Introduction and my woolly little miniature mutts ‘Serama’

[IdealisticRoo]

Good morning I am still figuring out the site and forum posting in general I am more comfortable with a shovel or a toolbox but I like reading about other peoples birds so I thought I would post a few pictures of mine tiny birds

I found them advertised as serama on Craigslist and she hatched them there from a trio she had. I bought all nine and ended up keeping 3 hens and three roos

This is the first hen and my favorite. She is woolly or “silkied” but has no ‘Silkie’ in her background. She weighs 14 ounces and has the correct skin color and number of toes etc. she gets cold so she is in by the fireplace in the den on this cold day.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

I am currently running two of the 7 egg Brinsea chick-makers!

I am making a new breed from the woolied Serama and Easter Egger bantams. I am on Gen 4 selecting for egg color, woolly coat and friendliness in that order.

I also have the White woollies as a pure strain that breed true.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Silkied serama don't have silkie in their background. It was an independent mutation like most silkied breeds varieties.

She is woolly or “silkied” but has no ‘Silkie’ in her background. She weighs 14 ounces and has the correct skin color and number of toes etc.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Silkied serama don't have silkie in their background. It was an independent mutation like most silkied breeds varieties.

I agree with your statement.

I follow the large breed silkied Ameraucana thread on here and realized this is a more attainable goal. The diversity of the serama and Easter Egger make for very fun hatches as each bird is different and they grow up to be some smooth, silkied splits And some become Silkied after a few days.

I like calling mine woollies, Wooly or woolly instead of silkied bc it illudes that are related to the 5 toed blue skin birds. Which are wonderful but very specifically different. I am curious if woolly is an incorrect term for them?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I agree with your statement.

I follow the large breed silkied Ameraucana thread on here and realized this is a more attainable goal. The diversity of the serama and Easter Egger make for very fun hatches as each bird is different and they grow up to be some smooth, silkied splits And some become Silkied after a few days.

I like calling mine woollies, Wooly or woolly instead of silkied bc it illudes that are related to the 5 toed blue skin birds. Which are wonderful but very specifically different. I am curious if woolly is an incorrect term for them?

I think so. I've never heard of wooly seramas, only silkied. Just wooly hemadoras.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Woolly is not incorrect, at least in my opinion, but I've only ever seen the Swedish breeds with silkied mutations referred to as woolly, namely Hedemora and Svart Hona.

'Silkied' does get to be confusing. I'm working with silkied Cochin bantams, which are unfortunately quite often confused for Silkie x Cochin mixes due to the popularity of that cross. My birds are pure Cochin without any outcross in their past, another spontaneous mutant with the silkied-feather gene. I've seen where others working with the variety have referred to them as 'hookless' or 'hookless gene' Cochins instead, just to get around that confusion. I'm not sure where I stand on that particular term... I will say, though, I do quite like the sounds of woolly Cochin bantams as an alternative.

Your hen in the first post is beautiful, by the way! I would love to work with silkied Serama one day as well. As my title aptly states, I'm a bit of a fuzzy feather fanatic.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

Woolly is not incorrect, at least in my opinion, but I've only ever seen the Swedish breeds with silkied mutations referred to as woolly, namely Hedemora and Svart hona.

...thank you for your input, I am realizing the wooly name is already taken amd may be also confusing so I may find something totally unrelated like Fuzzy or furry to name the 'new breed' of hookless gened serama/ bantam ee mixes. I don't know if it will catch on but I had a boyhood dream of a silkie feathered blue green egger that was small and friendly. I tried for years with EE silkie mixes. The hook less gene seemed to be recessive under some very bad manners, blue skin, strange combs and 4.5 toes on one and 4 on the other foot mixes!

Your hen in the first post is beautiful, by the way! I would love to work with silkied Serama one day as well. As my title aptly states, I'm a bit of a fuzzy feather fanatic.

Thank you she is my pride and joy. She allows herself to be brushed and combed and lays down in my hand. Her nephew is solid white and a Gen 3 crossback to keep the hookless and friendly parts. I'm having fun and keeping busy while I care for an elderly relative at home.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Oh, yeah, the gene that causes extra toes like what Silkies have can do some weird things in crosses. I had a mix with 5 toes on one foot and 4 on the other. Others have had birds with 6 toes on one foot or other such strange things! I've also not been terribly impressed with my Silkies' temperaments despite that they're reputed to be friendly and good pets, though the crosses I've hatched have been more friendly than their Silkie parent at least.

Ah, your hen sounds absolutely precious! Good on you keeping yourself busy! I'll be watching with interest--anything non-Silkie with silkied feathering is right up my alley!

 

[IdealisticRoo]

The actual silkies I have had years ago were just hatchery stock but regardless of their color, gen 2 and onward were always all black, non-silkied and flighty.

I had one silkie that was convinced she could roost w the regular birds. She slid down the wall and tried again and again until she made it onto a roost. I spent hours watching her, she would run away squawking if I tried to help her though...

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Silkied feathering is recessive; first generation cross will carry the gene but not express it, and depending on how you cross for the second generation you may lose it from there. Cross silkied split (those carrying the gene without expressing it) to silkied and you get about 50-50 silkied and silkied split in the offspring. Breed the splits to one another, though, and you only get about 1 in 4 silkied, and 1 in 4 don't inherit the gene at all in the offspring, so you have to be careful there.

My Cochins are the same way! They try to fly, but they are too round and too stubby of wing, they never get far Most have just started coming to me at roost time and giving me the ol' puppy dog eyes instead of even trying to perch on their own, even though I've made sure they have steps so they can get up there.