Defining Sizzles

Greetings All

I'm getting more questions on exactly what is a Sizzle? Do they have a standard? What do I breed/look for? Etc, so...I thought I'd put this info out there for those interested.

SIZZLES are a cross between a Frizzled Cochin & a Silkie. The current standard we are working with is the Silkie standard with one big difference. We want a hard frizzled feather on a Sizzle - NOT a frizzled silkie feather! We are following all the silkie standard except for the type of feather. Crest, turquoise ears, feathered feet, five toes, everything except for the feather type follows the Silkie standard.

It takes generations to develop a new breed & a frizzled breed is an extra challenge because you shouldn't breed frizzle to frizzle. It does bad things to their feathering (more technical explanation available elseware..or write me) In the beginning you get 4 types - smooths, frizzled hard feathers, frizzled silkie feathers & silkie feathers. Breeding your sizzle smooths back to your sizzles (hard frizzled) strengthens your good traits. The hardest initial challanges are getting the correct combs & 5 toes. After that, it's working on stabalizing & improving type.

If you are going to show, I found it a good idea to "suggest" to your judge that he use the Silkie standard with the difference in feather change to hard frizzled as his base standard to work from. That is the standard we are using on the Sizzle list http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Sizzles/ where you can also find pics from the members of thier development of the birds. This list was started to bring anyone interested in Sizzles together so we could work out exactly these kinds of issues and start speaking as "one voice" on exactly what Sizzles are. We are young, we are growing and I'm sure there will be changes as we develop. It's exciting & frustrating & very fulfilling to be part of the development of a breed and one of the more rewarding hobbies I've ever had!

Thanks for letting me "crow" about my favorite little "muppets". If there are any questions I can help with please feel free to contact me.

SarahsSizzles

Could this be done with bantam versions of both breeds? I am getting into cochins, love the frizzles, but a sizzle sounds spectacular!

Thanks Sarah for the info. I am starting to work on sizzles and have two good prospects for my foundation stock. Now I just need to find a good smooth roo I think. These two pullets have awesome feet, black skin, correct comb. One needs a better crest, but the other one has a great crest.

So i should be looking to grow out a smooth, hard feathered, crested boy?

I have one right now that might work but is blue with some birchen? color bleeding through on the chest. His crest also looks to be minimal. That would defeat the point of improving the crest.

The pullets are both black.

There are 30 chicks developing in the bator right now too - I'm hoping to get one or two out of there to work with.

This Sarah is subscribing to the spectacular SarahsSizzles thread.

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Well, in the US, silkies only come in bantams, although I periodically hear rumors of people trying to develop large fowl silkies. Yes, bantam cochins are used. If you wanted to increase size you could use large fowl.

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Don't use the birchen color bleeding boy - it will mess up any intention to breed show birds because it LOVES to keep cropping up.

I know this because Sarah is still trying to get it out of her birds since crossing to Polish at one point.

And though I LOVE them and am using them for a pet line, they have driven Sarah nuts trying to eliminate them from her potential breeder Sizzles.

Mind you if he has a good crest and you don't want to just breed for pets --- Ummm I'm over here...

The silkie and sizzle standards do not include the birchen/bleeding red birds as an accepted variety, so they are useless in a show breeding project.

But I am over here taking in anyone's unwanted, birchen/bleeding reds on blue or black, in Sizzle and sizzle (really big grin).

And in TN - looking for sizzle (smooth) BBS based birds.

Silkies are only bantams??? The only silkies I've ever seen in-person, and actually took care of for a while, were big --at least as big as my standard ameracaunas were. I'd say about 2-3 pounds? Wow... I've got to see a bantam!

edited to add: the roosters were at least 4 pounds, and they were all young too. The lady I watched them for said they were really good quality breeding stock.

Greeting All;

I have a large % of roos in this years F5 group, including some very nice smooths. I will be deciding in mid to late Oct who to keep for breeding the next generation and I'll be selling everything I don't keep. I will let any serious breeders have first choice on the decent stock, including some F4 hens from this years breeding pens. I also have some pets who will be going if someone isn't interested in showing. They mostly have color DQ's (yes, still trying to get rid of that red gene!!) but, frankly, at F5 they could still throw some decent birds, just a smaller %.

If you haven't got what you need from your own breeding, get in touch around the 1st of Oct and I'll put you on the list.

Best of luck & welcome to the wonderful world of Sizzles!!!!!

Sarah

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Standard Ameraucana are not 2-3lbs. They're proper large fowl at least in SQ and breeder quality birds I've met. I'd be taking one out of the breeding program that fell in a 2-3lb. range. If they were just babies then they still had growth to put on.

SQ silkies often stretch the bantam definition because of the show tendency toward "bigger is better".

But then some of them nearly defy the bantam standard at that point.

walkswithdog, Are you saying that the Ameracauna are bigger? These were my backyard birds from a hatchery and I believe now, after researching BYC, that they were actually EE mixes sold under that name. They are rather scrawny.

How big (weight) are most Silkies?