Anyone ever crossed EE's with Silkies?

[SunAngel]

I get my EE/Silkie mixes from a BYC'er near me...silkieluver_07. I love them, they are all so unique.

My only roo...Raven

Bella

Mya

And I have about 14 EE/Silkie chicks in my brooder right now. Theres 6 OEGB bantams and 2 pure Silkies running around in the group also

 

[KellyHM]

Adorable! I hope mine turn out that pretty!

 

[SunAngel]

Those EE x Splash Silkies are so pretty! I would love to have a blue one like that.

 

[Dipsy Doodle Doo]

Hi!
I put a clean-faced Ideal Poultry EE hen (layed a large blue egg)

in the pen with a blue Silkie roo and hatched some chicks.
This is one of the 2 blue silkie feathered green-egger girls I kept.

Lisa

 

[MichiganWoods]

Wow, those guys turned out beautiful! Glad to hear that some of them will lay well too! Can't wait to try some of my own.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

I just dont see the point really.... The EE has its own unique characteristics, and so does the Silkie. Why cross them?

The EE makes the Silkie look like a hatchery bird which does nothing to improve either breeds characteristics, and the Silkie makes the EE look like an EE with black skin.

To me its kinda like taking a Monet and slinging mud on it....

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
I think it sounds like a nice idea! Those crosses look cool.

Nobody said you had to like/approve of it. She just wants to try it out and it wouldn't hurt to either. Also, nobody said each breed was perfect, even the "best" of a breed has its faults. Who knows, this could be a new discovery of the chickens world. I know you are a silkie breeder and all, but look at the different possibilities. Try to be open minded rather than see the negatives about crossbreeding.

Good luck MichiganWoods!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

I am open minded, but if you are going to cross something, why not cross something thats going to IMPROVE either breed? Not just be a cross that was made because you had chickens with the right parts.

Her first objective was a good one, cross an EE to a RIW to hopefully produce a prolific colored egg layer.... I get that and it has a point to it.

But then take that cross and breed it to a Silkie?!? Silkies dont make anything more fluffy just because they appear fluffy. And the feathering pattern is recessive as someone has already said, so the cross to make something more fluffy is moot. Not to mention that though a Silkie may lay daily, they in no way can compete with the laying ability of a "laying breed."

So introducing prolific laying genes, just to turn around and take them away, is not a really good strategy....

 

[lurky]

One of the reasons i chose to hatch this mix was my curiousity about what color eggs the offspring would produce. I just recently got a few and they are a shiny green. I dont know how well you will be able to see the color but i am going to add a pic of it.

 

[KellyHM]

What if she just wants a Silkie feathered colored egg layer?!?! That's why I crossed mine. And yes, I know I will have to cross them again to get the Silkie feathering to come out since it's recessive, but I don't care, b/c then I'll have what I want!