How do I "create" showgirl chickens?

Buxton Ducks

Songster
10 Years
Jan 16, 2012
311
20
164
Buxton, Maine
My wife and I have been searching for showgirl chickens for some time now and to no avail! So..... I already have silkies and I just got some cute little naked-necks. What is the breeding combo to come up with showgirls? I have 2 silkie roos, 3 silkie hens, and 5 naked-neck pullets.
 
I don't know if this is too late but first breed a silkie cock to 2 nn and the other silkie to the other 3 nn.

If the nns are clean necked all of your off spring will be bibbed, if your nn are already bibbed then you will get 50% bibbed 50% full feather(no naked neck)(these are off cuts you won't use.)
Out of these f1 birds, pick the ones that have 5 toes and the biggest crests(pompom)
Breed as many f1 cocks with these attributes( blue/black skin is also a plus) to the silkie hens you already have, if 3 separate runs with pair in each one that's great - trying to get as wide a gene pool as possible(if you can get more unrelated hens/ cockerels that would be good)...pick as many hens as possible back to the silkie cockerels MAKE SURE ALL BIRDS GOING BACK TO SILKIES ARE BIBBED
The f2 generation from these will all be silkie feathered, 50% bibbed, 50% feathered, the bibbed should look a bit like a showgirl - but no where near a silkie shape
From here pick the best crested, black skinned 5 toed feather legged birds from different parents and breed together - you won't improve shape of the bird but 50 % will be complete clean necked(complete naked) and the others bibbed - no cut off of the third gen then!
F4 should be to breed clean necked birds back to silkies, all birds would be bibbed( see how the breeding is improving?) and looking more silkie-like! Again - off spring to offspring(AT LEAST 2 pairs to keep a wide gen pool)(keep them unrelated) - pick the clean necks and put them to silkies again(f5)

Basically you keep the pattern until you are happy - the more the better, crest size increase, blacker skin ect ect, don't breed back to pure nn as you will ruin the project and lose the silkie feathers...it's a long project and you need to be dedicated...you could skip the bibbed showgirl to bibbed showgirl then clean necked offspring to silkie now and then, you could just do clean neck to silkie - offspring to silkie, skipping a gen, but then go back to the normal pattern of clean to silkie offspring together and back to silkie(if that doesn't make sense ignore it lol)

I'm on 11th generation and still not happy - but I'm breeding for perfect,if you just want pets, 5 would be perfect, look on feather site it gives you examples. You could possibly do 5 gens and 3 and a half/ four years I timed perfect

Hope I helped!!
 

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