They are both stunning....thank you for sharing the pic of your girls....I can't wait to the how mine turns out in 2 more monthsSo exciting to be hatching your own!!
Looks girl to me.Yes, my Catdance BBS fluffed out very young also.
Kitten
and Coalie
Thanks!!They are both stunning....thank you for sharing the pic of your girls....I can't wait to the how mine turns out in 2 more months
That is such a great photo!! You should find a way to send it to him. Thanks for the info!Beautiful!!
As Janine said, they aren't supposed to have a lighter under fluff, or they are considered blue. However... I do think there could be some exceptions to this. In the black thread a while back, one of the girls who is breeding black X black was getting some with lighter fluff, but it wasn't too much lighter and she knew exactly what the breeding behind the bird was. I don't remember who it was now. But it isn't ideal for a black bird, but I think it can happen. I would breed him and see what you get, he has incredible type and a great crest! If his comb is dark, don't worry too much about his wattles being on the redder side. I KNOW that isn't desirable, but with careful breeding, it can be worked out. I used a roo last year that had a bit of red to his little wattles and it didn't pass on. Gosh, even his wings look really, really good here.
They may be... or they may not be. I ended up with some really dark blues, BUT their underfluff is so obvious and I think they are obviously blue (to me). I really like the darker blues. Mine look nearly black and I've had no troubles showing them. This Spring I had Art Reiber-- who is a very well known judge (and will be at Nationals) judge my dark blues and he knew right off they were blue. In fact, he told me I nearly won best of class and if her crest had been just a bit bigger, she would have done it. He kept going back to her cage over and over. Sigh. Here he is with my Blue that he really liked. I love this picture of him, he doesn't miss a thing.
He never said one word about her being too dark. And clearly-- she is a very, very dark Blue. She has thrown lots of Splash-- in fact, mostly splash babies. But her blue offspring is just as dark as she is.
We have 4mo old black youngsters that come from a pure black breeding program.The rooster comes from several generations of black and I am uncertain how many generations of black are in the hens background. Our birds do have a lighter under fluff and are blacks. I hope that after they go through their first molt, they will lose the lighter fluff. It is not noticeable unless you spread apart the feathers for a close examination. I think your roo looks very nice.I have a question about black and blue and under fluff. Does a black ever have any lighter under fluff? I took this picture with a flash and this boy is really black but he does have lighter under fluff on feet and legs. Does that mean he is for sure blue? Actually hoping for blue. Also, how bad is it that he's showing some red in his waddles? Absolutely no red in his comb. (6 1/2 months)
It depends on what THEIR breeding is I would think. If they have already been line bred(mom/dad)(brother/sister), I wouldn't, at least not yet. Maybe a few generations down. It is not suggested you breed brothers to sisters, but mom and dad are okay. But if they are all related I would go out and get yourself some really nice quality stock to add into the mix. Do you have pictures? People here can tell you if they should even be bred (type, quality, and flaws, etc) that way you don't waste your time on poor quality birds you know
Yeah, I pretty much agree with chicksNherps, depending on how much they've been inbred to get to where they are at now... And if you don't know, then I probably wouldn't do it. I started out just shipping in nice birds so I would have unrelated birds. You can do line breeding to some extent, but you do have to be careful about it. But it's done all the time, and if you keep good records, it can be very successful. But most people know how many generations they've done it, what problems it's created and how far they feel comfortable doing it and what their goal is by doing it. If you are just starting out, I just don't think I would do it, or if you are determined, go read as much as possible about line breeding. I would probably get a new rooster that way you can use all of your hens. I would probably sell your boys or keep them (depending on their quality and how well they conform to the SOP --Standard Of Perfection). If one of your boys was just super nice, then I'd be tempted to keep him and either wait for eggs from the other breedings or buy into eggs from a reputable breeder or ship in a girl for him. But before you go to all of that expense, I would evaluate your silkies and be sure they are worth the expense of doing all of that and see where you want to start. If they are all pet quality, then it would be best to just ship in eggs and get them from a couple different breeders so you have non-related birds to start you off with!
Then also take into mind-- we're here on this thread because the majority of us are breeding for show, and to conform to the SOP, and to breed the perfect bird, so that is how we will be helping you-- the advice given here is to make sure you don't go running off breeding bad birds. 
well saidYeah, I pretty much agree with chicksNherps, depending on how much they've been inbred to get to where they are at now... And if you don't know, then I probably wouldn't do it. I started out just shipping in nice birds so I would have unrelated birds. You can do line breeding to some extent, but you do have to be careful about it. But it's done all the time, and if you keep good records, it can be very successful. But most people know how many generations they've done it, what problems it's created and how far they feel comfortable doing it and what their goal is by doing it. If you are just starting out, I just don't think I would do it, or if you are determined, go read as much as possible about line breeding. I would probably get a new rooster that way you can use all of your hens. I would probably sell your boys or keep them (depending on their quality and how well they conform to the SOP --Standard Of Perfection). If one of your boys was just super nice, then I'd be tempted to keep him and either wait for eggs from the other breedings or buy into eggs from a reputable breeder or ship in a girl for him. But before you go to all of that expense, I would evaluate your silkies and be sure they are worth the expense of doing all of that and see where you want to start. If they are all pet quality, then it would be best to just ship in eggs and get them from a couple different breeders so you have non-related birds to start you off with!With any breeding comes the responsibility to the breed itself and to make them better, and not just be a mindless hatchery that breeds for quantity and profit and puts out a bunch of birds that look nothing like they should.
I love him too.
He has a date with my two splash girls but I have to keep moving the date.I would think he might work out very well over a splash hen. Lighter blue babies are definitely possible and some darker colored splash chicks would be great.
He's still a bit timid. Hope he gets it together before they go broody!!
