Comb small. Ear-lobes small and roundish. Wattles either absent or small and oval in shape. Other general characteristics are similar to those of the male, allowing for the natural sexual differences.

COLOURS

BLACK: Male and Female Plumage, Black all over with a green sheen in the males; some colour in hackles is permissible.

BLUE: Male and Female Plumage, An even shade of blue from head to tail; a self colour, neither laced nor barred.

BLUE RED: Male and Female Plumage, Colour and markings as for the Partridge Silkie with black everywhere replaced by blue.

GOLD: Male and Female Plumage, An even shade of golden buff, avoiding pale lemon colour on the one hand and brownish orange on the other. Clear colour throughout to be preferred but some darker feathers permissible in tail of both sexes.

GREY: Male and Female Plumage, Head and crest; male dark grey, female pearly grey. Neck hackles and saddle hackle of male: light grey streaked with darker grey. Shoulders, fronts and wing bows of male: slaty grey with shafting of darker grey. Breast: light grey. Primaries and secondaries of both sexes: solid even shade of slaty grey. Plumage throughout all remaining sections of both male and female: even shade of pearly grey.

PARTRIDGE:

Male Plumage: Head and crest dark orange. Hackles orange/yellow, free from washiness, each feather having a clear black stripe down the centre. Back and shoulders dark orange. Wing bar, solid black. Primaries black, free of any white. Secondaries: outer web dark orange, inner web black, the dark orange alone showing when the wing is closed. Tail and sickles black. Leg and foot feather black. Breast and fluff black. Undercolour slate-grey, free from white.

Female Plumage: Neck and breast lemon striped black. Hackle feathers black centre with lemon edge. Crest lemon and black mingling. Body including wings and cushion: black barring on sift partridge brown, undercolour slate-grey. Leg and foot feather as for the body. Black permissible in the tail.

WHITE: Male and Female Plumage, Plumage snow white throughout all sections.
In both sexes of all varieties: Beak slaty blue. Eyes black. Comb, face and wattles mulberry. Earlobes turquoise blue or mulberry, the former preferred. Legs and feet; leaden. Nails blue-white. Skin mulberry.

SERIOUS DEFECTS: Hard feathers. Vulture hocks. Green beak or green tip to beak. Horns protruding from comb. Ruddy comb or face. Eye other than black. Incorrect colour of plumage. Plumage not silky. Want of crest. ‘Polish’ or ‘split’ crest. Eyesight obscured by crest. Green soles to feet.

DISQUALIFICATIONS: Single comb. Green legs. Incorrect colour of skin. Toes other than five. Featherless legs and feet.

SCALE OF POINTS
Type…………………………………………..20

Head( incl. beard & muff where present)…….30

Legs…………………………………………..10

Colour………………………………………...10

Plumage………………………………………30

TOTAL……………………………………...100



WEIGHTS

LARGE FOWL: Male 1.58 - 2.00kg (3 1/2 – 4 1/2 lb)
Female 1.15-1.58kg (2 1/2 –3 1/2lb)

BANTAMS: Male 570 –680g (20 –24oz)

Female 455 –570g (16 –20oz)

http://www.freewebs.com/silkieclubofaus ... andard.htm

Thanks
P.A

Thanks PA - that's great information.

I had a look at your photos Happyhenz - very nice birds! What enormous crests they have! How old is your pullet?

Deb

The Standard for Australian Silkies is currently being re worked to accomodate the silkies with larger crests, which suits me as mine are all very well "Crested", it will actually be more for the Judging of the crest and the angle that the crest should be viewed at.

New colours are also being submitted for inclusion in the standard.

Very exciting
It will be included in the 2nd eddition of the APS.

Heidi

Hi Heijo, Your new Photo's look great very nice Trio, excellent shape.


We believe the new APS (for Silkies) will be more inline with U.S Silkie Standard? They changed theirs some time ago to accommodate large Crests & colours developed.



Thanks
P.A

They are Beautiful, and you have a Champion Cockerel congratulations heijo




Jeff