In April 2024, we officially began working with Black, along with a few other varieties. Our Blacks come from Black, Paint and BBS (currently on hold) breeding. When we refer to our Black Silkies, we specifically mean those from our dedicated Black to Black pen—not the other variations of Black.

The Importance of Black

Black is a must-have for every breeder. Many varieties are black-based and can be bred to Black to improve color, consistency, and overall quality. They were one of the first varieties accepted by the American Bantam Association (ABA), making them one of the oldest and most established Silkie varieties. Because of this, Black Silkies generally have fewer faults compared to newer varieties or project varieties—like, say, a Mille Fleur Silkie (project).  

You can think of it as a stereotype, but what I’m saying is mainly true for Blacks from Black lines, not for newer varieties like Paint or project breeds like Chocolate. Blacks from established lines tend to have fewer faults than other varieties.

"True" Black

Here at Her Chickies, we’re working toward producing "True Blacks"—a label that signifies years of breeding Black to only Black, ensuring consistent offspring with no genetic anomalies. While many of our Blacks come from Paint lines, we are gradually moving away from that by keeping a separate Black Silkie-only pen. Through careful pairings and test breeding, we are confident we’ll reach our goal... It may take us a few years though... 😳 

Some will say that Black is just Black, and while I do agree, I also disagree. A clean Black should be just that—a clean Black. But all too often, breeders that claim to have clean Blacks will have offspring that are partridge, Blue, etc. 

True Black is monicker for excellence among Black.

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