Should I breed my silkie rooster? Pet quality? Advice appreciated!

[juci]

Hi chicken people!

I have this silkie rooster that I got about 4 months ago. He’s about 1.5 years old. I’m not an expert on silkies at all so I’ve been reading up and trying to familiarize with the breed standard.

Do you think he’s close enough to the standard of perfection to breed, or is he better just as a pet? I’m keeping him either way, he’s the sweetest guy ever and a great addition to my yard and I love him. But if you think he’s good enough quality to start breeding I want to try to find some silkie hens. Right now he’s with just one young silkie hen/pullet but she has major color leakage so I definitely don’t want to breed her.

Here’s what I’m thinking so far, from looking him over:

-Is his back too long? SOP examples I’ve seen were hens but looks like the tail is closer to the neck.

-he’s 4 pounds exactly. Some sites were saying 4 pounds is the higher end but still acceptable. Others said 36 ounces… he’s a lot bigger than that.

-Hard feathering. Am I right in thinking that all roosters will have a few harder feathers in their wings? He has these other feathers in his tail that curve and are not hard or completely soft.

-his comb I think is walnut shaped but it’s pretty big, does that matter? Lol

I appreciate any advice! If you think he’s acceptable to start breeding with, what faults should I be looking out for with him? Is there any type of hen I should look out for to offset any of the faults? Thank you!!

 

[Bertram]

Where did you get him? Do you want to breed him for specifically for show?

 

[juci]

Where did you get him? Do you want to breed him for specifically for show?

I got him from a lady in my area who raises poultry. I actually was going to get a hen from her and she had the roo for sale too.

I don’t plan on showing myself, but if I get into breeding silkies I want them to be as close to the standard as possible. Otherwise Ill just keep these two as pets, and the hen to hatch my quail eggs

 

[Bertram]

He's decent quality. The head poof is a bit sparse and it looks like he's a bit more cream than white especially around the tail and saddle feathers but that might just be the picture. His comb and wattles are a nice color and his legs look pretty good. The standard weight for Silkie cocks is 36oz

This is my Black Bearded Silkie. The head poof is closer to what yours should look like if you were breeding to show.

 

[juci]

He's decent quality. The head poof is a bit sparse and it looks like he's a bit more cream than white especially around the tail and saddle feathers but that might just be the picture. His comb and wattles are a nice color and his legs look pretty good. The standard weight for Silkie cocks is 36oz

This is my Black Bearded Silkie. The head poof is closer to what yours should look like if you were breeding to show.
View attachment 3466014

Wow he’s gorgeous! Thanks for the example, I can really see the difference in that head poof.

I think the creamy color mine has is just dirt. I haven’t given him a bath yet but I’m about to put down new straw in the pen- today or when it stops raining. I might take the opportunity to get him cleaned up too.

 

[Bertram]

For white birds a few drops of bluing will make them whiter. But if you add too much he'll turn blue.

 

[juci]

For white birds a few drops of bluing will make them whiter. But if you add too much he'll turn blue.

Good to know! I’m slightly tempted to put too much now.

 

[Bertram]

Yeah if I had any white birds I probably would too.

 

[Drumming feet]

Hi chicken people!

I have this silkie rooster that I got about 4 months ago. He’s about 1.5 years old. I’m not an expert on silkies at all so I’ve been reading up and trying to familiarize with the breed standard.

Do you think he’s close enough to the standard of perfection to breed, or is he better just as a pet? I’m keeping him either way, he’s the sweetest guy ever and a great addition to my yard and I love him. But if you think he’s good enough quality to start breeding I want to try to find some silkie hens. Right now he’s with just one young silkie hen/pullet but she has major color leakage so I definitely don’t want to breed her.

Here’s what I’m thinking so far, from looking him over:

-Is his back too long? SOP examples I’ve seen were hens but looks like the tail is closer to the neck.

-he’s 4 pounds exactly. Some sites were saying 4 pounds is the higher end but still acceptable. Others said 36 ounces… he’s a lot bigger than that.

-Hard feathering. Am I right in thinking that all roosters will have a few harder feathers in their wings? He has these other feathers in his tail that curve and are not hard or completely soft.

-his comb I think is walnut shaped but it’s pretty big, does that matter? Lol

I appreciate any advice! If you think he’s acceptable to start breeding with, what faults should I be looking out for with him? Is there any type of hen I should look out for to offset any of the faults? Thank you!!

He could be bred to make larger silkies. I might try this using hedemoras and crossing back. Or just breed him. He's good looking. Show quality isn't really smart quality bc of the vaults they need.

 

[juci]

He could be bred to make larger silkies. I might try this using hedemoras and crossing back. Or just breed him. He's good looking. Show quality isn't really smart quality bc of the vaults they need.

Wow thank you for the insight!
I’m interested to hear more about what you were saying about the vaults with the show quality birds? Did you mean faults?

Where I live chicken shows aren’t common. I’m not sure we’ve ever had one here actually. So I’m not as much concerned with showing them as just doing the best I can with the breed. I do like the idea of making larger silkies though!