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I'll gladly take the blame!
I sell my cull silkie chicks as Pet Quality. I start at the feet & work my way up analyzing the chick. Improper toe spacing, incomplete feathering on the middle toe, webbed feet, missing or extra toes are all faults. Skin color should be black or off black... but pinkish toes will sometimes correct themselves. Beak should be dark, white & splash sometimes have a lighter beak, but not truly light. Split-wing is a major fault. Vaulted skulls is a debate in itself -- some feel that it makes the silkie's crest bigger, some don't. I'm in the don't faction. A bird with a vaulted skull is more prone to head injury, but will not necessarily get a bigger crest than one without.
So, silkies with very few or minor faults are sold as breeder quality. They're generally a good start for your flock. Sometimes show quality birds develop out of the ones I sold as breeders! It happens!
I keep the very best for my show & breeder stock. If they don't grow out as well as I hoped, I sell them too. I end up keeping very few of the silkies I hatch, but the ones I keep are gorgeous!
The profuse feathers around the eyes do limit their field of vision somewhat, but they're the prettiest ones!
