Crosses to make Satins

[LadiesAndJane]

There are breeders who are trying to develop the satin as an accepted breed variation of a silkie. Basically you start with the cochin/silkie cross and keep breeding back to silkie and breeding the offspring to each other maintaining the smooth or "satin" feathers, but keeping all the other silkie traits, such as black skin, 5 toes, correct comb etc. Some breeders have 10 generations of satins, they are over 90% silkie at that point, but have the smooth feathers.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

There are breeders who are trying to develop the satin as an accepted breed variation of a silkie. Basically you start with the cochin/silkie cross and keep breeding back to silkie and breeding the offspring to each other maintaining the smooth or "satin" feathers, but keeping all the other silkie traits, such as black skin, 5 toes, correct comb etc. Some breeders have 10 generations of satins, they are over 90% silkie at that point, but have the smooth feathers.

Oh, okay thanks. Does that make the crests better too?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Oh, okay thanks. Does that make the crests better too?

I believe over time, but it can take several generations.
I found this photo of a young Cockerel I had this past summer. He is about 7 weeks old in this photo. He was hatched out of a batch of Silkie Eggs I purchased from a breeder. Turns out the breeder also had a satin project going and I ended up with a few of the eggs. This particular bird is a sixth generation satin. He is a splash but his coloring hadn’t showed up yet in this photo.
I ended up selling him to one of my friends who is working on a satin project and needed a new bloodline.

 

[edgarmongold]

Sultans
True breeding with more distinct features than Satin

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Sultans
True breeding with more distinct features than Satin

Sultan aren't cold hardy enough to make it where I live without adding heat. Plus They only come in one color.

 

[Willawong Hill]

I would also add cochin rather than polish as I think cochin will add a better rounder shape and better leg feathering, but polish will definitely give you better crests.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I think I'll use both with seperate silkies and then cross back to the opposite next gen. That seems to be the best way I think to improve everything

 

[Willawong Hill]

I personally would think about keeping the two lines separate for a little bit and cross back to silkie a couple of times before breeding the lines together so you don't loose too many of the other silkie characteristics.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Oh yeah, I meant more keep the chicks and cross to the opposite gender (females to the cochin/polish male and males to the silkie mamas

 

[Willawong Hill]

Good idea, though I would even think about crossing the females back to a silkie roo if you have one as the females back to the cochin or polish will only give 1/4 silkie offspring and you wont be able to tell which of the offspring F2 carry the silkie feather gene without test mating, as only half of them will. Also it won't matter if the hen or roo is the silkie to answer an earlier question except that if you have a silkie roo and females with yellow leg colouring you may be able to sex the F1 offspring by the colour of their body skin (pullets darker).