Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
I think she said the girls are gold, the boys are silver. That would make the mother silver and the father Golden/Gold? Or is it possible the Silver boys are actually Golden - I thought Golden looked more gold than Silver. From that direction it is not sex linked - the father can give either silver or gold to the girls (and nothing from mamma) and the boys get it from both parents so they could be silver, gold or golden.

How many chicks hatched from the Splash.. what numbers are we talking here? Perhaps she just beat the odds.

And because they both carry the copy of blue - all the children are Blue Partridge or Blue/Silver Partridge? They are also split for white, correct? And both the Splash and the Whites would have to carry Partridge to make a Partridge. The whites could be Partridge under that recessive white and the Splash may be another of those Partridge turned to black with two copies of blue.
I have just had 4 Blacks, 2 Whites and 4 Partridges come out of a pair of Partridges.. not what I was expecting

I think next season I am going to put that pair in a pen and make sure nobody else donates any hatching eggs. I didn't think they did this time - but it just doesn't make sense! The partridge babies I have inside from the earlier hatch (3 black, 2 partridge) also look like they have smooth feathers on their wings - the black chicks have the proper split wing feathers. I am so confused!
Yes, girls are partridge (gold), boys are "silver." Almost certainly golden rather than silver if it IS sex-linked, which looks in between gold and silver; kind of creamy/brassy rather than pure silvery white or rich gold. Silver mothers give silver to their sons. Gold fathers give gold to all offspring. If the fathers are golden, there is not really any sex-linking as the girls could be either gold or silver and the boys could be either silver or golden.

Yes, if there are only a few chicks, the outcome is not really predictable. I am assuming that there are enough that the probability works, but that is an assumption, not necessarily a reality.

Yes, blue partridge or blue silver partridge/blue grey. No way to know what all genes are hidden under white without DNA analysis, although breeding to a known geneotype non-white will help figure it out FOR THAT PARTICULAR white bird. Splash doesn't have to be partridge for partridge offspring. I'm not sure what you mean by splash being a partridge turned to black by two copies of blue?

Partridge X partridge should not give anything except partridge or recessive white (and then only if both of the partridges are split for it). I would guess that your partridge parents are not pure for pattern gene if you are getting blacks from them? If the feathers are not silkied, you have a non-silkie-feathered bird as a parent.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: The brown is autosomal red or mahogany, not related to the gold/silver issue.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: And have difficulty breeding.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

So yesterday I let all of my Silkies out for some free ranging. I picked my splash pullet up to pick some dried grass out pf her crest (that bothers me, and they all get messy crests). While I was looking her over, I noticed she has quite a few barred feathers in her feet? She came from a blue rooster and a splash hen, so the barring is confusing the heck out of me. Will she produce barred offspring? Should I not breed her? Why is it there to begin with? Sorry, like I said, its thrown me for a loop

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Oops, double post.

 

[chisNchickens]

A Cochin, or a Silkie should come at you LOW in front. It is no good to just shorten the back and raise the tail, and put the poor bird on tippy toes, with it's chest in the air, and head and neck drawn back, to balance it. That is NOT Silkie type, though it might look fancy.Those poor birds are not balanced over their feet and legs.They also cannot see as well, as they have to keep their heads back to avoid rolling over .They are also much more prone to develop crooked backs.

Gotcha...I see what you mean. Your experience/knowledge is valuable therefore I want to make sure I fully understood;-) I will take some pics today of my girls so we can have a critique...sound fun?

 

[chisNchickens]

The brown is autosomal red or mahogany, not related to the gold/silver issue.

Thanks Suze...do you have a guess as to gender?

 

[thedragonlady]

Gotcha...I see what you mean. Your experience/knowledge is valuable therefore I want to make sure I fully understood;-) I will take some pics today of my girls so we can have a critique...sound fun?

Sure. I love looking at Silkies !

 

[chisNchickens]

You will get it, just keep reading about it. It can be very complex, especially when you can't see the actual patterns because of the silkied feathers - so you can only guess.

Your Blue Partridge girl is very pretty. Partridge is my favorite color.

I am going to guess on yours (although I think its still too young to tell for sure) that is is a girl. And

that she is because she is very pretty. The silver neck down to chest reminds me of the gold neck/chest on the Partridge girls - and the boys seem to have a different pattern when they are growing up.

I hope you are right. Such a sweet little thing and I'd hate to have to um...not have him/her. lol
Thanks for the complement on the BP girl...I need to have Donna from Blue Grass Bantams take a look at her. She moved here from Kentucky and is practically right next door. She is the pro on partridge and grays.

 

[Fur N Feathers]

A Cochin, or a Silkie should come at you LOW in front. It is no good to just shorten the back and raise the tail, and put the poor bird on tippy toes, with it's chest in the air, and head and neck drawn back, to balance it. That is NOT Silkie type, though it might look fancy.Those poor birds are not balanced over their feet and legs.They also cannot see as well, as they have to keep their heads back to avoid rolling over .They are also much more prone to develop crooked backs.

Thank you!