Hi New, and have a SQ silkie Question

[Elite Silkies]

Here's a couple to compare to, but I can't tell you they are Show Quality, I have never shown them. The pullet/hen will be shown this year.

There are tons of great breeders:

Sunshine Silkies has awesome birds. Bobbi Porto does also, and you can get them for decent prices. But, you have to look at this way. If you want SQ, your going to pay a high price for them.

This a Lavender Pullet, may be a hen not sure. But, the Lavender color is still being worked on, but this is the best Lavender I have so far.

This is my Rooster from Sunshine Silkies, he's a very nice boy and produces nice offspring. You can not go wrong with Sunshine Silkies.

 

[racuda]

Love that rooster!

 

[SilkiePuff]

oo pretty, so what is the face color suppose to be on silkies.. Black? or Mulberry (what ever color that is..lol)? thats what is getting me confused..

I've decided to sell both of my birds to pet homes and take that money and buy some good birds from breeders.. probably a few juvs. since I can't afford SQ right now..but maybe I can breed SQ again I know this will take time.. and I will only know they are SQ if I can find a show in my area.. which I'm hoping to find one this year.. at least if they have any.. i guess I will find one the beginning of 2011 if i'm lucky..LOL

but i'm excited to get some new stock and i'm looking forward to learning as much as I can, you guys have been totally awesome with all the information and help.. can't ask more for being a newbie in the silkie world..you guys are awesome

 

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:
Thanks

He is super tiny too, and produces some tiny offspring. He is very nice when he is all cleaned up. We have had pouring down rain the last week, and he loves to bury his head in the ground, so when it clears up, he has to have a bath.

 

[Elite Silkies]

Quote:
They should have Mulberry Combs. You want to look at crest, combs, toe spacing, number of toes, foot feathering. And of course, super fluffy ones

!!

You have a ton of great breeders on this forum, and that would be a great place to start! Pretty reasonable with prices too.

But, if you want to start with whites, hands down, contact Sunshine Silkies. She also has splash which are very nice too.

I think she sells her 4-6 week old chicks for around $15 each. I think a minimum of 6 chicks. She doesn't sell many whites, but she does occasionally.

Make sure your Rooster is top knotch, he can pull some disqualifying factors out of the hens. That's what George M. told me anyway. Another excellent breeder if you can afford his stock. I can't, LOL.

 

[SilkiePuff]

here is a pretty stupid question

At what age can you tell that a chick is going to be good quailty for a show line, or being able to tell if he should be sold or kept.. I can't find that anywhere.. I don't want to sell chicks unless I can tell..

I know.. leg feathers, and 5 toes with good spacing are a good sign in babies..but that can also be misleading.. so what do some of your breeders do.. how can you tell who to keep and who not to keep.. and at what age, and what should I look for..

I can't find that anywhere online.. and I haven't found any breeders that have it on thier site.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

Silkies that are being shown and winning these days actually do NOT meet the standard of perfection, but rather have been accepted as the norm for show birds over the last number of years. The standard calls for a medium sized crest. Certainly that is not what is being bred for show birds these days.

Once you know that your bird meets the standard of perfection, then it becomes a matter of a judges opinion on any given day as to which silkie is the "best". You could have a bird that barely meets the stand and still win with that bird if there is no competition. Same thing goes for the size. There is a standard for size of each sex but many birds today are way over that weight due to genetics. Technically, they shouldn't be winning over birds that are within the standard...but they do. Again, it's the judges opinion on that particular day.

 

[SilkiePuff]

Quote:
that make sense, I guess its the same for any animal show.. I guess I will try to stick with the breed standard, and go for the show standards I've seen and try to mix them in...LOL

Like that isn't a huge challenge alone... I'll have to see if I can find a show and see who judges and how they judge to get a better Idea.

 

[Silkie Enthusiast]

For the roo, I would say that he is very red in the face with a small comb. These are both unwanted characteristics for a silkie to have. And, these will be passed on to offspring.

As for the hen, I don't know much about nonbeardies, but I do know that non-feathered feet is a BIG no-no. This will be carried on to chicks as well. If you are breeding for pets/mommies, then it's OK. But the chickens will not be show animals.

All The Luck In The World To You,
The Silkees

 

[CheshieChick13]

Fattie
The beards on your hens are AMAZING