If your black rooster is silver based, you may get some silver leakage instead of the classic red/gold leakage. I had a few hens from a silver rooster over barred hens and they had a modified birchen look (but not genetically birchen, of course). I've never had white leakage, and I don't think you would get it, unless there was maybe recessive white in the rooster? Dominant white masks black, so that wouldn't be an issue. I'm not sure right off how recessive white plays with black....
How's your sex link silkie project going?
Thanks!
The project is just beginning, as of yet. I've got pretty much all the male stock I need - one Red Partridge, one Buff (with lots of red leakage/autosomal red? not sure), one Partridge, and a beautiful Cuckoo roo for breeding pure Cuckoos on the side. Only one hen so far though, a Cuckoo Smooth Sizzle pullet who
should carry the Silkie gene - fingers crossed she does. I need more hens but the cost of breeder stock Silkie girls is crazy! I've also got four Silkie chicks, one blackish-Partridge and one who appears to be Buff Partridge, and one Cuckoo Smooth Sizzle and one Cuckoo Frizzle Sizzle, again both of which should have a good chance of carrying the Silkie gene, per the breeder. Of course 3/4 chicks are currently looking like boys - good news for the partridge babies, not what I was hoping for with the Cuckoos though.
The project was originally to be for Standard Sized Sex-Linked Silkies, which I'm still planning on, but since that's gonna take a long while I'm mostly gonna be focusing on the regular old first-gen Sex Linked Silkies this next season or two and hatching some of the Standard-infused eggs on the side. I do already have a few Cochins saved up for size infusions, though.
The problem with a BSL silkie for exhibition is going to be skin pigment, not plumage. The barring gene itself lightens skin pigment, and silkies are supposed to have dark skin
Yes, and I've seen this for sure. The breeder I buy from has beautiful birds, great dark skin, but these Cuckoos have bright cherry combs! But it would be the females who would be shown - a bird that does not carry the Barring gene. Which brings in the question of genetics vs line breeding. I feel like offsetting the dam's poor melanization with a really good, dark skinned male could help keep the pullet's combs nice and dark in combination with their lack of Barring gene. It'll be interesting to see how they turn out for sure!
Would the females have light skin, though, if they were sex linked and not barred? I'm thinking that's why she said only the females would be a pure color. I know the folks trying to get cuckoo Ameraucana have issues with the barring gene but I've not really looked into silkies.....
Based on what I've seen and read, the main problem with the Cuckoo color is the skin pigmentation. The plumage itself is definitely good for a relatively new color, although of course on Silkies it ain't easy to see the pattern anyways. I'll post some pics of my new Cuckoos when I can, the roo especially is a real stunner to see. The skin color though is apparently so hard to obtain that breeders are considering trying to get this color standard to allow light skin/red combs, if/when it gets accepted.
One smooth sizzle, one frizzle sizzle. They've got a nice good chance of carrying the Silkie gene according to the breeder, so fingers crossed for that. They're very cute but yeah, almost no melanization in the skin or combs. Too late at night to get any pics of the hen or cockerel, I'll try to get some tomorrow.
