need help with two silkie roos! cant tell which to get rid of!

[Morgan's_Silkie_Parade]

hello everyone... im cutting on of my roos from the breeding program, and i need help decided which to cut...
i want show quality silkies eventually, but working up to it...
the beared and muffed guy won best of show and first at the fair and the other guy got 3rd.
but i think the other guy looks a lil better... but idk... i think im partial to the bearded and muffed one.... hes my favorite...
Both are about 6 months. not sure what to do, can only keep one roo tho, Please help, im losing sleep over this! I wanna make sure i dont get rid of my baby for the wrong reason...

^i think his ear lobes are more blue green
he would give me bearded and muffed babies
hes more stout i believe
he tends to peck at your legs when you startle the roos, but i was told if i pick him up and cuddle him and talk to him he will be good.

^ this guy has blue green ear lobes. but they are faded
i think he has more toe coverings.
Would he give me bearded and muffed babies with a bearded hen?
and hes a lil taller (i think)
His hat filled out later then the other roo.
and he can be a lil rough with the hens (i just dont think hes to sure what to do with em yet...) im not sure about his attitude with me yet... i dont remember him being bad...

 

[ChickieBooBoo]

I'm no expert... but I like the second one.

 

[Smoky73]

oh wow, if they were mine I would sell them both and get a new one.

But if I had to choose,
the first one has a nice comb, but small crest. You did not say how old these are. The wattles are visible, not desirable on a brearde dbird.
His tail feathers are WAY too HARD, and sticking straight up. foot feathering could be better. Would like to see pics of toe seperation really. cannot really see the lobes.

number 2, non bearded, crest could be better. Lobe color is not good at all, would probably get DQ's as his lobes look pretty red to me. Seems to have a nice comb, wing carraige is good, seems to have beeter feathering and foot feathering though you cannot see the feet int he picture, I am guessing its better.

All in all, I think number 2 is better, and yes, if mated to a bearded hen, you should get bearded, as I believe beards and muffs are a dominate gene.


Once a bird starts jumping you, they usually will not stop no matter what you do. That could be a good thing as that mean she is protective of his females and should be a good breeder.

Here is a bird that I have for sale. The only thing worng with him is that he has 4+ 5th toes halfway connected and his wings are a tad lazy, I find that a lot on males.

.

 

[V Comb]

I'd go for the first one...just for the beard

 

[Morgan's_Silkie_Parade]

they are about 6 months old.
im a college student and cant afford to just be buying a ton of silkies LOL so ive gotta start very low, soon im gonna get a show male though.... but right now i just can not afford one...
the non bearded one does lil show offy dances to the girls so i think he'll be productive. im just afraid of that stiff tail carrying on through the genes...
i can get pics of toes and feet tomorrow.
do non beards not show as well as bearded?
How much are you asking for your roo smoky?
and where are you located? i might be able to talk it over with my boyfriend and budget for a new bird Lol since the girl i got wasnt as expensive as i thought she'd be lol
lol i know v comb... i LOVE the beards lol

 

[muddyhorse]

I like number two better. can you keep both for a few more months ? and see how they fill out.

 

[Morgan's_Silkie_Parade]

Yea, i guess i could, but i just dont want my neighbors complaining, cause then i will have to get rid of all of them
cause they tend to group up and crow and it makes it MUCH noisier. lol, which doesnt bother me, but most out here are country ppl lol

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

Here's the way I'd look at it if I were you.


You're putting feed, time and energy into incubating these eggs from these birds. How many generations will come before you get anywhere near show quality? Probably 5+.

So let's assume this:
Cost of feed: $7.00/bag and you'll go through that in about 2 weeks?
Cost of feeding 12 chicks until 6 months old: $7/bag x 13 weeks= $91
Now, you're gonna have to keep those chicks warm until their feathers come in, which is also another amount of money for electricity. Let's assume another $20/month for the heating.

This is not considering the time and space that is being used and if you have them on shavings or not.

Let's add it up: $111 approximately.

Now, remember, you'll have to do SEVERAL generations to get anywhere near show quality. $111 per generation x 5 generations = $555.

That can buy several trios. Even $111 can buy you a nice breeder quality trio and there are several breeders on here that have some good stock.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I agree with Smokey and Rodriguez. End the end it will end up costing you more than if you started out with a better rooster.

 

[SunshineSilkies]

I must say that I have to agree with the above posts.....