Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[LaPetiteFarmer]

A big thank you for being so honest and open on evaluating my birds. I have been reading this thread for month now and I am learning something new everyday, so thanks again! I am struggling about the split feather even though it has been discussed many times. Eventually tomorrow I will add a picture of their wings because it is hard for me yet to distinguish split wings. Also, it is quite challenging to get a good shot at the correct moment because they move so much lol. I believe Berta is a dark blue which doesn't make me so happy because I wanting to add her to my black pen (knowing she is the sister of Maxime).
I have a dilemma with those chickens lol: My goal was to have 3 different pens: BBS, White and Black. The white and black shouldn't be an issue because they are/ will not be related, but my BBS they are all related. Therefore, I will have to cull my hens or my rooster and I don't wish to get rid of either of them!!! However, I don't have enough space to get two BBS and one white and black pens. My only option will be to forget about having a black pen and having two BBS pens and one white (wish bums me out) unless you guys suggest me otherwise. I see potential on Maxime, Berta and Sophie. They all have nice traits and I know they could give me very nice offsprings but if they are siblings, arg!!! I don't want take the chance.
They are still pretty young (around 6 months old), but Berta is the only one who is getting this nice bonnet. Do you think the other ones as they get older could possibly get a nicer crest or will the crest stay small? Anyways I am more than open to get more suggestions about this sibling issue. Thank you!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: THe bird pictured here is a buff. You do not list the genetic makeup (wheaten based, for example) on the entry form. Only the phenotype (appearance): bearded buff or non-bearded buff. You fill out the entry form, and unless it is a very small show, the show staff will have the cage cards already made and on cages when you arrive.

Post a photo and we will tell you what your bird is.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: It does. Nevertheless, you want the skin as dark as possible, so you breed and select and breed and select. You can get a decently dark comb on hte girls; boys are more difficult.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Combs get redder as the birds mature; especially on the boys. Not noticeable on a variety like black or blue or white (assuming the bird is homozygous for Fm), but noticeable on varieties where genes present dilute skin colouring.

 

[Hawkeye95]

A big thank you for being so honest and open on evaluating my birds. I have been reading this thread for month now and I am learning something new everyday, so thanks again! I am struggling about the split feather even though it has been discussed many times. Eventually tomorrow I will add a picture of their wings because it is hard for me yet to distinguish split wings. Also, it is quite challenging to get a good shot at the correct moment because they move so much lol. I believe Berta is a dark blue which doesn't make me so happy because I wanting to add her to my black pen (knowing she is the sister of Maxime).
I have a dilemma with those chickens lol: My goal was to have 3 different pens: BBS, White and Black. The white and black shouldn't be an issue because they are/ will not be related, but my BBS they are all related. Therefore, I will have to cull my hens or my rooster and I don't wish to get rid of either of them!!! However, I don't have enough space to get two BBS and one white and black pens. My only option will be to forget about having a black pen and having two BBS pens and one white (wish bums me out) unless you guys suggest me otherwise. I see potential on Maxime, Berta and Sophie. They all have nice traits and I know they could give me very nice offsprings but if they are siblings, arg!!! I don't want take the chance.
They are still pretty young (around 6 months old), but Berta is the only one who is getting this nice bonnet. Do you think the other ones as they get older could possibly get a nicer crest or will the crest stay small? Anyways I am more than open to get more suggestions about this sibling issue. Thank you!

Then I would give your cockerel a very tough evaluation and be sure he had good wings, etc. Since you have more girls, it would be easier to find a boy for them. Well-- not easier, but better than replacing all those girls. You can hang onto him. You could then breed them with new boy, and breed their offspring to your cockerel or hatch eggs or start heading out to shows and buying what is for sale there or having a bird shipped in to you from a reputable breeder. Right now-- this is the time everyone is selling off all of their birds. I have finished selling all of my culls and the only thing left I have is a blue partridge that I'm taking to E. Nationals to show/sell her there. It's like going shopping at the big shows! (everyone else is doing the same thing) LOL Would be a good place to get a local bird that is really nice or at least hook up with other breeders that may have something later on down the road for you.

And you *could* go ahead and do a breeding with what you have and see what happens. If you end up with wry tails/backs and other faults, then you know it was a bad idea. Usually you get into skeletal issues if you go too far with it, but you never know-- maybe you won't and then later you can swap him and get another bird, or move him to another pen with unrelated girls. You'll still end up with two pens anyway for your Blue/Splash -- that way you can keep on breeding without having to keep buying birds and you can swap out less related birds from the two pens with each other. You keep your hens and rotate out your roosters. It's called Rotational Breeding. But you can tweak it to fit your needs better. Just do some more reading about the 'Spiral breeding/Rotational breeding' and Line breeding and get a better idea of your options. With any of these-- you're going to need to do really good book keeping and know their backgrounds and who their parents were. I ziptie baby legs until they are old enough to put on perm bands to identify. With the zip ties, you can create color combinations -- like one bird would be banded yellow and red, (after you use up single zip tie options). They have to be cut off several times and new ones put on as they will quickly outgrow them until they are big enough for the ABA bands. (or buy numbered bandettes-- they are sort of like the wrist slap type of bands-- they are spirals and you open them up and they curl up on the leg and stay on pretty well. )

Combs get redder as the birds mature; especially on the boys. Not noticeable on a variety like black or blue or white (assuming the bird is homozygous for Fm), but noticeable on varieties where genes present dilute skin colouring.

That makes sense, but how frustrating! I'm assuming you risk the correct color of the bird by darkening up the skin and comb?

 

[chickendales]

Yeah, I was thinking about that, too! Kind of like the buff-- going too red. But I know with my blue partridge and my other blues-- they kept changing color (feathers-- not comb) <---added that in since that sounded wrong! ... until they were closer to 5 months. I love the look of cuckoo, but I would be really discouraged with the red combs.

cuckoo is geneticaly attatched to yellow skin and red combs you have breed cuckoo to black in hopes that some babies have darker pigment

 

[Adoravachick]

Cuties!

 

[Adoravachick]

I think that I have been having some fertility issues within my flock. What percentage of eggs should be fertile? During the incubation, what percentage usually quits early on or later on, etc?
In addition to trimming the fluff around the vent, what other factor could be contributing to decreased fertility? What feed is recommended for a laying and breeding flock?
Also, can having grow outs in the same pen as the layers somehow distract the rooster?

 

[chickendales]

I think that I have been having some fertility issues within my flock. What percentage of eggs should be fertile? During the incubation, what percentage usually quits early on or later on, etc?
In addition to trimming the fluff around the vent, what other factor could be contributing to decreased fertility? What feed is recommended for a laying and breeding flock?
Also, can having grow outs in the same pen as the layers somehow distract the rooster?

all your eggs should be fertile

 

[chickendales]

I think that I have been having some fertility issues within my flock. What percentage of eggs should be fertile? During the incubation, what percentage usually quits early on or later on, etc?
In addition to trimming the fluff around the vent, what other factor could be contributing to decreased fertility? What feed is recommended for a laying and breeding flock?
Also, can having grow outs in the same pen as the layers somehow distract the rooster?

how many girls do you keep with one boy