Can you breed show chicks in the same coop as other breeds?

[stphn1825]

My daughter is a 4H member and she is getting 25 chicks, we have 5 chickens now. The people in charge told my daughter she should breed Silkies and also invited her to do show for show chickens. What is considered a show chicken and can I breed one kind in a mixture of chickens?

 

[jimnjay]

If you are breeding Silkies or anyothe breed for show, you need to keep that breed seperated to assure they are purbred. Show Chickens are those the represent the American Poultry Assn Or American Bantam Assn. standards for the breed much like purebred dogs. In a show each chickens is judged against the standard.

Silkies are great pets as well but they do present challenges as they have at least 6 or 7 specific anomalies that are required to meet the standard. They must have dark skin, they have fluff instead of normal feathers, blue ears, walnut combs, 5 toes, Crests and sometimes beards. Each of these distinctive traits were bred into the chickens centuries ago and each was a abnormality from the orginal stock that they started with in China. Once your kids get into silkies they will become very educated in genetics which is a fasinating field. Good Luck with your venture

 

[4H kids and mom]

My kids are in 4H as well. We are raising Ameraucanas, Easter Eggers, and 1 surprise Araucana. We are keeping the Araucana wether it is a hen or roo because its a special bird. Which ever it is, we are going to find it a mate for breeding. We are planing to breed our own stock (only the Ameraucanas and Araucanas) and we are going to have seperate pens for our breeders. Eventually, we may move onto other breeds, but we're starting with a meager flock to begin with. We are raising 27 chicks right now, of which we will keep all (or most) of the hens and two of the roos (with possibly an entra roo if it is breed standard and we pen it seperatly for breeding). It is always best to seperate your breeders so you know which pair created which chick. Otherwise, you wont have any idea what you've got and record keeping would be a night mare, and you'll need good records if you plan to also show them.