Giant Silkie Project.

[MysteryChicken]

Will get updated pictures of the Silkie/Heritage Plymouth Barred Rock cross cockerel tomorrow.

 

[MysteryChicken]

@NagemTX

 

[MysteryChicken]

@Yard Farmer

 

[MysteryChicken]

Here he is.

 

[MysteryChicken]

He's a big boy. He's alittle smaller then my Chameleons, but the same size as the EE he beat up yesterday night.

 

[Skyeknight]

I am reading this thread atm and am currently at page 100, but I have a question about silkie preference. In a future project of mine I want to breed a few silkie traits into larger fowl. Sadly in the Netherlands it is very hard to find the right silkies and I have three options regarding this that I am considering atm.

1. Buy a silkie on the Dutch version of craigslist. Wouldn't know what type it is, but it might be a larger individual?
2. Buy an USA silkie from a breeder. I don't really like this one because of the vaulted skulls but I could breed that out pretty fast.
3. Buy a bantam silkie or "kriel zijdehoen" in Dutch. I have no idea exactly which type this is except that it's considered bantam and not the USA type.

I would have preferred the Chinese type but they either aren't here or that is the bantam version which is a bantam so not great for big fowl. Which version would you guys choose?

 

[MysteryChicken]

I am reading this thread atm and am currently at page 100, but I have a question about silkie preference. In a future project of mine I want to breed a few silkie traits into larger fowl. Sadly in the Netherlands it is very hard to find the right silkies and I have three options regarding this that I am considering atm.

1. Buy a silkie on the Dutch version of craigslist. Wouldn't know what type it is, but it might be a larger individual?
2. Buy an USA silkie from a breeder. I don't really like this one because of the vaulted skulls but I could breed that out pretty fast.
3. Buy a bantam silkie or "kriel zijdehoen" in Dutch. I have no idea exactly which type this is except that it's considered bantam and not the USA type.

I would have preferred the Chinese type but they either aren't here or that is the bantam version which is a bantam so not great for big fowl. Which version would you guys choose?

I'd go with the US Silkie(Bantam) the dwarf gene is recessive, so it could be bred out as well.

 

[NatJ]

I want to breed a few silkie traits into larger fowl. Sadly in the Netherlands it is very hard to find the right silkies and I have three options regarding this that I am considering atm.

Which silkie traits do you want? That might affect which option is best.

 

[Skyeknight]

Which silkie traits do you want? That might affect which option is best.

Mainly fibro, 5 toes, crest (without vaulted skull) and beards. I feel neutral about traits like comb and silkie feathers. While I do dislike the small size and feathers on feet (it rains a lot here, so generally muddy ground).

 

[NatJ]

Mainly fibro, 5 toes, crest (without vaulted skull) and beards. I feel neutral about traits like comb and silkie feathers. While I do dislike the small size and feathers on feet (it rains a lot here, so generally muddy ground).

In that case, you could look to see which source of Silkies has the traits you want.

Or you could assemble those traits from other breeds. For example, Houdans have a crest and beard and a fifth toe, but not feathered feet or Silkie feathers. I don't know if they have vaulted skulls or not, but I think they do tend to be a bit bigger than most Silkies. Fibro is found in a few other breeds as well as Silkies. Ayam Cemani and Svart Hona are the fibro breeds I see mentioned most often in the USA. I don't know enough about what's available to you in the Netherlands, so I can't say whether other breeds will be easier, or whether Silkies really are the best choice for your purposes. They might be.

I have three options regarding this that I am considering atm.

1. Buy a silkie on the Dutch version of craigslist. Wouldn't know what type it is, but it might be a larger individual?

Since the traits you want are ones you can see, this is definitely a possibility. You can check each individual bird for the traits you want.

2. Buy an USA silkie from a breeder. I don't really like this one because of the vaulted skulls but I could breed that out pretty fast.

3. Buy a bantam silkie or "kriel zijdehoen" in Dutch. I have no idea exactly which type this is except that it's considered bantam and not the USA type.

Either of those could also work. Again, look at the individual bird.

Starting with bantams may not be too bad. The crest, beard, and 5th toe are dominant traits. For them, you could cross a Silkie with a bigger breed, then breed a chick back to the big breed. Hatch a bunch of chicks, and keep the biggest few that have extra toes and crests and beards.

Fibro can only express when the chicken shows dark skin (green or blue shanks), so you can get a head start by using a big breed that already has that trait. Then you can pick through the Silkie-mix chicks to find the ones that show actual black in their skin. (Same basic idea as what I suggested for the other traits.)