Showgirl and Silkie breeding questions

[LuvinMyPeeps]

I have tried to find answers on the board, but there are sooo many posts in general about silkies and showgirls, I can't narrow it down to find my answer. I'm sure this has been asked a thousand times, so I hope you don't mind answering for me here? I am sooo new to silkies and showgirls.

I have what appears (sofar anyway LOL) to be 3 black showgirls that I LOVE, and a splash silkie roo and a blue silkie roo.

1. Does it matter which roo I use for breeding more black showgirls or do I need a black silkie roo, or are you supposed to only breed showgirl x showgirl to get more showgirls, or does SG x SG result in any fatal gene I should be aware of? I know blue or splash will give you BBS chicks but if I get any black chicks will they be considered 'pure' blacks so to speak? (It seems folks prefer blacks that come from a black x black mating - is that just because there's less dilution to give a richer black?

2. If I'm breeding for black, does it matter which is the roo - a showgirl or a silkie? Will different combos (silkie roo x showgirl pullet or Showgirl roo x silkie pullet) produce a different percentage of showgirls or silkies? how about a higher percentage of black? or BBS? any difference in outcome there depending on which roo I use?

3. At what age does the silkie topknot fill out? Can you tell if they're good within the first 6 months or do you need to wait longer? I've seen folks post for sale a young silkie that to me looks at least 6 mos old and they say they "have pin head feathers so should have a good top knot", but at what age are they done growing their topknot? Mine looks like it has pinhead feathers still coming in, so I'm wondering if I need to wait or go ahead and cull now if it's not as fluffy as I'd like?

Thanks in advance for helping me!

 

[Elite Silkies]

I'll try to answer your questions to the best of my knowledge

Do not breed Showgirl to Showgirl. It's not a fatal gene or anything, it just diminishes their feathering. They will get balder and balder per say. You want to breed Showgirl to Silkie. Doesn't matter which way.

If your wanting more blacks then you need to breed the Blue Roo to the Black Showgirls. Breeding Splash to Black will give you 100% Blue offspring. It's my understanding that a true black has no other back ground breeding colors involved. I read this earlier. If the blacks are showing say a chocolate coloring in the background, then it's not a true black. A true black will not fade in the sun.

Show Quality Silkies mature at a slower rate than a Pet Quality Silkie. So, you should hang on to them for at least 6 to 7 months. By that time, you should be able to tell what quality they are going to be. But, at that age they still have a lot of maturing to do. It's best to be able to keep them until they are fully matured to see their best potential.

If they still have pin feathers then I would wait.

 

[LuvinMyPeeps]

Oh thanks a bunch!

That's what I thought, about the "pure" black.

I think the roos of mine may have some potential then. I'm seeing the long ones out the back for the roos and within the top... yahoo! time will tell. As usual, I'm being my impatient self

 

[Elite Silkies]

Your Welcome, it's hard waiting on a Silkie to mature, that's for sure! I go nuts sometimes, lol. Would love to see pics

 

[LuvinMyPeeps]

I'll try to take some soon. Right now I'm rearranging the pens a bit. I'm also a horrible picture taker LOL....

I really do need some opinions on them, for sure. You guys are great, thanks!