Can You Eat Silkie Chicken Eggs?

We all love Silkie chickens for the variety of fluffy feather colors. 

They’re a beautiful bird and one of the smaller chicken breeds. 

As such, their eggs are smaller too! 

This may make you wonder if Silkie chicken eggs are safe to eat (or even if they’re good!).

Like other Bantam breeds, Silkie chickens differ slightly in their time to maturity and egg production.

In this article, you’ll find answers to all your brooding, egg-related questions about this unusual, docile breed of chicken.

What Kind Of Eggs Do Silkies Lay?

Silkies lay small eggs, usually a light brown or pale cream color.

Silkie chicken eggs are very small, right between a quail egg and a regular egg. 

It would take 2-3 Silkie eggs to equal one regular large chicken egg. 

The average Silkie egg weighs about 1.25 oz (or ~35 grams) vs. over 2 oz (56 grams) for a regular large US chicken egg.

Silkie egg yolk is also generally more orange or deeper yellow, and the yolk tends to be larger relative to its entire size.

What Do Silkie Chicken Eggs Taste Like?

Silkie eggs taste the same as regular chicken eggs despite their physical differences.

Like other free-range chicken eggs, free-range Silkie eggs taste slightly stronger than cooped-up, store-bought eggs.

Silkie chickens make great backyard birds because they are great free-range foragers. 

They love to nibble at weeds (and other sorts of greenery like your prized veggies), and they may also forage for extra grit, greens, and insects when left to roam. 

Silkies are known to make great natural pest hunters, especially slugs, so let your Silkies roam freely for stronger-tasting eggs. 

However, don’t forget the chicken wire, as Silkies cannot fly to escape predators.

Eat Silkie eggs like regular eggs, though their smaller size makes them great additions to salads or snacks for children.

What is the Nutritional Value of Silkie Chicken Eggs?

Although smaller, Silkie eggs tend to pack more nutrients relative to their size due to their larger yolks.

Silkie eggs contain more vitamins (B2, B6, D, and E), calcium, and potassium than regular hen eggs.

Like other chicken eggs, Silkie eggs are also rich in vitamins A, K, B5, B12, and B6. 

They are also high in selenium, zinc, phosphorous, and choline, an essential nutrient often found in dietary supplements.

However, what makes Silkie eggs great is they contain fewer cholesterol and more unsaturated fatty acids (62.5% among total fatty acids) than regular hen eggs (53.9%).

A standard Silkie egg (~35-40g) contains about 70 calories, 4.8 grams of protein, 5.2 grams of fat, and 0.16 grams of carbohydrates.

This information is according to a nutrition research study published in the Animal Science Journal. 

How Many Eggs Do Silkie Chickens Lay on Average?

A Silkie chicken can lay 100-120 eggs in an ideal year (or ~2-3 eggs per week), making them quite poor egg layers compared to regular chickens. 

The average chicken can lay, on average, up to 20 dozen eggs a year (240 eggs a year or 5-6 eggs a week).

Unlike other breeds of chickens, Silkies will continue laying eggs throughout winter weather because of their fluffy plumage. 

However, they may slow their egg production in the summer as temperatures rise. 

To increase their egg production in the summer, ensure they do not overheat by providing plenty of fresh water and cold treats.

How Long Do Silkie Chickens Take to Start Producing Eggs?

Silkies tend to live for ~7-9 years, but they can live longer if you provide some extra and attentive care. 

Silkie baby chickens are slower to mature and will hit their full adult chicken size at around 5-6 months of age. 

This is when they’ll also start growing in fully their fluffy adult feathers.

Unlike regular chickens, which can lay eggs at 18-20 weeks, Silkie chickens take a little longer, at 7-9 months, to lay eggs (or up to 14 months in extreme cases).

Silkie chickens will decrease egg production at around year five and stop at around year eight. 

Older hens may stop laying eggs, but they still make fabulous mothers and brooders.

Further Reading: Silkie chickens and when they lay eggs

How Do You Hatch Silkie Chicken Eggs?

Fertilized Silkie eggs, on average, will hatch after 20-21 days of incubation. 

Silkie eggs tend to hatch a day or so earlier than regular chicken eggs. 

Silkie eggs will hatch as early as 19 days or as late as 22 days.

Hatch Silkie eggs naturally by placing fertilized eggs underneath their broody mother. 

Do this at night when the hen will be less aware.

For the best chance at success, do not use eggs older than 10 days. 

Before laying fertilized eggs under your fluffy chicken, encourage broodiness by placing a couple of fake or dummy eggs inside and around her nest.

Help your bird by placing the hen in her chicken coop (away from other flocks), so she can sit and brood without disturbances from other hens. 

Don’t forget the chicken feed and fresh water.

Machine incubators need 24 hours before the eggs go in. 

Plan ahead! 

Most people recommend that the humidity be set between 45-55% for the first two weeks and up to 65% for the last week.

Since Silkie eggs tend to be sturdier due to their higher nutritional content and thicker shell membrane, they require a little more humidity to hatch. 

We recommend using distilled water and incubators with built-in temperature, and humidity readers like this incubator found on Amazon.

Why Silkies Make Good Pets

These furry chickens may not appear to have a lot going for them. 

They are generally smaller than regular chickens, take longer to mature, and lay smaller eggs.

However, what they lack in size, they make up in friendly temperament and cuteness. 

They’re often known as the kittens of the farm, and their eggs, while smaller, are higher in nutrition (such as choline) and lower in cholesterol than regular chicken eggs. 

They also make great free-range pest killers.

While you may not be raising Silkies specifically for eggs, they can still produce edible, delicious, and nutritious miniature eggs.