Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[LynnaePB]

Here is Peter, my cockeral I ordered from Cackle Hatchery. He is supposed to be a blue, but I am wondering if Cackle made a mistake and he is a black.
I am almost certain he is a black, except the fluff around his vent is a light blue-gray.
View attachment 1957977
View attachment 1957979

And this was him a few months ago:
View attachment 1957980

Honest opinions, blue or black?

He does look quite dark, though I've heard some blues can look almost black. With the lighter down near his vent he could be a very dark blue?

 

[MysteryChicken]

Here is Peter, my cockeral I ordered from Cackle Hatchery. He is supposed to be a blue, but I am wondering if Cackle made a mistake and he is a black.
I am almost certain he is a black, except the fluff around his vent is a light blue-gray.
View attachment 1957977
View attachment 1957979

And this was him a few months ago:
View attachment 1957980

Honest opinions, blue or black?

Blues can produce both black, & splash. Getting black from blue parents is normal.

 

[Happy Henny]

Here is Peter, my cockeral I ordered from Cackle Hatchery. He is supposed to be a blue, but I am wondering if Cackle made a mistake and he is a black.
I am almost certain he is a black, except the fluff around his vent is a light blue-gray.
View attachment 1957977
View attachment 1957979

And this was him a few months ago:
View attachment 1957980

Honest opinions, blue or black?

I would say he is a dark blue because from my experience when they are that dark other breeders look at the feathers near their vent to tell if they are blue or not and from what I can see in the pictures, it looks like a blue to me.

 

[Happy Henny]

I would say he is a dark blue because from my experience when they are that dark other breeders look at the feathers near their vent to tell if they are blue or not and from what I can see in the pictures, it looks like a blue to me.

Also, another way to tell if he is blue or black is to pick him up and look at his down feathers. Then if you see the blue/dark blue feathers he is blue and if they are black then he is a black

 

[PioneerChicks]

He does look quite dark, though I've heard some blues can look almost black. With the lighter down near his vent he could be a very dark blue?

Blues can produce both black, & splash. Getting black from blue parents is normal.

I would say he is a dark blue because from my experience when they are that dark other breeders look at the feathers near their vent to tell if they are blue or not and from what I can see in the pictures, it looks like a blue to me.

Also, another way to tell if he is blue or black is to pick him up and look at his down feathers. Then if you see the blue/dark blue feathers he is blue and if they are black then he is a black

Thanks everyone! Guessing he is a very dark blue I know to expect BB and S chicks from him. Thanks for the advice!

 

[PioneerChicks]

I heard that people used to think silkies were a mix between a rabbit and a chicken. I don't know if they really used to think that, but honestly...

 

[LynnaePB]

All my black silkies feathers look more blue towards the base, it makes it really confusing. The down near their vent does look more black though. I only have black from paint breeding so maybe that affects the color? It'll be interesting to compare to a black from a black x black breeding. I've got a single black silkie egg from a breeder incubating on day 11 now, and 5 paints from the same breeder. If it hatches and I get some black splits from the paint eggs as well I'll definitely compare as they grow to see if there is much of a difference.

Here is one of my black split girls, it's a lot easier to see the "blueish" down color when parting her feathers but you can kind of see some of the lighter down on her crest in the circled area.

 

[Fur-N-Fowl]

Not completely Silkie related but would you guys say breeding birds that are half siblings (both have the same father) together would be a similar breeding to say father to daughter or mother to son?

I wouldn't breed full siblings but was curious about half siblings.

 

[TillyRoo]

Hello all Silkie people,
I've only just joined this site so I apologise if I am posting in incorrect places, I'm still figuring my way around.

Would anyone be able to help identify my Roosters colour? We were under the impression that he was a Lavender?

 

[Muscovy Wunda]

Not completely Silkie related but would you guys say breeding birds that are half siblings (both have the same father) together would be a similar breeding to say father to daughter or mother to son?

I wouldn't breed full siblings but was curious about half siblings.

I think it would be. But I also think alot of people probably do breed half siblings (Just thinking of shipped eggs )