Rules for Breeding Blue/Black/Splash Silkies?

[msiler]

The Blue variety is all three colors. For show usually only the blue color are allowed. All the colors work toward improvement. I know I down played the splash some but it can also be used if you run into trouble with too dark of blue birds. All the colors can be used but with this variety it's really important to have very select matings. You could mate a splash to a dark blue or black in one cage, two of your best blue in another and best black over a splash in third cage/breeding pen.

@The Moonshiner- I know right? Does Silkie have lace? The thing of that is Blue should always have lace and many breed lines have lost it due to not paying attention. But I could believe Silkie never had it. They are an odd one.

The charts make it too simplified I think, they do predict color but they don't predict the quality of color. This is all helping!!

 

[msiler]

Pics? Where did you get them?

No pictures yet, they arrive on Wednesday or Thursday! They are 5 week olds from Bobbi Porto at Indigo Egg.
I will post photos once they come on a new thread! I plan to make one for people to follow

 

[ButtonquailGirl14]

Thanks!

 

[msiler]

Ok so I have another question that is still related to this. Say I decide to breed black silkies, and I cross a black with a blue. Figuratively speaking, 50% will be black and 50% will be blue. Will the blacks still be good?
The same goes for breeding quality splash chicks out of a blue and splash pair.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I don't know why you'd intentionally breed for splash. It happens naturally and yes if of good quality they can be used. As for the blacks, if you're asking if a black from blue variety can compete with a Black variety then no. Not likely.

If you want to keep a black variety then you should stay with that variety and not use any blue variety in matings unless the offspring are for blue flock. I don't know if that's clear. The black color of a pure Black variety will be better than black birds from Blue variety. I don't know SIlke but with other breeds the pure Black variety will also have better leg color. Blue variety are a battle to keep dark wash off legs. It's as if they gave up on the Jersey Giant and call for dark wash legs when the breed clearly should have bright yellow.

I digress, black varieties have a deep color with sheen. The blue variety will throw nice looking black birds but they can't compete with a black variety. And you keep mentioning splash like it's a different variety. It is not. Little confusion with a black variety and blacks from blue varieties. The blue variety carries three colors- blue, black, splash. All can be used for mating of blue. Mate with intent, keep an eye on color, quality matings instead of quantity.

Here is the general color Blue as described in SOP:

even shade color of clear bluish slate with each feather laced with black.

I could write that out for all areas of body as it just repeats. The head is black on mailes and blue on females, hackels are as stated-laced.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

The 'Even shade.." all over body is hard to do. This is why optimal mating is of two blue of even and near equal shade of blue is desired. All offspring will be between their two shades of blue, well, the 50% hatched blue that is.

 

[msiler]

I'm not breeding to show yet, just to sell locally since there is a lack of bearded chickens here so I'm not concerned with breeding splash. Thank you for your help! I will see how this year goes.