Quote: I don't think they are ugly. I think they are adorable.. really.
I love seeing their intelligent little faces before all that poof covers their dark eyes up...
I don't KNOW about the names - but I think you have it right.
My understanding is the grays are not supposed to carry the pattern, the Partridges are. I think they are also supposed to be based on a different E aliee.. but I have no clue if that has been done. But the pattern is very hard to see when they are fully feathered, sometimes it is only evident on the wings. To have the Partridge pattern right each feather is supposed to have that pattern. My Black/Red Partridge Roo shows something in his back feathers.. and I now have a smooth feathered Frizzle (Sizzle?) from him so I can see what patterns he and the Frizzle are hiding I hope.
I believe you are right there again - barring and penciling are not the same thing. I don't know if the Partridges have either one, but if they do I suspect they have the Pattern Gene (Pg) which is responsible for lacing.
The barring gene is a sex linked one and females have only one copy. Since we can't see if they have white spots on their heads (those little poof's hinder any discovery there) and barring shows up best on solid colored chicks, they could be hiding it among their fuzzy feathers.
I think that's where they get the "Cuckoos"..?
If this didn't make any sense it is because I am sleep tying, my eyes are so watery I can't see the screen.. goodnight... may come back tomorrow and edit it when I can think again..
Partridge, silver partridge,grey: NONE of these should have barring. Ever. All are e^b base. e^b plus Pg equals penciling. Toss in melanotic and you have lacing, which appears very different.
Penciled males do not show the penciling. BBR, wheaten and partridge males are almost indistinguishable in appearance. (Not that silkies tend to have the first two, especially the first).
Barring dilutes skin colour, which is why getting dark combed and skinned cuckoos is so difficult (Kind of like trying to dye something dark black and adding bleach into the mix). If you added barring to a partridge, you would get a crele-like pattern. It would not be hidden. And the skin and comb would be light.