Silkie-bantam and Cochin Cross breeds

Kung-Pow Chicken

Chirping
Aug 13, 2020
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Hey there,

I am posting this thread to offer pictures, growing status, or anything else that may be helpful about Silkie-bantam and Cochin cross-bred experiment. Please note, these chicks were not intentional and are my first "cross-breed" so I may lack some specifics other than what I have thus observed.

To start out, their mother is a blue-colored Cochin, whom you can see in the picture below with her six, 3-week-old hatch-lings. The Silkie hen in the picture is most likely their grandmother, whom hatched at least two of their potential fathers. It's difficult to say "who's the daddy" as there was five whom could have sired them, but all the roos were Silkies.

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As far as sexting them, I noticed at 3-weeks, three out of the six were developing their combs and waddles much more noticeably while the other three did not, leading me to predict that three may be roos. Two were most likely confirmed when they began to crow at 6-weeks.

Below is the chicks at 9-weeks, or a little over 2-months-old. They will be 3-months-old the first week of October.

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Only four were willing to be photogenic, but if you notice the "roos" still have a more noticeably developed comb and waddles. Their feathering is predominantly Cochin but all of them have Silkie-colored skin and Silkie-toes! It looks like their going to have the Silkie-comb too. Right now, they're in that funny "bell-bottom stage" (lots of feathers around their toes but not quite over the legs) like my Cochin hens did when they were that age.

So for anyone who is curious about breeding the two, this may offer some insight. Please feel free to contribute any input/pics/ect. in this thread if you have any Silkie-Cochin crossbred chickens. I'll post more pics later when they get a little older.
 
That makes a lot of sense. The buff chick probably has the Partridge for a father. Possibly the black with leakage as well. Silkie x Cochin crosses come out real nice.
 
Well, here's an update on our chicks' progress at three months.
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This is the "buff" hen. I'm hoping in time her leg feathers will fill-in in a few months.

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This is one of our roo's we call File' He's not as photogenic so it's difficult to point out the cream frosting along his black plumage.

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We call this roo Chile and his red-coloring along his black plumage has become more prominent.

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One of our other hens. She takes more after her mother in coloring, but like the other cross-bred hens, the waddles have not grown out.

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This hen is a lighter gray/blue color from the other blue hen, but if you look even closer, she has some faint, partridge striping.

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This is our other roo, Bourbon. He began as a pale-blue chick but his color-texturing has blossomed beautifully. None of them will have the silkie, blue-ears but their skin is definitely silkie-coloring.

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Their size is still that of a silkie-bantam but it's only been three months so we'll see.
 
Well, here's an update on our chicks' progress at three months.
View attachment 2373013

This is the "buff" hen. I'm hoping in time her leg feathers will fill-in in a few months.

View attachment 2373014

This is one of our roo's we call File' He's not as photogenic so it's difficult to point out the cream frosting along his black plumage.

View attachment 2373015

We call this roo Chile and his red-coloring along his black plumage has become more prominent.

View attachment 2373017

One of our other hens. She takes more after her mother in coloring, but like the other cross-bred hens, the waddles have not grown out.

View attachment 2373018

This hen is a lighter gray/blue color from the other blue hen, but if you look even closer, she has some faint, partridge striping.

View attachment 2373016

This is our other roo, Bourbon. He began as a pale-blue chick but his color-texturing has blossomed beautifully. None of them will have the silkie, blue-ears but their skin is definitely silkie-coloring.

View attachment 2373032

Their size is still that of a silkie-bantam but it's only been three months so we'll see.
What are your crosses personalities like? Are they quiet like a cochin (my silkies have a whole choral line going for egg songs.. not quiet at alllll).
 
What are the colours of the potential fathers? Is that buff looking chick still buff? Is it possible the blue Cochin didn't lay all the eggs herself? You've got some really cool looking birds there.
 

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