Partridge Project

[MumsyII]

Half of the chicks coming out of my Paint project using recessive white females are partridge in coloring as new hatched. My paint male has a partridge gene and it's hooking up with a partridge gene in every hen he covers. So far, all of the chicks growing out seem to have three different colorings that I would like to develop.

Some chicks look silver based, some buff based, and all have a blue under color.




At day old they all tend to look like these four chicks.

And then as they grow, this:





I really like the soft blue under color and would like to continue with these chicks in their own project.

If any others have partridge silkie projects going, please share your birds and experiences here. I would be delighted to see what the possibilities are.

 

[MumsyII]

I found this old thread that shows a gorgeous Blue Partridge male posted by Karen Larson Catdance farm. He is not perfect but his color is gorgeous. This is the plan.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/775230/partridge-silkie-cockerels-for-sale-catdance-silkies

 

[MumsyII]

This is my Catdance partridge female when she was a pullet. I named her Fuzzbucket. I didn't breed her because I had no male but a few months ago I put her with my Porcelain male and the chicks were gorgeous. One chick is clearly partridge marked and I think so far a female. They will be the foundation of my partridge project.

 

[MumsyII]

Today I took current pictures of the chick posted previously. I still think it's female. She is dark with brown markings. She appears very blue in her under-color.



A little bit of gold coming in her hackle, breast, and wing.


Brown penciling in her wings.

There are nine chicks coming along from a Paint x recessive white project and many are partridge in coloring.




The gold partridge chick in the foreground is eye catching.

 

[MumsyII]

I do not pretend to understand all the genetics of chickens. Even the most learned of geneticists admit not knowing everything there is to know. I pick up a little at a time from researching on line and from the few books I own. This is the little I know right now about partridge. And it is a little.

The genotype of partridge is e^b/e^b Pg/Pg s+/s+.

Partridge can hide under any dominant color, since it is not dominant.

Partridge crossed with partridge should not give anything except partridge or maybe recessive white (and then only if both of the partridges are split for it).

It is possible to get a Partridge looking chick from any breeding of colors. Recessive white x recessive white will normally always give white chicks. Recessive white x any color can produce partridge looking chicks.

There is no such thing as 'always' and 'never' when breeding chickens.

This little bit of understanding was from reading posts of those that know more.

 

[Fur N Feathers]

Hi Mumsy!!! I'm joining you again. I love your threads!

I have been working on my partridge silkies for about two and a half years now. I love partridges and I love the variety of colors they come in.

This is my current partridge rooster. He is considered a blue partridge and believe me my pictures don't do him any justice. He is already a Best of Variety winner and I will be showing him again this fall. I bought him a few months ago to introduce some new bloodlines into my partridge flock.

 

[MumsyII]

Hi Mumsy!!! I'm joining you again. I love your threads!

I have been working on my partridge silkies for about two and a half years now. I love partridges and I love the variety of colors they come in.

This is my current partridge rooster. He is considered a blue partridge and believe me my pictures don't do him any justice. He is already a Best of Variety winner and I will be showing him again this fall. I bought him a few months ago to introduce some new bloodlines into my partridge flock.

He is magnificent. I'm getting excited for my parti kids to fill out and see what I've got to work with. It must be hard to take good pictures of partridge because of coloring, daylight shadows and silkies don't like to stand still. But your boy is lovely. Many breeders are working on this project and there is great progress from what I've seen of the pictures. Two and a half years! Wow! How many chicks did you get from this boy so far that you've kept?

 

[Fur N Feathers]

Partridge is one of my hardest colors to photograph. It looks different in every light and never can I get the camera see what I do with my naked eye.

I have kept just a couple so far, because I had several people that wanted eggs. I have two of my best hens in with him and have high hopes for my babies. These are his girlfriends:

This is Cocoa, she is black - I have her with him because Sonoran told me black was a "neutral" so I can use her with several of my roosters. She has gotten Reserve of Breed when I have shown her so she is like tip top in my breeding projects.

and Pretty Girl (she is from my original CatDance hatch) so again tip top in breeding projects.

These kids were from a test hatch I did to make sure he was fertile. The two partridges are his and the girls above. These pictures are blue partridge.

I have lots of photos to contribute here in this thread. But I will have to hunt the pictures for them.

 

[MumsyII]

Thank you Fur N Feathers for showing me your breeding trio. Your birds are top notch.

I caught my Fuzzbucket and had a tussle trying to get her to sit still for pictures. She has been rotated between breeding pens and has been free ranging too. I've never cleaned her up but this is the cleanest she has been (just after a dust bath) so here she is in the rough.




As you know, she is by Catdance and is the foundation female for my Porcelain project and then she went in with my Paint male. Waiting on eggs to hatch now. My paint has a Partridge gene and has linked it to all my recessive white hens so far. I'm hoping for some nice partridge x paint chicks from her. When any males reach maturity and have nice partridge coloring, that will be who she goes with next for this project.

Her back isn't long but it could be shorter. Her cushion isn't bad but could be fuller. I love her crest, feet, and color. She is a good layer with a large egg for a silkie and a reliable broody. She was also a great mama hen to her first chicks. I kick myself for waiting over a year to mate her.

 

[MumsyII]

Updates on the partridge chicks. They are a variety of shades in blue, buff, red, gold, and silver. Changing all the time



Got to love that little blue bottom.


This one has no markings on the wings but I like this male. Not sure if I should put him in the partridge project or the porcelain project.


Here he is strutting away with his porcelain brother.