Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

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Hello everyone!
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I have a couple of silkies that I'm not sure of what color they are. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

The first 3 pics are of birds that are around 4 months old.

1. Black silkie with silver on him, named "BlackJack". He is really hard to get pics of.


2. Porcelain? silkie around 4 months old. His name is "Rufus"


3. Partridge? Female named "Bon Bon"



The rest of the birds pictured are around 2 months old.

4. Black with Red wings, neck. Male?


5. Black with red/gold neck. Female?


6. Red? male?


Group photo



Thanks!
 
Hi, I am new to chickens in general and silkies specifically. However I have already bought a bunch of them in various colors. I have named them all and spend lots of time with them getting to know their quirks and foibles. There are huge gaps in my chicken education so any advice would be appreciated. I am looking forward to showing next year but am not sure about how to break into that.
I have various ages as well! When do you separate the pullets and roos? I don't want the pullets being bred too young. If its standard to wait until a roo is 10 months for breeding I feel I should do the same for the pullets! Again though I don't know what the real standards are- its all book learning to date. And its often different in the actual barnyard!. Book will say 10 months, but most breeders may breed at 6.
I have been feeding them manna pro medicated chick starter, when they seem old enough I add bugs (crickets) and chick grit. Older still and I add some Brown's egg laying feed as well. The oldest chicks and adults get a mix of all of the forementioned plus cracked corn, and sweet feed too. I put ACV in the water and at least once a week I add a vitamin supplement as well. This is on top of their own bug hunting, and outside green eating. I also give them alfalfa sprouts! I brought home a small bag of slightly fermented orchard grass hay that I feed my horses and they only liked it when they found long pieces, the short pieces I cut up for them they ignored mostly. The crickets are gutloaded with prime feed and extra calcium (for my lizard). Anything else I should be feeding?
 
Here's a few more pics of that weird colored cockerel I posted a few days ago, he's got an interesting look so far!

This is what he looked like when I'd decided to keep him. Nothing special, just a run of the mill blue:

Here are the pics I snapped of him today:



He's got some bigger white splotches on his other side, but I couldn't get a picture. He was too busy running away from the camera
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Hello everyone! I've been busy posting this all over facebook so now its time to post it on here.
ASBC State Meet - Lebanon, PA

District Meets:
American Bantam Club
American Brahma Club
State Meets:
American Poultry Association
American Langshan Club
American Silkie Bantam Club
Nankin Club of America
Sebright Club of America
Special Meets:
Ameraucana Breeders Club
Belgian D’Anver Club
National Call Breeders of America
Cochins International
International Waterfowl Fanciers Association
Old English Game Bantam Club
Plymouth Rock Fanciers Club of America
Wyandotte Breeders Club


Premium books is ready to be downloaded. Go to https://lebanonpoultryfanciers.wordpress.com/

 
Last edited:
BW Feathers said:
Hi, I am new to chickens in general and silkies specifically. However I have already bought a bunch of them in various colors. I have named them all and spend lots of time with them getting to know their quirks and foibles. There are huge gaps in my chicken education so any advice would be appreciated. I am looking forward to showing next year but am not sure about how to break into that.
I have various ages as well! When do you separate the pullets and roos? I don't want the pullets being bred too young. If its standard to wait until a roo is 10 months for breeding I feel I should do the same for the pullets! Again though I don't know what the real standards are- its all book learning to date. And its often different in the actual barnyard!. Book will say 10 months, but most breeders may breed at 6.
I have been feeding them manna pro medicated chick starter, when they seem old enough I add bugs (crickets) and chick grit. Older still and I add some Brown's egg laying feed as well. The oldest chicks and adults get a mix of all of the forementioned plus cracked corn, and sweet feed too. I put ACV in the water and at least once a week I add a vitamin supplement as well. This is on top of their own bug hunting, and outside green eating. I also give them alfalfa sprouts! I brought home a small bag of slightly fermented orchard grass hay that I feed my horses and they only liked it when they found long pieces, the short pieces I cut up for them they ignored mostly. The crickets are gutloaded with prime feed and extra calcium (for my lizard). Anything else I should be feeding?
Click to expand...


I think you have your feeding down way over the top! It might help you cut down on some costs if you were to free range them. Also, if you are looking into showing, did you get your birds from a quality breeder or from a hatchery?
 
I think you have your feeding down way over the top! It might help you cut down on some costs if you were to free range them. Also, if you are looking into showing, did you get your birds from a quality breeder or from a hatchery?

Hi, I got them from hobby breeders and show breeders. I have some from Morris bird ranch, some from Kim Cook, some from CJ- the silkie coop in WA. and a few others. I live in a housing development so they are outside for a bit everyday but free range isn't possible for a more than a few reasons, one of them being a huge population of dogs, and cats!
They get such a food variety because I have horses and a lizard so I incorporate some of their feed into the chickens diet since I have it already! I figure if I want to show someday they need the best start I can give them! I do worry about over feeding them. I am free feeding them and some are just so much bigger than others of the same age. I just got some more from a hobbyist breeder that were from the same hatch as my first set and my first set is clearly bigger than the second!
 
Is there any way to sex day old silkies by looks? I have a blue and a white. I have compared their wing feathers to my sexed females but those are LF and different breeds so their feathering is much different. My silkies have about 1/4 inch of wing feather growth whereas my sexed female wyandotte has about 1/2 inch of wing feather growth.
 
I am also new to raising silkies, I have seven and they are now 4 months old. I love them they are so friendly and I love when they talk it almost sounds like they are purring. I don't know if mine are of show quality but I think they are beautiful. Here are some pictures of 2 of them.
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