Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[Hinotori]

Just mixed color heritage. There is no name for that. It's not a stable color to pass on. If the color was wanted to continue, it would take someone with a good sense of color genetics to set it.

Doesn't realy look anything like the lavender partridge or the porcelain (lavender buff) which look similar. I've never sold one of my lavender partridge for that reason. It's not porcelain and could be mistaken for it.

Selling something as a specific color that isn't genetically that color isn't right. If someone bought it thinking it was really that color looking to use it for breeding, the first batch of chicks would show the fraud. Leaves you open for a small claims if they get miffed enough.

I've seen that happen a couple times with people selling standard color easter eggers as wheaten ameraucana, which they look nothing like, to uninformed buyers. Very angry buyers when informed what they actually spent a lot of money on.

 

[GingerRose]

Just mixed color heritage. There is no name for that. It's not a stable color to pass on. If the color was wanted to continue, it would take someone with a good sense of color genetics to set it.

Doesn't realy look anything like the lavender partridge or the porcelain (lavender buff) which look similar. I've never sold one of my lavender partridge for that reason. It's not porcelain and could be mistaken for it.

Selling something as a specific color that isn't genetically that color isn't right. If someone bought it thinking it was really that color looking to use it for breeding, the first batch of chicks would show the fraud. Leaves you open for a small claims if they get miffed enough.

I've seen that happen a couple times with people selling standard color easter eggers as wheaten ameraucana, which they look nothing like, to uninformed buyers. Very angry buyers when informed what they actually spent a lot of money on.

Thank you so much!
I always disclose if I have no idea what one could be all mixed up with.
I actually posted him without a color mentioned..
Only says mixed chick, looks to be cockerel, 4 months old.
Mom is a Satin mix and ?
Dad is Shaemus...
I am almost done with all of these mixed chicks and adults.
I am very slowly preparing for only 2 flocks. I have 4 now
Leaning toward some show quality Silkies and show quality Brahmas.
I still have a mixed silkie/satin/??? flock and 2 Polish (M & F).
All in separate coops.

 

[Obsessed With Silkies]

So a while back in this thread I had posted of one of my silkies having a somewhat bent under fith toe. Well as I was putting them up for the night I saw that he had broken the toenail and it had started to bleed. I don't have any pictures because it was dark but what do I need to do tomorrow to treat it and do I need to try and make a splint for the fith toe to correct it?

 

[kurby22]

So I know you all talk about these genetics a lot…but can someone explain to me how dominant white and black crossings work? For example, if I want to someday create a white with black spots chicken…the dominant white crossed to black is the way to do it, yeah? Does it matter if it’s a white rooster over black hen or the opposite? Should they be silver based? Or does that matter? I know you do a lot with paints @LadiesAndJane have I captured the bulk of it? Are silkies different than smooth feathered versions as to the best breeding approach? Thanks!

 

[CSolis]

Today is day 19 for Sioux on her eggs.. First time I've seen her get off the nest! She got up, walked around the crib, and plopped back down on the nest..Yesterday she drank a lot of water from my measuring cup (used so I can gauge how much she's drinking) and has food in the corner of the basket nest.
I'm soooo getting eggcited. Want to see my 2nd gen babies!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So a while back in this thread I had posted of one of my silkies having a somewhat bent under fith toe. Well as I was putting them up for the night I saw that he had broken the toenail and it had started to bleed. I don't have any pictures because it was dark but what do I need to do tomorrow to treat it and do I need to try and make a splint for the fith toe to correct it?

Sorry for the delay in response.
Clean the foot and use a disinfectant.
Soaking in Epson salts always seems to be helpful. Depending on how it looks, it might be worth it to try to splint the toe.
I recommend posting in the emergency section for more advice. With smaller chicks we have used a piece of a Q-tip and vet wrap as the splinting material.
The 5th toe is not weight-bearing in Silkies, I consider them much like dew claws in a dog. The nail doesn’t wear down as much as the other nails and needs to be trimmed more often. They can look quite weird.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

So I know you all talk about these genetics a lot…but can someone explain to me how dominant white and black crossings work? For example, if I want to someday create a white with black spots chicken…the dominant white crossed to black is the way to do it, yeah? Does it matter if it’s a white rooster over black hen or the opposite? Should they be silver based? Or does that matter? I know you do a lot with paints @LadiesAndJane have I captured the bulk of it? Are silkies different than smooth feathered versions as to the best breeding approach? Thanks!

