Input on feed store silkie chick.. mixed or “hatchery quality”

[Holdthechicken]

Hi everyone, I’ve never had a silkie before we got one about a week ago, but it looked a little bigger when we got it so it might be closer to 2-3 weeks old and it was from a feed store that said the chicks were from Hoovers. When I got home I realized this chick has some odd features, while both feet do have an extra toe the chick has almost no leg feathering, not black skin, maybe slate?, brown eyes, and a single comb.

Is this a silkie mix or just a “hatchery quality” silkie?

Thanks for the input!

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Its a typical hatchery quality my buff rooster had a single comb aswell as not black skin etc.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I would even go as far as to say *lower* hatchery quality.

Breeding quality Silkies presents tons of challenges. Some colors being harder than others.

First generation Silkie crosses will always be hard feathered.. like your other chick, which I figured wasn't actually in question.

Straight comb being recessive.. can be carried hidden by parent stock.. and pop up when the two cross. (IIRC)

Good eye, noticing all the quirks!

 

[Holdthechicken]

@Poultrybonkers @EggSighted4Life thank you both! I wasn’t sure if all of these quirks disqualified this little chick from the silkie club lol

 

[dekel18042]

Hi everyone, I’ve never had a silkie before we got one about a week ago, but it looked a little bigger when we got it so it might be closer to 2-3 weeks old and it was from a feed store that said the chicks were from Hoovers. When I got home I realized this chick has some odd features, while both feet do have an extra toe the chick has almost no leg feathering, not black skin, maybe slate?, brown eyes, and a single comb.

Is this a silkie mix or just a “hatchery quality” silkie?

Thanks for the input! View attachment 3470423View attachment 3470432View attachment 3470433View attachment 3470426View attachment 3470427

Could it be a satin? (Silkie bred with another breed?)

 

[Holdthechicken]

Could it be a satin? (Silkie bred with another breed?)

I don’t think he’s a satin, while he does have some hard feathers in his wings, he’s mostly silkied .. poor guy has been deemed low quality by a few folks. He also has a severe head twitch that seems neurological and not something I can “fix”. I think he was very poorly bred. But he’s very sweet to our other chicks so far. Since he wouldn’t be ideal to breed, we are going to keep him and let him live out his chicken life without allowing any eggs to hatch by him the females we keep with him.

Our goal was never breeding anyway, but I just don’t think there are many other homes for him, so we are building a bantam coop for him and his ladies instead of integrating them with our LF since we have a cockerel already in there.