Breeding mottled Silkies.

[Mariah-Morgan]

Ok so I need some help. I have a blue roo, 2 black roos and a roo who is hard to determine color lol I will post pictures. But which rooster should I keep to continue mottled genetics. I have chocolate mottled hens. Attaching photos of my cockerels for reference. First photo is the questionable colored one, the next 2 are the blue roo and last photo has the 2 young black cockerels.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Depends on your goals for mottled.
Do you just want regular black and white mottled or other colored mottled? If other colors, what colors?

 

[Mariah-Morgan]

Depends on your goals for mottled.
Do you just want regular black and white mottled or other colored mottled? If other colors, what colors?

Yes ideally regular black and white.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Yes ideally regular black and white.

I'd definitely stay away from keeping a blue or unknown then.
I'd keep both black cockerels just in case you were to lose one or one not work out. Also you could evaluate them when older better then now.
Breed a black male to chocolate mottled girls. The cockerel offspring would all carry chocolate sight unseen so I wouldn't keep any.
All the pullet offspring would not carry chocolate but would carry mottling. I'd breed those back to the black males. Also a good reason to keep both.
With that generation you'd have nothing but black but the mottling gene would be hidden and some wouldn't have it.
You know those first generation pullets carry one gene for it so breed different males to just those for test breeding. Any males that produce any mottled chicks would have to carry a mottled gene also so just keep those. Then it's just a matter of producing as many chicks as you can to play the odds of getting mottle.

 

[Mariah-Morgan]

Depends on your goals for mottled.
Do you just want regular black and white mottled or other colored mottled? If other colors, what colors?

I would also be interested in how

I'd definitely stay away from keeping a blue or unknown then.
I'd keep both black cockerels just in case you were to lose one or one not work out. Also you could evaluate them when older better then now.
Breed a black male to chocolate mottled girls. The cockerel offspring would all carry chocolate sight unseen so I wouldn't keep any.
All the pullet offspring would not carry chocolate but would carry mottling. I'd breed those back to the black males. Also a good reason to keep both.
With that generation you'd have nothing but black but the mottling gene would be hidden and some wouldn't have it.
You know those first generation pullets carry one gene for it so breed different males to just those for test breeding. Any males that produce any mottled chicks would have to carry a mottled gene also so just keep those. Then it's just a matter of producing as many chicks as you can to play the odds of getting mottle.

Ok great! Thank you so much! And if I wanted to also continue the chocolate mottled, I would keep some of the cockerel offspring also to reintroduce the chocolate, correct?

 

[The Moonshiner]

I would also be interested in how

Ok great! Thank you so much! And if I wanted to also continue the chocolate mottled, I would keep some of the cockerel offspring also to reintroduce the chocolate, correct?

Yes. Keep some males from your first cross. The ones with the chocolate mottled moms. Breed those cockerels back to their moms. On average 1/2 of all offspring would be mottled and 1/2 of all would be chocolate. Keep any that were chocolate and mottled and you'd be good to go from there.
With my idea on how to good that would be wise since to work on mottled after that first cross I'd have no more need for the chocolate mottled hens or any need for those first cross cockerels.
That would be using what I'd consider throw away birds for a whole different project color and one that would be easy and quick to finish.

 

[Mariah-Morgan]

Yes. Keep some males from your first cross. The ones with the chocolate mottled moms. Breed those cockerels back to their moms. On average 1/2 of all offspring would be mottled and 1/2 of all would be chocolate. Keep any that were chocolate and mottled and you'd be good to go from there.
With my idea on how to good that would be wise since to work on mottled after that first cross I'd have no more need for the chocolate mottled hens or any need for those first cross cockerels.
That would be using what I'd consider throw away birds for a whole different project color and one that would be easy and quick to finish.

Ok, so generally speaking it would be much easier and quicker to produce more chocolate Mottled then it would to try and get black and white right?