Anyone ever crossed EE's with Silkies?

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Well you have a goal. A Silkie that lays a colored egg.... so you've made a strategic plan.

But to breed an EE to a RIW, then breed that to a Silkie isn't a plan..... It's a bunch of "Let me see what I get" breedings....

 

[MichiganWoods]

Quote:
Aaaah, you've used an artist as reference. Let's talk Van Gogh! A ton of people think his art is exceptional and are willing to pay millions to own an original, whereas there are others (one of which is my mother) that you couldn't pay to hang his work in her home. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, as they say.

Creating something different and new is just as exciting to me as I imagine seeing a future award-winning purebred Silkie chick hatch out of your eggs is to you.

My crossbreed won't be specifically an Easter Egger or a Silkie. It will be something different. Maybe I'll dub them Easter Silks.

I don't know.

But I am interested to find out!

Year of the Rooster, thank you very much!

 

[lurky]

TKO

 

[renatpreschool]

Quote:
I hope yours turn out that pretty too ; )

I can't wait to see what pops out of those eggs! LOL

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
How do you not know if this will improve the breed? After all we are hypothetically speaking aren't we? Besides, it's not like she's going to be selling them in abundance across the country. It is possible to make a silkie-feathered EE. It may take some time but it is possible. I do agree on the prolific colored egglayer idea, but I saw a thread where someone posted pics of PURE Ameraucanas with silkie feathering. Who knows how it got there, especially if they were pure. This is all experimenting so nothing has to live up to whether it's purposeful or not. As far as I'm concerned, I just love the way they look. Yes I agree we need egg production and pure breeds in the world, but without pointless mutts, where's the variety? And who knows, maybe she will make a "laying" silkie. This is all an experiment.

ETA: Here is the thread: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=98335

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Not really.... rebutting an argument without a point doesn't make it a TKO. It makes it an admission....

 

[MichiganWoods]

Here is the general idea, PouletsDeCajun.


RIW = Prolific egg layer all year round. Brown eggs.


EE = Good egg layer, but doesn't necessarily lay during the winter months, and not nearly as many eggs as the Rhode Islands. Blue, Green, Blue/Green eggs.

RIW x EE = Prolific egg layer that lays all year round, including winter. Egg colors most likely to get: Green with undertones of brown, possibly blue with undertones of brown.

Refine the hens that are laying the blue eggs with the brown undertones to try and improve the color to achieve more blue and less brown tinting.

Once this is achieved and I have multiple hens that prolifically lay nice blue eggs all year round, then I cross with the silkies to then add the unique feathering. Egg production will fall, because Silkies do not produce like Rhode Islands. But Rhode Islands produce better than Easter Eggers, so hopefully this makes the Silkie cross a better egg layer than what I would have gotten had I just crossed an Easter Egger with a Silkie.

Refine this breed until I can achieve a fluffy feathered bird that is a prolific blue egg layer all year round.

Does this plan seem formulated well enough for you?

 

[KellyHM]

Quote:
You better send me pics of those when they hatch!! And you're lucky you bought them when you did...my Silkie went broody 2 days after I shipped yours!

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Unfortunately no. I still dont see the point of the RIW...

However, before the debate gets out of hand, which I'm sure is where its heading, I will agree to bow out. I certainly dont want to see your thread closed because of differences of opinions.

I also respect your ambition to create something new, even though I can't thoroughly understand it.

 

[cheeptrick]

The whole point of an EE hen laying the blue/green/olive egg is driven by the market for this specialty type of egg. I think you are brilliant for trying to improve this breed. I love LURKY'S birds...were they not gorgeous. We would not have this particular breed of EE if they were not bred in the first place. While they are not accepted in the 'showing' world...they are definitely accepted and sought after in the dairy aisle. That is the true appreciation of the breed...their egg color. NOT to mention that they are very docile and fabulous free rangers which cuts down on feed costs. I think crossing the silkie would improve the winter hardiness also...the silkies do so well in winter with their thick feathers!!

I have a white silkie Roo that I will be crossing with a FRIZZLE hen and my EE girls....I'll post pictures when they come of age of birds and egg colors.

Do not underestimate the EE....they pay for themselves OVER an over again with their beautiful eggs!!

I could have replaced my flock 20 times with my EE's eggs that I've sold to our local dairy farm!!

Good luck and keep us posted on your genetics project....