Silkie color genetics

[Sonoran Silkies]

Not sure what you mean?

All chickens have a silver/gold gene. Males have two, females one. They can be either silver (S/S or S/-) or gold (s/s or s/-), or males can be golden (S/s). This shows for some varieties (partridge, buff, grey) but not others (white, black, blue, splash). Incorrect combinations of other genes can cause silver or gold to show on the patterns where silver/gold should not be apparent.

 

[SilkieTime]

On craigslist Nash. Tn. Thay have a White silkie rooster for
$5 and he says he has a silver gene. I though that might have come from an splash back round or something. Known one ever said anything about a silver in silkies.

 

[Smoky73]

I have a very nice black pair of silkies that I have "dyed" the hen to be sure I know which egg is hers, as she is also in with the rooster and a very nice blue hen. well, so this last batch I have been hatching, I seperate the black girls eggs in the hatcher so I know which ones are hers. Twice now, I have gotten a white chick. Again, I was supposing it was not possible, but I guess it must be? The eggs are definetely hers.

I did hatch out a few buff eggs, but my buff girls are in with a blue cockerel, as like Sonoran, I do not have a decent Buff male, I have NO buff male. I figured I would get buff chicks, and it would dilute the black in the tail to blue, but all three of the chicks are blue. Boy, was I surprised till I read this thread. So I should be able to get some buff too possibly? If so, I will continue to try to hatch them.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

White silkies (chickens in general) are not caused by the silver gene. They all have silver, gold or golden as I said in the earlier post.

White silkies are the result of the recessive white gene, c. All chickens have two copies of this gene; in most cases of non-white birds, they carry two copies of the colour allele, C; they certainly have at least one copy of C. However, they can carry a copy of c (no-colour), and you will never know it from their appearance. If two birds who are C/c have offspring, 25% of their offspring will inherit c/c and be white. Another 25% will inherit two copies of C and will not be capable of having recessive white offspring. The remaining 50% will inherit C/c. Without test breeding you will have no way of differentiating the C/c birds from those who are C/C.

So, Cara, you now know that both that hen and the rooster are C/c. And because you know something about the colour genes of the parent birds, you also know the same about the colour genes of their offspring--knowledge that is usually lacking with recessive white birds.

White in and of itself is unrelated to splash.

 

[australorpchick]

Sonoran Silkies, would you consider these two pullets grey?

Also, my silkie hen just hatched three eggs. My roo is a white silkie and the hens were a delaware, BO/EE, australorp. All the chicks are true to their mothers' coloring. Would this mean my silkie roo is a white with no underlying color? Sorry, this genetics stuff is hard to wrap my brain around.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
The first one is indeed grey. The 2nd looks black to me.

Also, my silkie hen just hatched three eggs. My roo is a white silkie and the hens were a delaware, BO/EE, australorp. All the chicks are true to their mothers' coloring. Would this mean my silkie roo is a white with no underlying color? Sorry, this genetics stuff is hard to wrap my brain around.

All whites have underlying colours--it is just that his were such that they did not conflict with the hens. I'm not really familiar with the E-alleles common for your hens' breeds, but they are almost certainly dominant to your silkie's presumed e^b allele. (e^b is the most recesive e-allele)​

 

[Krys109uk]

Thay have a White silkie rooster for
$5 and he says he has a silver gene.

Silver in a white bird makes the white a whiter white; takes away the yellowish cast they sometimes have. Perhaps this is what the chap means.​

 

[staciakb]

Awesome information on this thread, so glad I found it!

I have a question about breeding partridges; I have acquired a partridge pair, I do not know thier genetics but if they breed will thier offspring all be partridge? What happens if you breed a partridge to a buff or blue or other solid color? Any info. is much appreciated.

I am embarassed to admit, the science of the colors confuses me, I need the Idiot's Guide to Chicken colors.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
If you breed partridge to another colour you risk losing Pg, which is what defines partridge, or adding Ml and/or Co, which turn partridge into lacing.

I am embarassed to admit, the science of the colors confuses me, I need the Idiot's Guide to Chicken colors.

www.chickencolours.com​

 

[staciakb]

Okay, I see now, thank you for that information. The book is perfect, pictures to explain the science, thanks again, you are a wealth of knowledge.