Do paint silkies get their spots over time?

[katherinepage]

I bought some day old paint silkie chicks, the seller said they would develop spots, but they don’t really have any at all right now, just a couple lights hints of grey, but you have to know to look to see it, and you have to look closely. Will they get spots later on? I’ve seen pictures of chicks covered in spots so I hope I actually got paints. These are my first silkies that aren’t white black or partridge lol

 

[The Moonshiner]

They should be born with them.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

I bought some day old paint silkie chicks, the seller said they would develop spots, but they don’t really have any at all right now, just a couple lights hints of grey, but you have to know to look to see it, and you have to look closely. Will they get spots later on? I’ve seen pictures of chicks covered in spots so I hope I actually got paints. These are my first silkies that aren’t white black or partridge lol

Lots of breeds hatch as solid colors. You should see their colors develop once they feather out.

 

[Floppy Pheasant]

I agree with Dawnclucks22....the breeder whom I bought my paint eggs from said they may hatch as solid colors but to breed them back into your unrelated flock as they have the paint gene,you will get paint.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I'd be interested in seeing now and later pics.
Paints are one copy of dominate white over black (or blue, etc.)
There is no "paint gene" one copy of dominate white lets the color underneath show through in spots.
I hatched a lot of a different breed with the same genetics and they always hatched out with the flecks of color showing. Never had one hatch white and develop spots later.
Paints also don't breed true. Paint Xs paint produces 25% solid white (2 copies of dominate white) 50% paints and 25% the color underneath (no white gene)
Your paints could be whites from a paint breeding.

 

[Floppy Pheasant]

Moonshiner... please elaborate.. this is very interesting..my breeder claims to breed paints... you're saying silkies are born solid colors,with paints having flecks of coloring...would the flecks of coloring be a recessive gene? I'm confused about the genome factor...or lack thereof.. ? Thanks in advance... this a very important topic.

 

[ShannonR]

Moonshiner... please elaborate.. this is very interesting..my breeder claims to breed paints... you're saying silkies are born solid colors,with paints having flecks of coloring...would the flecks of coloring be a recessive gene? I'm confused about the genome factor...or lack thereof.. ? Thanks in advance... this a very important topic.

Paint is a co dominant gene expression. You breed a white silkie (WW) to a black silkie (BB) and get paint chicks (WB). If you breed the paint chicks back together you will only have a 50-50 chance of the babies being paint colored. Genetics can be confusing but I hope this helps a little.

 

[Floppy Pheasant]

Shannon....are paints the results of genetics? Moonshiner said their is no "paint gene" ...how can there be no paint gene ,yet there are silkie paints?? I don't understand...I'm sorry,aren't genetics responsible for colors? It's confusing.

 

[ShannonR]

There is no single gene that produces the paint color. Thus, the term co-dominance. It is two domimant solid color genes showing up together in a given offspring that make the paint color.

And yes, genetics are absolutely responsible for color patterns

We could make your initial question of whether your chicks are paint or not a little easier if you had a chance to see the parents of your chicks. Were the parents solid colored, or paint?

 

[Floppy Pheasant]

They were definitely paint... but the breeder told me in advance that they may be born as solids but because they have the recessive paint gene,breeding them with the hens with my roos will result in paints.