Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[littlecritters]

Can someone help me understand what we might get out of a black cock and self blue cream hens? I'm pretty sure there was a little visit by the black boy with the porcelain girls. Thanks in advance.

 

[ChickNmamma]

Quote: His primary wing feathers that he keeps tucked in have two totally white feathers. It is on both sides. I always thought this rather strange.

Ok, I asked his original mommy and she said his mother was a Mahogany Red Partridge - and his father could be one of two roosters she had at the time. One is a Red and the other is a White Showgirl. She is 90% sure the White Showgirl carried blue partridge under the white. If it were my guess - I would say Owl's father is the White Showgirl. He didn't inherit the NN gene, and he did inherit the silkied gene (I guess the showgirl was also hetro for the hookless gene). That is the only way the silver chick makes sense. I think Owl also is Golden.. because he apparently can throw both gold and silver chicks. Is there any way for a rooster to be gold and throw a silver chick? I don't understand enough about the "pure for silver" yet..

If that silver chick is a splash Owl is hiding blue very well.. it would make more sense to me that he is hiding recessive white.. and so is one of the girls.

P.S - he is a very fertile rooster. 7 of his egg set. I now have 7 Silkie chicks. If anybody wants more cute chick pictures I can get them tomorrow - once the last two dry up enough to see their fluff. I think I got 4 from the buff girl - which is great because she has better type and foot feathering - and I have the best chance of getting back to Partridge with her. Those two yellow chicks still throw me off though - I am going to have to mark who laid what next time. I really thought it would be obvious - two blues and a buff.. get black and smutty buff chicks .. NOPE!

 

[ChickNmamma]

Can someone help me understand what we might get out of a black cock and self blue cream hens? I'm pretty sure there was a little visit by the black boy with the porcelain girls. Thanks in advance.

Hoo boy - it really depends on what the genetics are under both of them.. I recently found out blue + partridge can = silver.

Do you know the genetic background of both birds?

IF it went by the standard genetics you would get all black chicks that were split to lav. Black is a dominant color and without the double lav gene you would get only black. It might cover the red (that turns cream with lav) or it might not so you could get black/red birds too. You could try playing with the calculator.. or just hatch them and be surprised like I was ...

 

[littlecritters]

Thanks for your feedback. The rooster is from a long line of pure blacks. I don't know how many generations go back in the breeding of the self blue cream (porcelain) girls. These birds are all from the same breeder. I can't figure out how to use the color calculator on my ipad yet...i'll have to give it a try on my computer.

Hoo boy - it really depends on what the genetics are under both of them.. I recently found out blue + partridge can = silver.

Do you know the genetic background of both birds?

IF it went by the standard genetics you would get all black chicks that were split to lav. Black is a dominant color and without the double lav gene you would get only black. It might cover the red (that turns cream with lav) or it might not so you could get black/red birds too. You could try playing with the calculator.. or just hatch them and be surprised like I was ...

 

[ChickNmamma]

Thanks for your feedback. The rooster is from a long line of pure blacks. I don't know how many generations go back in the breeding of the self blue cream (porcelain) girls. These birds are all from the same breeder. I can't figure out how to use the color calculator on my ipad yet...i'll have to give it a try on my computer.
Quote:
Well, in that case, you may actually get the black split to lav birds! Could be useful if you wanted to create Self Blue, but because of the other genes in the Blue Cream you might get leakage or unusual colors showing up.

Can you use the browser in "desktop" mode to access it?

I believe it has been said that the best Silkie blacks are from E^R, not the standard E/E used for the blacks by the calculator. Melanise it with either Cha or Ml and Co and you will have a solid black for your rooster.

 

[peepblessed]

Can someone help me understand what we might get out of a black cock and self blue cream hens? I'm pretty sure there was a little visit by the black boy with the porcelain girls. Thanks in advance.

I would guess, with my limited experience, that you will get partridge, or partridge that turn black or black that have gold leakage later. I would hope for partridge.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Let's assume that the black is not split to lav. None of the chicks will be lav diluted, because they will only inherit it from their porcelain mother. They will inherit gold from her, as well as the helper genes that allow isabel (lav diluted buff) to show on her body (probably Co, possibly Pg). From the father they will inherit ether gold or silver, depending on whether he is gold, golden or silver) and melanizers. Offspring will be black with leakage, partridge, buff or silver, or possibly many other things...it depends on his e-allele, whatever pattern genes each parent provides....a lot of porcelains also carry blue, so that could show up as well...

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: I never used to hear about white silkie chicks being yellow...always that they would have white down, and if they were silver, there might be a silvery look to the down. Now I see people ask what colour of down whites have and most say yellow. When I was raising whites, almost every one had white down. I recall two (over a number of years) that had VERY pale yellow down. All the rest were pure white or silvery. I will say that despite being silver gened, my birds would still get sunburned and have brassy feathering

I think there must be more to it than just silver...

 

[chisNchickens]

I never used to hear about white silkie chicks being yellow...always that they would have white down, and if they were silver, there might be a silvery look to the down. Now I see people ask what colour of down whites have and most say yellow. When I was raising whites, almost every one had white down. I recall two (over a number of years) that had VERY pale yellow down. All the rest were pure white or silvery. I will say that despite being silver gened, my birds would still get sunburned and have brassy feathering

I think there must be more to it than just silver...

This is very interesting. Did you see the image I posted of the two white chicks? Here it is again...



See the yellow? That is how most of mine look. Also, I don't have many birds, but I have never seen any brassiness. Don't even know what it looks like. Maybe its that Arizona sun...
So do I assume that the one on the right carries two copies of the "silver" gene? Or however that works...

 

[chisNchickens]

Question...one of my girls recently hatched chicks(actually all four went broody at the same time) and I had to take this particular girl away from them. She decided to chase and peck so she was out of there. The other three are raising the babies beautifully. Question is about the one I removed. She is pulling out or losing a lot of feathers. She was in a moult already and hasn't regrown from that...so wth is going on?

ETA: I just went over her and the feathers are just coming out. I ran my fingers down her back and they are just falling out...