Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

And one more thing--- You can usually tell at hatch who will be splash and who will be blue: (3 splash, 1 blue in this picture)



I have had really light blues that looked just like the splash at hatch. I'm curious about your dark hackle for boys. I haven't heard that before. I checked back on my photos and all my girls had dark hackles also. Could it be attributed to a certain breeding line?
 
I have had really light blues that looked just like the splash at hatch. I'm curious about your dark hackle for boys. I haven't heard that before. I checked back on my photos and all my girls had dark hackles also. Could it be attributed to a certain breeding line?
I don't think so? It was something I noticed early on-- all the girls were clear in the hackles and the boys came in really dark. Every one of them. I currently have 8 splash roosters (I can't tell on my own blues <too dark> or the black). I could take a picture of every boy out there and they are the same, but different lines. I have two from Deb, an original boy from Amy Piehl, a Three Cedars, and the rest are my own. All have the dark hackles. Then I do have a blue boy that Bobbi Porto sent me a few weeks back and despite him being a deep blue, he has darker hackles, too! Seriously, if you'd like to see pictures, I can make a fun little project out of it! LOL
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None of my girls show darker hackles. I wonder if I can line them up or just take singles and then shop them together. Maybe Sonoran knows why this is the case?
 
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[quote name="Sonoran Silkies" url="/t/690632/silkie-breeding-genetics-showing/2420#post_9991486"] ... [/quote]
We had a goshawk attack a week and a half ago. Hasn't returned since.


They sure are pretty. I would not shoot a bird of prey. My dad did consider using a dart gun on a blue heron when we were growing up. It ate well over $500 worth of his coy fish. He was not happy lol. Never came back after he decided to get the dart gun.

Give the koi something to hide under (such as a concrete block with holes), or netting over the pond and you can deter them.  We don't have a pond, but several neighbors do.  FWIW, hawks will eat the fish, too
The fish are gone now. He was tired of losing them :lol:

Poor dad. :p
 
The fish are gone now. He was tired of losing them
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Poor dad.
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My mother in law has a beautiful koi pond with a running "stream" that is half of her back yard with bridges across it. She had a heron come in and she had her landscaper put up this black netting across the top of the pond. I saw it, I bet you could find that stuff at Lowes or someplace like that. It's too bad he gave up on his fish. I bet the solution was about $30 in netting.
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The fish are gone now. He was tired of losing them :lol:

Poor dad. :p

My mother in law has a beautiful koi pond with a running "stream" that is half of her back yard with bridges across it.  She had a heron come in and she had her landscaper put up this black netting across the top of the pond.  I saw it, I bet you could find that stuff at Lowes or someplace like that.  It's too bad he gave up on his fish.  I bet the solution was about $30 in netting.  :(
Would it have looked bad?

I think that he had a disease wipe out the rest, and didn't bother replacing them. The sad thing is that it was probably my fault. I got tired of my goldfish inside and added them to his pond. Killed everything. I was 12.

He didn't have many coy left at this point. Just mostly goldfish. It was a beautiful double pond with a waterfall too. He filled them in a few years ago when my nephew was born in fear of him falling in.
 
Would it have looked bad?
I think that he had a disease wipe out the rest, and didn't bother replacing them. The sad thing is that it was probably my fault. I got tired of my goldfish inside and added them to his pond. Killed everything. I was 12.
He didn't have many coy left at this point. Just mostly goldfish. It was a beautiful double pond with a waterfall too. He filled them in a few years ago when my nephew was born in fear of him falling in.
My MIL has the netting up again for Fall (to keep leaves out) so if I can remember, I'll try to take a picture of her pond! I don't think it looks bad. It's temporary. She had it up for about 2-3 weeks as a deterrent for the heron and it finally gave up and never came back because she had her pond netted. I know it wasn't up all summer long. The netting literally skims the top of the water and her landscapers tucked it under little boulders and rocks all around the perimeter to keep the netting in place. It's black, so it blends in really well with the deep color of the water, especially in the Fall when the leaves are falling. You can still feed through it and keep your pumps working. Yeah, I hear you on the baby and ponds. I have wanted a water feature in our backyard as well, but have been worried about the kids. My youngest is now 4yrs-- so I'm less nervous about the idea than I was when my kids were toddlers.
 
Neat pic Barb. I had 6 of the Cooper's sitting out in an oak tree in my front pasture last week. They are quite noisy, so I know when they are around. The Marans don't even pay any attention to them, and the Silkies that I do let free range usually hang out with my pack of cats. I've not had a Cooper's land in my yard yet, that I've seen anyway. My problem is with the Red Tails. Had a large young male land on the top of my well house about a month ago. All of the chickens were screaming like I had never heard! All the girls ran to the pen and stood by the gate. Good ole Pip stood in the middle of the yard all bristled up growling at the hawk. There was not a cat to be seen! I got outside on the deck and looked in the direction that Pip was glaring in, and saw the hawk. I yelled at him and waved my arms, and he just sat there. So I walked over to the well house, and got within 10 feet of it, and he just sat there! My male German Shepherd appeared about then, and came up next to me. I walked toward the hawk some more and pointed my cane at him, yelling and cussing at this point. I literally got within 3 feet of this guy, if I was two feet taller, I could've touched him with the end of my cane! Brazen little turd! He very begrudgingly flew off at that point, and sat in a tree about 100 yards from the house and whined for the next couple of hours! I sat on the deck with a glass of wine and watched the chickens return to their business, albeit not too far from their run! Had there been Silkies out that day, I'm quite sure I would've been down by one or two. I had what I thought was a Cooper's screaming yesterday when I was outside, but I could not see it. It was loud, and sounded like it was right next to the coop, still couldn't see anything. Finally, I saw a quick movement and heard another scream. It was a Blue Jay!
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They have the Cooper's call down pat, and every time he would sound off, so did all the Silkies! He had them all fooled too; but it's good to know, that they know what that sound means!

Aim a camera at the Red Tails, Debbi! They'll be gone in an instant!!! They HATE having their picture taken ....
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As promised, here's what protects my Orps........ The orchard is about 1/2 acre, completely covered oin 40 lb test monofilament line set at 1 foot intervals on the outer fence,coming in to the central pole. It shines in the sun, and the hawks and eagles circle but do not land.


 
I don't think so? It was something I noticed early on-- all the girls were clear in the hackles and the boys came in really dark. Every one of them. I currently have 8 splash roosters (I can't tell on my own blues <too dark> or the black). I could take a picture of every boy out there and they are the same, but different lines. I have two from Deb, an original boy from Amy Piehl, a Three Cedars, and the rest are my own. All have the dark hackles. Then I do have a blue boy that Bobbi Porto sent me a few weeks back and despite him being a deep blue, he has darker hackles, too! Seriously, if you'd like to see pictures, I can make a fun little project out of it! LOL
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None of my girls show darker hackles. I wonder if I can line them up or just take singles and then shop them together. Maybe Sonoran knows why this is the case?

I should have asked what age you were talking about. This girl is about 3 mths.
 

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