Bantam Silkie Ducks
Reading Time: 5 minutes
Introducing some cute little bantam silkie ducks with unusual feathering.
In the late 1980s, a genetic mutation developed in the feathers of some of the offspring of Snowy Mallards being raised by Pennsylvania waterfowl breeder, Darrel Sheraw. The feathers were soft, lacy, and somewhat fluffy. Darrel began to breed these “silkie-feathered” fowl to see if the trait would continue in their offspring. In the early stages of the breeding program, he discovered that the silkie feathering on these ducks appeared to be caused by a simple, recessive gene in the bird’s genome. Birds that carried two of these genes (homozygous carriers) had silkie feathers; birds that had only one of the genes (heterozygous carriers) had regular, hard feathers.
A long-time professor of English at Clarion University, Dr. Sheraw’s true passion was waterfowl. According to world-renowned Waterfowl Breeder Dave Holderread, who knew him well, “Darrel was absolutely obsessed with waterfowl and was one of the most knowledgeable persons I ever met, when it came to the history, biology, life cycles and genetics of the birds.”
Dave Holderread is often considered to be one of the most prominent and knowledgeable experts in the world of waterfowl today. Although retired from his once-large waterfowl breeding operation, Dave and his wife Millie still hold a love for the many types of unusual and rare waterfowl they helped preserve over the years. Starting in the late 1990s, the Holderreads began to actively breed Silkie ducks. The Holderreads agreed to take the time to talk with me about these little birds, and tell me about the work they did to save them from extinction.
As direct descendants of wild-type Mallard stock, Silkie ducks are small in stature. They’re considered true bantams, and, according to Dave, “Hold all the parameters of a true bantam duck, as defined by APA (American Poultry Association) guidelines.” While the breed is not yet recognized by the APA, Silkie ducks are allowed to be exhibited in many poultry shows. It should be noted that Silkies are not Call ducks. Weights for mature Silkies (greater than one year of age), average about 32 to 36 ounces for females and 34 to 38 ounces for males. First-year birds generally average about four ounces less. Dave Holderread offered one caveat about weight: “Too often, people become overly focused on weight. Weight (for waterfowl) is subjective and can vary greatly, depending on time of year, laying cycles, and other factors. One should really be looking at body conformation, as much as anything.”
The softer, lighter, downy feathering of the Silkie duck is due to a lack of the tiny, hook-like barbicels that normally hold a feather together in the usual, “hard” structural form. The original Silkie ducks were white, or white with spots of color, but they can now be found in shades of grey, white, snowy, and black. Blue-bibbed, black-bibbed, chocolate, wild-patterned, and Ancona-patterned fowl are also being developed.
Much like their original Mallard parentage, Silkie ducks are always on alert. While they’ve been described as peaceful and quiet by several breeders I spoke with, these individuals also said they can startle easily, because they are constantly on the lookout for predators. Although they can’t fly long distances because of feather structure, they can fly short distances to evade capture. They’re able foragers, and the females are known to go broody and have good mothering skills.
The first decade or so of breed development, after the genetic mutation first appeared, is somewhat murky. Dave Holderread was able to offer a bit of history on it, however. Although the birds appeared sporadically at a few shows, they didn’t gain much notice. At some point, a breeder in Ohio, Audry Overton, picked up much of Darrel Sheraw’s Silkie stock and began work with them. The Holderreads knew and were in periodic contact with both breeders. In the late 1990s Dave and Millie purchased Audrey’s stock and began serious work to develop Silkie ducks as an actual, viable breed. One problem they faced was the older age of the birds they’d procured. Females were no longer in prime laying condition and the males had lost much of their virility. Egg fertility and hatchability was also reduced. Because of this, Dave and Millie realized they needed to introduce some new bloodlines into the breed or the entire silkie trait would soon be lost forever. Grey, blue, and snowy Call ducks were chosen for this purpose. Besides adding new viability, these initial crosses also added new color variations. Being heterozygous carriers of the Silkie gene, the offspring were all hard-feathered.
The Holderreads began a backcrossing process to establish flocks of pure Silkies that were homozygous carriers and were soft-feathered. After the initial first-generation cross, no more Call duck bloodlines were introduced. New color variations were maintained. Heterozygous, hard-feathered carriers were removed from the flocks and, after several generations, several color lines of true, pure Silkies were developed and maintained.
Very few waterfowl breeders are currently raising or working with this breed. I did find three dedicated breeders who’ve taken the time to educate themselves about these unique little fowl and are actively raising them. All of them shared a wealth of information with me, and, through them, I learned much more about the breed. All three of these breeders live in areas known for cold, damp, snowy winters. All of them report that Silkie ducks are hardy and do well in the sometimes less-than-desirable conditions.
Nicolle Ferrier, owner of Sugar Feather Farm in Central Vermont, was the breeder who first introduced me to these unique little ducks. Experienced and familiar with the breed, Nicolle is currently breeding several color patterns.
Another breeder, also in the upper New England area, is Alison Patry, owner of Al’s Quackery, a small waterfowl hatchery in southern Maine. Alison holds a degree in Dairy Farm Management Technology and is a dairy farmer by trade. However, she’s had a passion for waterfowl for many years. She’s well-educated on waterfowl topics and issues, and I found her to be a library of knowledge about Silkie ducks. At the time I spoke with her in late summer of 2024, she was actively breeding Silkies, but didn’t have any to offer for sale at that time.
Located in the Great Lakes region of Ontario, Canada, Josh Snyder, owner of Snyder’s Waterfowl, has been raising ducks since 1996, and the Silkie breed since 2008. Josh has recently done some experimental work in crossing Australian Spotted Bantam ducks with the Silkies. Josh describes his Silkies as quiet and calm, but he says if you reach your hand into the pen to touch them, they’ll quickly move away.
If you’re looking for a rare and unique bantam duck breed to raise or just keep, Silkies just might be an option worth exploring.
For additional information about this breed:
www.sugarfeatherfarm.com/
https://alsquackery.com
www.facebook.com/snyderswaterfowl
https://holderreadfarm.com
Doug Ottinger lives, works, and writes from his small hobby farm in northwest Minnesota. His educational background is in agriculture with an emphasis in poultry and avian science.
Originally published in the June/July 2025 issue of Backyard Poultry and regularly vetted for accuracy.
