I have had pretty good results with shipped eggs. This picture with all the flowers and darling chicks is so sweet!I was very nervous about ordering fertile eggs to hatch. One of my broody silkies hatched them for me, I am attaching a picture of the result!
When I was at Karen Larson's Catdance Farm, she and I had a conversation about unusually colored silkies from tried and by chance breeding. She told me to hang onto any that had remarkably beautiful coloring or patterns because you just never knew if it could be the start of a new variety. That is how Judy Lee started Paints. Many scoffed at her Paints in the very beginning. Now they are bred all over the USA.If they are just pets for fun, I don't see anything wrong with it.
Boy are you lucky to have had the opportunity to visit with Karen!! I would have loved to have been in your shoes! Thanks for sharing your conversation with her! It is great information!When I was at Karen Larson's Catdance Farm, she and I had a conversation about unusually colored silkies from tried and by chance breeding. She told me to hang onto any that had remarkably beautiful coloring or patterns because you just never knew if it could be the start of a new variety. That is how Judy Lee started Paints. Many scoffed at her Paints in the very beginning. Now they are bred all over the USA.
It's true I don't show or sell but I breed for type first according to the SOP and color second. Eventually when I am too old to farm, I will give my flock to someone that wants to continue what I started. Right now, I really am having fun with them all.
. I am hoping you can answer a question for me. I bought 3 silkie chicks and was told they are porcelain. Their down is grayish but are almost feathered out and no buff is showing that I can see. Does it show up later or are they just going to be white chickens?@chickee You are welcome. The visit to Karen's farm was a huge learning experience and almost over whelming. So much to see and take in. Over 300 birds in over 27 pens plus males of all colors in separate condo cabinets. I will never have that big an operation but I'm trying to be smart about breeding in small lots and keeping good records so my efforts will get me to my goals. @ coops4me If your pullet is porcelain she has two copies of Lav. Breeding her to a lavender would not cause any further dilution the way I understand it. But in the picture, she seems to have undiluted red on her crest and on her wings and seems over all dark. If she were mine, I would breed her to your Lavender male and see if the offspring become further diluted. Porcelain is not "a" gene but a combination of genes. Lavender dilutes both red and black pigment, so dark red means that the bird is not pure lav. (It could be Lav+/lav) Porcelain and isabel are used somewhat synonymously. Porcelain is a kind of pattern that includes both red and black pigment in which both are strongly diluted. She seems a good candidate for your porcelain project. Very pretty girl. This is my goal for my porcelain project.Welcome to the party. I am so happy you joined and shared a picture of your pullet. I'm jealous you have a female that is nearly ready to put into the breeding pen. You are a couple months ahead of me.
