Silkie genetics

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erin0415

erin0415

Songster
11 Years
Apr 22, 2008
270
1
139
North Texas
Is there anyone who can help me with silkie genetics?? I was wanting to know what colors/ characteristics are dominant/ recessive and what I can expect by breeding certain colors together. Are the blues and splash mixes from black and white silkies?? Does anyone know of a book or other resource that discusses silkies specifically. i understand quite a bit about genetics, but don't have a clue as to what is dominant/recessive in silkies. Thanks!!!
 
I breed silkies and as far as I can tell the color genetics for the standards excepted run along the same genetics for any chicken colors that are black, splash, blue, white , buff. Hope that helps. There are lots of genetic color guides for chickens that you can google. I try and read the info on Top Breeders Websites as they are very helpful in their experience.
 
Erin,

As Bama said, the genes found in a silkie are the same as the genes found in other chickens. The scientific community has written quit a bit about chicken genetics so there is much to be learned. These are the genes found in a silkie or at least all I can think of for now. I am using the classical notation for the genes.

Fm fibromelanosis
id+ dermal melanin (sex linked) These three make black skin.
W+ white skin

h hookless for silkie feathers

Mb for muffs and beard (bearded variety)

P pea comb
R rose comb P and R form a walnut comb

Po polydactyly 5 toes

dw sex linked dwarfism Dwarfism can be caused by a number of
genes and there are two other alleles at the
Dw+ locus

Pti-1 and Pti-2 feathered feet ( silkies most likely have a different allele at one of the loci)

Cr crest

0+ for white egg shell color (no brown egg shell genes)

c recessive white Recessive white is an epistatic gene and can hide any color. Most recessive white birds are black under the white.

Bl/bl+ blue is an incompleley dominant gene that dilutes black to blue.

Bl/Bl produces a splash chicken or white with splashes of blue.

Most black birds are extended black ( E) because this genes needs the least amount of help from other genes to make a black bird. Some black birds are birchen or E^R. Birchen needs help from black extenders to make a black bird.

Do search on this site for blue. You will find the information you want in other strings.

Try this string:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=79262&p=2

Tim
 
Last edited:
Thanks for all the info. The link about the blues was very helpful too. Does the bird have to have 2 sets of the recessive white for it to mask the other colors or just one since it is an epistatic gene? Also, what are some examples of black extenders? Thank you for info. It is a little more complicated than simple Punnett squares.
 
Hi! I just started a small flock for laying, but I love the silkies. Do they come in standard size, or are they all bantams? If they are all bantams, how do they mix with a standard size flock of 10 hens and 1 roo?
 
Silkies are all Bantams. They are a natural bantam. They can be put with standard breeds but because of their gentle nature usually wind up getting picked on.
 

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