Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[microchick]

Darling babies, @CSolis.

But then your girls and boys always make beautiful chicks so I would be surprised if one wasn't a 'keeper'.

 

[GingerRose]

May I get some opinions on this cockerel?
Hatched July 22nd this year.
Sell? Keep? Eat? Give away?
LoL
He has some light grey feathers here and there, but not many. What causes that?
His mom is solid black.
His dad is partridge w/silver? I guess?
If I keep him, he needs a name..

 

[Poodlemum]

@CSolis Your birds are always so stunning!!! How can you ever give any to new homes???

 

[Poodlemum]

I do not need to incubate all the eggs… I do not need to incubate all the eggs…. A second new layer??? A touch bigger and creamier. Silkie, D’Uccle, Brahma, and barred something (Rock??? OEGB???) mixed bantam pen

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

May I get some opinions on this cockerel?
Hatched July 22nd this year.
Sell? Keep? Eat? Give away?
LoL
He has some light grey feathers here and there, but not many. What causes that?
His mom is solid black.
His dad is partridge w/silver? I guess?
If I keep him, he needs a name..

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Oh don't ask me...I got way too many of everything right now! Lolol
Cute fellow!

 

[CSolis]

May I get some opinions on this cockerel?
Hatched July 22nd this year.
Sell? Keep? Eat? Give away?
LoL
He has some light grey feathers here and there, but not many. What causes that?
His mom is solid black.
His dad is partridge w/silver? I guess?
If I keep him, he needs a name..

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Eat him?? Oh my, send him to ME ME ME!

 

[CSolis]

@CSolis Your birds are always so stunning!!! How can you ever give any to new homes???

Well so far I haven't. Lost two young splash cockerels to a possum one night.. When I checked at lockdown they were safe in their 'boxes'. They must have moved early in the morning to lay next to the pen wall... dangit.. Lost 6 of 7 bantams from Sarah's hatch to a danged hawk. Folks across the road burned off downed timber debris and upset the balance there so the hawks moved over here.. Lost a hen to water belly (Not silkie but still loved). So, nature has me. I sold one Silkie cockerel out of 5 I raised.. two pullets are in one pen with another cockerel and two ladies from PP and SC. My F1's are all in with various Silkie hubbies, so pens are full. I may leave PP and SC's daughter's in with them (line breeding). And Blue boy is gonna have his work cut out for him with the F2's. (Another pen, oh my!). Here's Pantzer, the lone pullet from the bantam flock. She came scrambling in the back door at the sound of the ALERT.. along with King Wheaties and her mom. She's see Tiny Dancer and Mr T enter the house frequently, guess she thought she would check it out.

 

[CSolis]

Darling babies, @CSolis.

But then your girls and boys always make beautiful chicks so I would be surprised if one wasn't a 'keeper'.

I seem to have lucked out with my choices of ladies to put with GL the partridge silkie roo. And I certainly won't complain about what my 1 full silkie pair is giving me.

 

[microchick]

I'd give just about anything to be able to keep a few Silkies. But with having had Marek's in my flock on top of having these really annoying OEGBs and Fayoumis that like to peck one another on the heads probably isn't in the bird's best interest.

So I'll live vicariously through you all.

@CSolis, what color is your breeding pair, I forget.

As far as OEGBs are concerned my Silver Duck Wing boys have decided that since their pretty new tail feathers have come in, they would tear off each others. I have about 6 with no tails. Goofy looking little twerps. Told them tonight that they had just better think about growing in new ones because I couldn't take looking at them like that for a whole year. Funny thing is, only the older roos did it to one another. The younger birds are gorgeous with their new feathers.

 

[Hinotori]

May I get some opinions on this cockerel?
Hatched July 22nd this year.
Sell? Keep? Eat? Give away?
LoL
He has some light grey feathers here and there, but not many. What causes that?
His mom is solid black.
His dad is partridge w/silver? I guess?
If I keep him, he needs a name..

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I don't like the comb and wattle color. They are supposed to be mulberry, which is very dark, almost black. You can work with it over generations to get it darker in descendants.

I like bigger crests. One of my worst crested hens threw offspring with the biggest ones ever, though.

What do the wings look like? Split wing is the most common disqualification in silkies. It's very common. Missing axial feather between primaries and secondaries.