Pet a Silkie chicken and you understand how it got its name. The feathers are fine and flutter in wisps in the breeze. With a walnut-shaped crown of plumage, blue earlobes and feathers that come in a variety of colors, it's a striking-looking bird that's often raised for show. Breeders also like them because they will hatch other birds' eggs. "They are such good moms," said Frank R. Reese Jr., the founder of Good Shepherd Turkey Ranch in Lindsborg, Kan., who breeds Silkies for show. "They'll sit on anything and hatch anything. They'll hatch ducks, turkeys, chickens."

Yes, but will they really eat grapes out of anywhere you put them? Anywhere?

Now, A Chicken In Black [NYT]
Feather In The Storm [Wikipedia]