Paints are created by crossing a dominant white chicken with a solid black chicken. Doesn’t matter which one is the male or the female. The resulting offspring then are called paints. Paint is not “carried” as some people say, and there is no such thing as a black “split to paint”.
I unfortunately have seen this term used on many breeder websites, makes it confusing. Any black chicken can be used, the ones that are very dark and don’t have any brown or any other colored feathers are best. Not sure if they should be silver-based. @LynnaePB would be the best one to answer these questions!
I know that serious paint breeders try to breed birds with whole patches of black on the white and not just flecks or spots. I believe this is best achieved by breeding any resulting paint offspring back to a black bird.
The genetics would be the same whether we’re talking Silkies or other breeds of chickens, though I am not aware of many other folks out there currently trying to create paints in other breeds.
An example of “paint” in other breeds are the Austrawhite which is a white Leghorn crossed with a black Australorp. The resulting chicks are hybrids but demonstrate the genetics well, though most of these birds are primarily white with a few black spots or flecks here and there.
A good example of these genetics in other breeds is the old American breed, the Erminette.

There are also folks working on creating this color in Ameraucana. This is possible because some lines of white Ameraucana are dominant white, though I believe the majority are recessive white.

These birds are stunning. Though none of these from what I can gather, are striving towards “paint” where you see the large patches of black on the white.
Looks more like they’re trying to breed a bird that has an even distribution of black and white. When this color is applied to other breeds, it is being called “Ermine”.
Hope this helps!

Photos from the Internet and are not my own.

 

[kurby22]

Paints are created by crossing a dominant white chicken with a solid black chicken. Doesn’t matter which one is the male or the female. The resulting offspring then are called paints. Paint is not “carried” as some people say, and there is no such thing as a black “split to paint”.
I unfortunately have seen this term used on many breeder websites, makes it confusing. Any black chicken can be used, the ones that are very dark and don’t have any brown or any other colored feathers are best. Not sure if they should be silver-based. @LynnaePB would be the best one to answer these questions!
I know that serious paint breeders try to breed birds with whole patches of black on the white and not just flecks or spots. I believe this is best achieved by breeding any resulting paint offspring back to a black bird.
The genetics would be the same whether we’re talking Silkies or other breeds of chickens, though I am not aware of many other folks out there currently trying to create paints in other breeds.
An example of “paint” in other breeds are the Austrawhite which is a white Leghorn crossed with a black Australorp. The resulting chicks are hybrids but demonstrate the genetics well, though most of these birds are primarily white with a few black spots or flecks here and there.
A good example of these genetics in other breeds is the old American breed, the Erminette.
View attachment 3285528
There are also folks working on creating this color in Ameraucana. This is possible because some lines of white Ameraucana are dominant white, though I believe the majority are recessive white.
View attachment 3285529
These birds are stunning. Though none of these from what I can gather, are striving towards “paint” where you see the large patches of black on the white.
Looks more like they’re trying to breed a bird that has an even distribution of black and white. When this color is applied to other breeds, it is being called “Ermine”.
Hope this helps!

Photos from the Internet and are not my own.

This was super helpful! Thank you I’m interested in trying the color with bantam Ameraucanas if I can find dominant white bantams! I just love that ermine coloring on Ameraucanas. This was exactly what I needed!

 

[CSolis]

Day 20 and Momma is clucking clucking, for good reason.. They are starting to arrive! Saw two heads so far... one partridge for sure...

 

[Hinotori]

Yesterday I caught a 25 week old cockerel trying to feed the new chicks. It was absolutely adorable.