Genetics and White Silkies

[robin416]

Here is a pic of three white chicks, absolutely not mixed with any other colors, the parents bred by me and never mixed and their parents were white. This gives you an idea of what can pop out of a white egg.

The gray will be a male. The buff looking color is a first.

 

[HorseFeatherz NV]

I know nothing about genetics, just starting to learn - so I am guessing that your silkies are not dominate white - correct?


Wow a buff. Does the gray male stay gray - or does he molt to white?


Adorable little bits of fluff.

 

[robin416]

Odds are high the gray one will look like this as it matures:

No clue what it is, most have suggested double silver gene. If my most mature boy would get over being afraid of my only black hen I might be able to establish what the color is.

BTW, those three colors came from one hen and the roo. Wild how they can come together to cause such a difference in full sibs. And if I understand correctly white is a recessive color in most Silkies. That's unless I've gotten it backwards, genetics is not my strong suit by any leap.

 

[jen5680]

Are you sure that adult isn't lavander???? From my computer it looks like it is??

 

[robin416]

It does, doesn't it? But compared to my lavenders the colors are very different.

This pic of that same boy, his sis in the middle and one of my lavender girls on the right. You can see the difference in hue. This pic is before he molted out to what his color settled in to.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Robin can you look at these and tell if they are the gray color. I thought they from the white pair, but my Lav Roo may have bred her before I got them separated. They are the same color now.

 

[robin416]

Maybe, its so hard to tell from pics. If your lav roo wasn't in the mix I'd say yes. And its a double yes if the gray one turned out to be a boy. Is there any gray in his tail?

 

[Elite Silkies]

I'll get some more pics of them tomorrow and see if I can get a better picture. The Lav may or may not be the father, I was just assuming he was since they are not white.

 

[robin416]

I'm not sure that lavender leaks, that's where you would need Deb or Bren to pipe in. I can see if I can find a pick of the earlier breedings where the gray is just in the tail. Its not in your face like the boy in my other pics, just very subtle but evident if the tail gets wet.