Showgirl: The Naked-Neck Silkie

Egg-color genetics

Showgirls lay the same egg a Silkie does: a small cream-to-tinted egg. There is no blue or dark-brown pigment gene at work here — the naked-neck cross that makes a Showgirl changes the neck feathering, not the shell color, so a Showgirl's eggs are indistinguishable from an ordinary Silkie's.

Showgirl, Bowtie, and Silkie: one gene apart

It helps to think of Silkie, Bowtie, and True Showgirl as the same breed separated by a single gene — the Naked Neck (Na) gene. A regular Silkie is na/na (two recessive copies) with a full, fluffy neck. A Bowtie is Na/na (one copy): the neck is mostly bare, but a small cluster of feathers hangs on at the throat like a bowtie. A True Showgirl is Na/Na (two copies): the neck is completely bare, with no bowtie.

Because the gene is only incompletely dominant, one copy is enough to bare the neck, which is why even a single-Na Bowtie already looks like a Showgirl. And because two Bowties can each pass on their recessive na copy, pairing them will produce a predictable share of plain, fully feathered Silkie chicks alongside the naked-necked ones.

What color eggs do Showgirls lay?

The same small cream-to-tinted egg a Silkie lays. The naked-neck cross does not add any shell-color gene, so egg color is a Silkie trait carried straight through. Expect modest numbers, too — Showgirls lay at about the Silkie rate rather than like a production hen — and expect frequent broody breaks, since a broody hen isn't laying.

Breeding notes

• The naked neck comes from a single gene, Na (Naked Neck), which is incompletely (autosomal) dominant. One copy already bares most of the neck, so a Showgirl is built by crossing a Naked Neck (Transylvanian Naked Neck / 'Turken') to Silkies and then breeding the Na gene back into good Silkie stock over several generations.
• Heterozygous (Na/na) birds — often called 'Bowties' — have a bare neck but keep a distinctive tuft of feathers grouped at the base of the throat, the 'bowtie.' Homozygous (Na/Na) 'True Showgirls' carry two copies and have a cleaner, fully bare neck with no bowtie tuft.
• Gene dosage is predictable: Bowtie × Bowtie (Na/na × Na/na) yields roughly 25% True Showgirl (Na/Na), 50% Bowtie (Na/na), and 25% fully feathered regular Silkie (na/na) — so naked-necked parents can still throw ordinary Silkie chicks. Breeding to a True Showgirl raises the share of naked-necked offspring.
• Because the goal is a Silkie in everything but the neck, select hard for full Silkie type: five toes, black (mulberry) skin, a walnut comb, dark wattles/mulberry face, and complete silkied (hookless) feathering on the body. Cull single combs, four toes, yellow skin, or hard/normal feathering that leak in from the Naked Neck side of the cross.
• Beard is a separate trait from the naked neck. Silkies come in bearded and non-bearded lines, and Showgirls do too — plan the pen for whichever you want, since the Na gene does not affect it.
• Showgirls follow Silkie colors: White, Black, Blue, Buff, Splash, Gray, and Partridge are the established Silkie colors, with Self Blue (Lavender) and others also bred. Keep single-color pens if you want matched, predictable chicks.

Showing notes

• The Showgirl is not APA-recognized and has no Standard of Perfection, so it cannot be shown as an APA breed or win in a recognized-breed class. Exhibit it instead in novelty, ornamental, or 'any other variety / non-recognized' classes where a show offers them.
• Judged informally, the birds people reward are clean, well-crested Silkies that happen to carry the naked neck: good silkied plumage, five toes, dark skin and face, a tidy walnut comb, and — on Bowties — a neat, symmetric bowtie tuft. A True Showgirl is judged on an even, fully bare neck.
• For any recognized-breed showing, exhibit the fully feathered Silkies from your program instead: the Silkie is an APA/ABA breed, while its naked-neck sibling is a novelty.

Hatching & incubation

• No special incubation requirements — Showgirl eggs are ordinary chicken eggs on the standard schedule: about 99.5–100°F forced-air, lockdown day 18, and a 21-day hatch.
• The payoff is on the brooding side, not the incubator: like Silkies, Showgirl hens are famously broody and make excellent natural mothers, so a broody Showgirl will often hatch and raise a clutch (including other breeds' eggs) for you.
• Naked-necked chicks hatch with visibly bare or sparsely down-covered necks and may look startling next to fully fluffed Silkie chicks — this is normal and needs no intervention; keep them warm and brooded as usual.

Recognized varieties

Frequently asked questions

What color eggs do Showgirls lay?

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Small cream to tinted eggs — exactly what a Silkie lays. The naked-neck gene changes the neck feathering, not the shell color, so Showgirl eggs are indistinguishable from ordinary Silkie eggs.

Are Showgirls good for showing?

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Not for recognized-breed showing: the Showgirl is not APA-recognized and has no Standard of Perfection. It's shown in novelty/ornamental or non-recognized classes. If you want to compete in a recognized class, exhibit the fully feathered Silkies from the same breeding program instead.

How hard are Showgirls to hatch?

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No harder than any chicken — 99.5–100°F, lockdown day 18, 21-day hatch, with no breed-specific quirks. The catch is at breeding time: two naked-necked (Bowtie) parents still throw about 25% fully feathered Silkie chicks.

Is a Showgirl a real breed?

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It's a real bird but not a separate recognized breed. A Showgirl is a Silkie carrying the naked-neck (Na) gene — the same breed with a bare neck. It is not APA-recognized. See our Silkie and Naked Neck pages for the two parent breeds.

What's the difference between a Showgirl and a Bowtie?

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It's the number of copies of the naked-neck gene. A Bowtie is Na/na (one copy) — bare neck plus a small feathered tuft at the throat. A True Showgirl is Na/Na (two copies) — a fully bare neck with no tuft. Both keep full Silkie traits (five toes, black skin, walnut comb, silkied plumage).

Are Showgirls broody?

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Very — they inherit the Silkie's strong broodiness and make excellent natural mothers, so they're often used to hatch and raise other breeds' eggs. Plan for regular broody spells, which also means fewer eggs collected.

Related

• SilkieThe parent breed — a Showgirl is a Silkie carrying the naked-neck gene
• Naked Neck (Transylvanian Naked Neck / Turken)Source of the incompletely dominant Na gene behind the bare neck
• How to incubate chicken eggsStandard 21-day chicken schedule — no Showgirl-specific quirks
• All breed guidesBrowse by APA class

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