Cuckoo silkie with blue eggs Project.

This isn't something I can advise on fully as I've never bred for egg colour before.

If you are wanting them to look more like Silkies, instead of bringing in the white, why not start with Silkies that already have the cuckoo colouration?

I'd avoid the white as the white gene will be passed on to the generations and when you cross back generations, most chicks will end up white. If breeding siblings you'd most likely end up with all white chicks from what I've learnt. White covers up other colours if both parents carry the white gene.

Since cuckoos don't have black skin, you'll most likely not achieve that so they will be white skinned cuckoo silkies as the end result. I only know of one breeder that's just recently managed to achieve black skinned cuckoo Silkies but she done that by isolating certain birds and keeping the blood lines going over multiple generations without introducing any other types of chicken, just Silkies.

It sounds like a fun project though! If I knew more about egg colour I'd try and help but I don't know much.

Good luck!

 

Ah right, well if there is non in your area then it's a good project for you to do then.

If I was doing it, I'd possibly focus on the egg colour and then try and bring back in the Silkie features.

I'd say you'd have to use the cuckoo rooster you are getting that's a different breed and then breed him to multiple generations of the offspring you get to get the egg colour.

Then work on bringing back in the Silkie feathers/toes/crest etc by breeding them to other Silkies.

I wouldn't breed silbings that were produced from a white Silkie as you will most likely always get white chicks. Maybe you'll achieve a white Silkie with blue eggs?

Cuckoo genetics is difficult for me to understand because from what I believe, to get correct cuckoo colouring you need a true cuckoo rooster and hen together.

Some others wil know better than me though!

 

Where are you located?

 

Well, there goes my idea. Lol
I know a breeder near me that has cuckoo Silkies. I’m very excited to see how your project moves along. Will you post updates?

 

I’ve always understood cuckoo as barring. It’s the same gene with different names under different breeds.

The three genes you want kept from the silkies probably are crest, silkiness, and feathered feet. Silkiness is recessive so you would need offspring to be homozygous for silkiness. Something that would be possible in the F2 generations.

Crest and feathered feet are dominant so they would show up in the F1 generation but not fully expressed. This project would take a few generations at least.

Like someone mentioned before do not breed the white silkie as it will just cover up what you’re working with.

Look at the black chicken as a blank slate. Black chickens usually don’t have other genes that can interfere. They’re usually based E/E with no other genes.

READ THIS
If you breed a female cuckoo araucana to a male black silkie, the offspring will be autosexing! The males will hatch black with a white dot on their head (as an adult they’ll be barred) and the females will hatch all black (as an adult they’ll be all black).

Edit: the autosexing won’t work if you use a male araucana and female silkie, but all the offspring will be barred (cuckoo). Which is what I think you want.

 

I just read somewhere that in order for the cuckoo gene to be expressed, you had to have a cuckoo roo. Is that incorrect?