Need opinions;just got a new silkie pullet,

[Funky Feathers]

You are correct about the crests. To some people (a lot of us) eye candy is more important than safety.

 

[Morgan's_Silkie_Parade]

Quote:
Hahaha i know im a fan of the eye candy, but i also wanna be sure my chickies can run from the danger... so im kinda torn...

 

[silkieluver_07]

Morgan's_Silkie_Parade :

Thanks everyone, I guess im just REALLY getting worked up lol but ive always wanted to be able to breed silkies and improve breeds and things,

Oh what kinda food should I put her on? Ive been told game bird food is best cause it’s the only one with animal protein?

Id say your two are splashes, the other one is a partridge, But im not an expert with partridges. I don’t think it’s a buff tho, I think there is to much black in the under feathers to be buff.
Wow racuda she did fill out quite a bit.

See I was told by a judge that the whites and the blacks show best. (Eventually I wanna get a few blacks too, but I was gonna start with the whites….)
I don’t know what other colors can show at the big shows….

And I was told that the partridges and buffs are the hardest to breed to get the correct coloring.

See I thought (was told) the large massive crests are just a big fad and that a lot of judges don’t wanna see them like that, and that if you hold em at eye level you should be able to see their eyes. Because many judges think the big puffy fad is dangerous because they cant see anything.
Not critizing anyone btw, just trying to get awnsers….. Im so confused when it comes to the judging.

The standard says a medium size crest, it doesnt have to be huge. I just make sure my birds can see without plucking.

 

[Morgan's_Silkie_Parade]

Quote:
Oh thanks. That makes me feel so much better, I had read about the plucking, but I really didnt want to have to do that to my birds. i know how much plucking hurts, and why put them through the pain if it isnt nessecary.
she can see ok, i cant see her eyes, and she follows the flock ok, sometimes she gets left behind but im not sure if she just wants to be left behind or if she can*** (Not Cant) see em walk away lol but i can see her eyes when she is held at eye level

 

[joe17]

Yours shouldnt be a problem....... I have seen some silkies with tennis ball sized crests!

 

[destiny_56085]

What you have to look at on crest size is if its proportionate to the individual bird. Shape is also important. Alot of the birds with the huge vaulted skulls also get the mushroom shaped crests. Eric Kutch judged our show last weekend. He's one of the top FL judges in the nation. His number one complaint....crests were too large on most of the silkies. Not the first judge that I've heard that from either.

I have to admit to being one of the guilty ones. All of my birds are medium to tennis ball for size.

Here's an example of one of my babies from last year where her crest was tooo big. It totally looks unproportionate to the rest of her features:

When discussing cushions, they want them nice and full too. Rounded and not V shaped. No hard feathering... Wings tucked up tight under there. Keeping birds in the breeding pens will often ruin this feature from the male mounting. Here is a good example...

This can be achived in your boys as well:

As for back length....some of the birds that are longer through the back make better breeder birds in the long run. With those extremely short backed, very typey birds you run into alot of fertility issues, especially on the males. Same goes for leg length... I don't like alot of daylight showing. When you get those extremely short, squatty birds they also run into fertility problems too. Just keep good records on which birds are producing what. Some of your best birds in the breeding pens are not the same birds that are going to win in the show ring.

Some birds take longer to mature than others. Just be patient!!! Some look ready for the show ring at 5-6 months and other don't blossom til they are about 10 months. These were some of my babies at 4 months. The differences between then and now is unreal. Those splash and blacks looked scraggly and long through the back at first. The whites looked like mini-show birds almost right away. Just give them time.

 

[Morgan's_Silkie_Parade]

So destiny is my girls cushion and wings wrong then?

 

[destiny_56085]

Honestly I think her cushion is too sparse even for her age. If she had already been in a breeder pen for the last year, it might explain looking like that. It is rather narrow and see how it comes up to a rounded V instead of a nice ball of feathers. The wings have the correct shredding, but she is a bit lazy with them yet. You want them tucked up under the cushion. When you pull them down, she should snap them back into place. This could be simply from the stage of growth she's in. She might win at a local fair, but not of the caliber to take to a bigger show. Sorry.... She will make a nice pet though.

 

[Morgan's_Silkie_Parade]

could the v be becouse i kept pushing it up like that.... i kinda kept pulling it up to make it look larger....
i understand..... anything can win at a fair... my hatchery ones got 2 firsts, 2 seconds, 2 thirds and a best of show.... doesnt speak much at the fairs....

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Now didn't I tell you not to get all crazy?

Crest size, is, as stated multiple times on this thread, a factor that is usually a little different for a certain few individuals. I love the crests big. Doesn't mean bigger is always better. The Silkies bred these days seem to be taking on very large crests. The standard calls for medium sized ones. But I think it's one of those things that is different for the beholder. YOU might say your bird's crest is absolutely fine but him, her, and the other guy might think it's just a little too big for their taste. Unless of course you're talking about something very obvious. I love Destiny's (Amy's) pic of the tennis-ball sized white's. I'd have a field day if I had one like that...

Crest shape is also important. Rick Hare (playing judge at the latest show I competed in, though he is a very well-known breeder and an exhibitor) told me my black Silkie female's crest had faults for not being completely round. There's a visible 'bump' in the feathering near her comb. Understandable.

I'm on the same boat. I want even better Silkies but cannot as I am LEAVING for college in about 2 years. There's a time and place for everything. I love showing and know that once I go away, I will have to abandon that for a while until I find the time again.