Debbie's Silkies

[Debbie292d]

The chick on the far left is what Spotty was like when he hatched.

Oh my goodness I forgot how that my they are when hatched
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The orange colour threw me off completely.

I'm pretty sure he's a red pyle. Mine I've posted above recently that look buff are buff, as Millie/Missie (I've called her both) was broodie most of the summer. She was my only partridge, so no further red pyles around here. This one you saw is a baby of Peachy and Millie, but I know nothing of if that's a gene or what. @rural mouse?

 

[Ponypoor]

I'm pretty sure he's a red pyle. Mine I've posted above recently that look buff are buff, as Millie/Missie (I've called her both) was broodie most of the summer. She was my only partridge, so no further red pyles around here. This one you saw is a baby of Peachy and Millie, but I know nothing of if that's a gene or what. @rural mouse?

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Gosh she is so precious I just love her!

 

[Ponypoor]

Today we cleaned two pens and then paired up the two for my mottled line: Melva on the left, and Morris. They each have a mottled gene.
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In the other pen we cleaned, three roosters were let out to see how they'd get along. The two came back. Peachy (red pyle) and Wyatt (white).
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Pen #3 is getting cleaned tomorrow as well as #1 and the main coop. This is Lester the lemon, Tina the buff, Charlotte the chocolate. Up top is Carol Burnett (was a buff frizzle prior to molting), and in the box, being broody and molting, is Marsha.


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Pen #1 is Millie (silver partridge), then MB. In the first nest box is Nosie, the crossbeak. She just got over being broody, but guess she's going to be again.


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Main coop: Top four are the pet quality old chickens. The others aren't named but there's a paint rooster, paint hen, mauve hen, partridge hen, white hen, black hen, and way down on the end hiding is Piper, the mauve rooster.


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The shed pen, otherwise known as The Maple, has nine around 3 months. Can't see them all, but got a picture anyway. The front one I had sold as a chick, but I took it back as customer Sarah thought it was a rooster, and so did I. I wanted it if a rooster for Millie, and the other partridge hen. I'm not so sure now. Also, there's three buffs, four chocolates, and a splash. They still have a night light. These are the most frustrating chickens to date!

Unpictured: The Four Seasons pen has eight about 4 months old, and 17 about 7 weeks old. Pictures tomorrow!

Awwww cuteness overload there

So do they launch themselves off that height? Mine scare the ever living ng daylights out of me by launching from anywhere high they can get to!

 

[rural mouse]

I'm pretty sure he's a red pyle. Mine I've posted above recently that look buff are buff, as Millie/Missie (I've called her both) was broodie most of the summer. She was my only partridge, so no further red pyles around here. This one you saw is a baby of Peachy and Millie, but I know nothing of if that's a gene or what. @rural mouse?

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Red pyle is a trait I've never investigated. I also haven't figured out much between Dom and recessive white. What I've read on the white hasn't made sense to me yet. And what I've seen on silkie genetics is either a whole other ball game or hasn't clicked yet.

Partridge is another I'm struggling with.

 

[Ponypoor]

Red pyle is a trait I've never investigated. I also haven't figured out much between Dom and recessive white. What I've read on the white hasn't made sense to me yet. And what I've seen on silkie genetics is either a whole other ball game or hasn't clicked yet.

Partridge is another I'm struggling with.

I am not even going to hazard a guess on how he came to be. But I’ll let my neighbour know what colour he is!

 

[NatJ]

I also haven't figured out much between Dom and recessive white. What I've read on the white hasn't made sense to me yet.

Dominant White turns black into white but pretty much leaves red/gold shades alone (example: Red Sexlinks that have a white tail-- it would be a black tail if they did not have this gene). It is dominant, so you get the effect if a chicken has even one copy of the gene. It tends to be a bit leaky, so Paints are genetically black with one Dominant White gene. Two Dominant White genes will reduce the amount of leakage.

Recessive white turns all colors to white. It is recessive, so you only see the effect when the chicken has two copies of this gene (one inherited from the father and one inherited from the mother.)

 

[Debbie292d]

Awwww cuteness overload there

So do they launch themselves off that height? Mine scare the ever living ng daylights out of me by launching from anywhere high they can get to!

Oh no. They use the ramp. Maybe it's not in all of the pictures but all four pens are identical and I saw it in one for sure.

 

[rural mouse]

Dominant White turns black into white but pretty much leaves red/gold shades alone (example: Red Sexlinks that have a white tail-- it would be a black tail if they did not have this gene). It is dominant, so you get the effect if a chicken has even one copy of the gene. It tends to be a bit leaky, so Paints are genetically black with one Dominant White gene. Two Dominant White genes will reduce the amount of leakage.

Recessive white turns all colors to white. It is recessive, so you only see the effect when the chicken has two copies of this gene (one inherited from the father and one inherited from the mother.)

So how does Dom white affect Blue? It also affects black. And what about D white with lavender/self blue? 2 Dom white will still have some leakage? Does this mean that red pyle is actually a black bird with red shoulders/head (like a black copper marans) with Dom white added?

Are white leghorns Dom white or recessive white?

 

[Debbie292d]

Red pyle is a trait I've never investigated. I also haven't figured out much between Dom and recessive white. What I've read on the white hasn't made sense to me yet. And what I've seen on silkie genetics is either a whole other ball game or hasn't clicked yet.

Partridge is another I'm struggling with.

My understanding of partridge silkies as if you have a white rooster, you might randomly but not commonly, pop a partridge out with any given silkie hen. I found that to be true with my pet quality ones. They have a white rooster, and in years past, when that's all I had, I had gotten several partridge chicks from whoever the hen was.
This is Fern, one of the ones I kept and still have. (Pet quality, so never bred.)


I know if I breed my recessive white rooster, Wyatt, to Millie, the silver partridge, I'd get some partridge and random other colors. This I've done. I know if I bred two partridge silkies together, I'd get some partridge and randoms too. I haven't done this. I've been trying to get a silver partridge male for her, but have not been successful thus far in keeping the right ones or finding a good one for her.

I don't think there's a way, to my knowledge, to get 100% partridges though.

Red pyle is on the bottom of my list for breeding plans this spring though. I've got plans for other things I've noted in posts above.

 

[NatJ]

So how does Dom white affect Blue? It also affects black. And what about D white with lavender/self blue?

The Dominant White wins, so all the black areas that would turn blue or lavender will get turned to white as well.

I think the actual explanation is that blue or lavender or chocolate affect the way the chicken's body produces black pigment, so it comes out lighter (different shades because the different genes affect different parts of the process), but Dominant White affects it in a way that means no pigment is produced. In my own mind, I think of it as black being turned to blue (or other color), and then being turned to white by Dominant White.

2 Dom white will still have some leakage?

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. It seems to be a bit variable, as if there are some other genes that affect the amount of leakage, but we don't really understand those genes. The most basic idea is to breed for more leakage (paint) or less leakage (if you want solid white), regardless of what genes might actually be involved.

Does this mean that red pyle is actually a black bird with red shoulders/head (like a black copper marans) with Dom white added?

Yes.

In Old English Game Bantams, Red Pyle has the same basic genes as Black Breasted Red, with Dominant White changing the black to white. I don't know if other breeds might have a color called "Red Pyle" with a different set of genes plus the Dominant White.

Are white leghorns Dom white or recessive white?

White Leghorns are typically Dominant White.

I've read that they often have barring as well, and blue or splash, and they most likely have silver. All of those would help create an actual white chicken: any black leakage is made lighter (blue or splash), and black bits are made smaller (white barring), and gold leakage is turned to white (Silver instead of gold.)