Giant Silkie Project.

[MysteryChicken]

The smaller white silkie in your photos is exactly what that link is talking about:
when a non-bearded silkie has a walnut comb, then it has wattles smaller than the standard calls for.

Genetically, a walnut comb is when a bird has the genes for both rose comb and pea comb. But any chicken that is homozygous (pure) for the pea comb gene has wattles much smaller than they otherwise would be (and smaller than the standard wants, so the bird gets disqualified in a show.)

To meet the standard, a non-bearded silkie needs to have a comb that LOOKS like a walnut, but without the pea comb gene being involved. Or with only one copy of the pea comb gene, so the wattles aren't affected.

Bearded silkies don't have this problem because the beard makes the wattles small too, so the standard already calls for them to have small wattles. No-one cares if those silkies also have the pea comb gene shrinking their wattles.

Those white silkies are my two largest roosters. The other white guy was a bantam.

Scaredy is my Large Fowl silkie being used for the project. He's the one in the close up.



It's definitely interesting.

 

[MysteryChicken]

The smaller white silkie in your photos is exactly what that link is talking about:
when a non-bearded silkie has a walnut comb, then it has wattles smaller than the standard calls for.

Genetically, a walnut comb is when a bird has the genes for both rose comb and pea comb. But any chicken that is homozygous (pure) for the pea comb gene has wattles much smaller than they otherwise would be (and smaller than the standard wants, so the bird gets disqualified in a show.)

To meet the standard, a non-bearded silkie needs to have a comb that LOOKS like a walnut, but without the pea comb gene being involved. Or with only one copy of the pea comb gene, so the wattles aren't affected.

Bearded silkies don't have this problem because the beard makes the wattles small too, so the standard already calls for them to have small wattles. No-one cares if those silkies also have the pea comb gene shrinking their wattles.

What's your thoughts on my F1 Giant Silkie cross?

 

[NatJ]

Those white silkies are my two largest roosters. The other white guy was a bantam.

I meant that one of your posts had some pictures containing two white silkies, and I was talking about the smaller one in each photo. I had no idea what size he really was, just that he looked smaller than the other one photographed with him.

I'll try quoting the post with photos that I meant, although photos usually disappear when I quote them... guess I'll see if it works this time.

View attachment 2477450View attachment 2477453

 

[MysteryChicken]

I meant that one of your posts had some pictures containing two white silkies, and I was talking about the smaller one in each photo. I had no idea what size he really was, just that he looked smaller than the other one photographed with him.

I'll try quoting the post with photos that I meant, although photos usually disappear when I quote them... guess I'll see if it works this time.

That's my LF, & Bantam silkie roosters.

 

[NatJ]

What's your thoughts on my F1 Giant Silkie cross?

He's Brahma-silkie, right?

Brahmas have pea combs, so he should have one copy of pea and one copy of not-rose from that side.

Looking at the photo, his comb must have some amount of rose, so he's Rr (split for the rose comb gene). And his wattles are big enough I think he's Pp (split for the pea comb gene).

So he must have gotten rose and not-pea from the silkie parent.

 

[NatJ]

That's my LF, & Bantam silkie roosters.

Then it's the bantam silkie that I was talking about, who shows what the other link described: walnut comb but wattles too small to meet the standard.

 

[MysteryChicken]

He's Brahma-silkie, right?

Brahmas have pea combs, so he should have one copy of pea and one copy of not-rose from that side.

Looking at the photo, his comb must have some amount of rose, so he's Rr (split for the rose comb gene). And his wattles are big enough I think he's Pp (split for the pea comb gene).

So he must have gotten rose and not-pea from the silkie parent.

So he's Rr/Pp, which another gene combo for walnut.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Then it's the bantam silkie that I was talking about, who shows what the other link described: walnut comb but wattles too small to meet the standard.

He's half bearded. A Turkey killed him.

 

[NatJ]

So he's Rr/Pp, which another gene combo for walnut.

Yes.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Yes.

Wanna see his comb evolution from August 22, & now?

Actually there's a bigger timeline, it's actually pretty interesting.