Black Medicinal Chicken BREEDING THE CHINESE SILKIE

By Manny Pinol

I have long been fascinated by the Chinese black chicken or the Silkie which is said to have medicinal qualities and considered a growth “booster” for children reaching the age of puberty.

Made distinct by its black meat, the Chinese Silkie, or the “Jeongkoy,” is cooked in slow fire mixed with herbs and the soup is served to young girls and boys entering adolescence. It is believed to enhance their growth.

The soup is also said to have beneficial effects for nursing mothers and girls having their monthly periods.

Here is what en.wikipedia.org says about the Chinese Silkie:

“The Silkie (sometimes alternatively spelled Silky) is a breed of chicken named for its atypically fluffy plumage, which is said to feel like silk. The breed has several other unusual qualities, such as black skin, flesh, and bones, blue earlobes, and five toes on each foot, whereas most chickens only have four. They are often exhibited in poultry shows, and appear in various colors.

“Silkie plumage presently is unique among chicken breeds, though there are growing efforts to standardize silkie feathered varieties in other breeds such as Chabo.[6] It has been compared to silk,[7] and to fur. Their feathers lack functioning barbicels, and are thus similar to down on other birds and leave Silkies unable to fly. The overall result is a soft, fluffy appearance.[8]

“All Silkies have black skin, bones and grayish-black meat; their Chinese language name is wu gu ji (烏骨雞,[9] literally “dark boned chicken”), meaning “black-boned chicken”.[7] Melanism which extends beyond the skin into an animal’s connective tissue is a rare trait, and the Silkie is one of only a handful of chickens to exhibit it. Disregarding color, the breed does not generally produce as much as the more common meat breeds of chicken.[8]

“In the American Standard of Perfection the standard male weight for the bantam Silkie is 1 kg (36 oz) and for the female, 907 g (32 oz).[11] The Australian Poultry Standard and British Poultry Standard call for Silkie bantams much smaller; in the Australian Poultry Standard, the standard weights are 680 g (25 oz) for males and 570 g (20 oz) for females.[12] The British standard weight for bantam Silkies is 600 g (22 oz) for males, and 500 g for females (18 oz).”

Along with Manok PiNoy, I am also breeding the Chinese Silkie in the Braveheart Farm in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato now.

I acquired my first few heads of the Chinese Silkie through the help of former Quezon City Mayor Brigido “Jun” Simon who first gave me a pair and then led me to a kind gentleman in Angat, Bulacan who gave me a few more heads.

Although the Chinese Silkies are not prolific egg layers, I was able to breed quite a number of them in the farm.

I have given out or sold several of the Chinese Silkies but I still have about 20 egg laying hens and over 60 heads of young chicks.

Before the end of this year, I expect to be able to start sharing the Chinese Silkie.

 

 

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