Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[keesmom]

Hi, I need some help with identifying colors. I just received a shipment of silkies from Ideal Poultry. I ordered an assortment of 25 plus 7 self-blue. Sadly there were 12 dead when they arrived. I know they will reimburse me, but that's not the point. I feel so badly about it! Anyhow, I'm trying to focus on the ones that made it. I'll be selling at least half of them locally, but I need some help identifying the colors. I think the one on the right is splash, but is the other one partridge? EDIT: I just looked at some pictures online, and now I think both of these are probably partridge and maybe some of the ones that I thought were white or buff are actually splash?!?!?!

Ideal has grey silkies (silver partridge) available this year. I think that is what your chick on the right is.

 

[PaintedFeathers]

Two of my little girls, Holly and Jingle =)

 

[flocknfoal]

Black don;t have diluted down--these last are all blues. Blacks can have white or yellow, especially n bellies and wing tips, but they do not have any blue down.

Ideal has grey silkies (silver partridge) available this year. I think that is what your chick on the right is.

Ok, you guys make me want to keep ALL of them! Are "gray" and "silver partridge" the same thing? Either way, sounds pretty. I wonder if it's a boy or a girl? I may have to set hide this one with the lavenders when people come to see them.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: pretty much...it depends on how detailed you want to get...

 

[PaintedFeathers]

Sonoran is this a good example? Jingle and Jangle when they were hatchlings, blue and black. Jangle had the white on her belly, beard, and wing tips but feathered out jet black. Unfortunately she passed away over this winter =( Jingle is still alive and has turned out a really pretty blue, she is in my post at the top of this page.

 

[laseterlass]

Its very hard to critique Silkies. Its like telling someone their baby is ugly.... I have Williams a Blue Partridge Boy. He is handsome as far as chickens go....But for a Silkie? He has lovely lady friends though. Bruce Lee and Po are beautiful BBS Silkies. I just got Paint Silkie eggs from Maine and I hope to get a nice looking Boy out of the eggs, then Williams will go live with a mixed flock somewhere.

 

[flocknfoal]

I understand that there are just six APA recognized colors - black, white, blue, partridge, buff, and gray. A few questions on this:

Since Splash is a natural part of breeding blues, can splash be shown as an official color? Are they listed as blue or splash? If so, then why does the APA not include a description for splash?

Why does it seem like gray are so much less common than the other 5 colors? Are they harder to breed? Harder to find? Or just less desirable for some reason?

Thank you

 

[PaintedFeathers]

I understand that there are just six APA recognized colors - black, white, blue, partridge, buff, and gray. A few questions on this:

Since Splash is a natural part of breeding blues, can splash be shown as an official color? Are they listed as blue or splash? If so, then why does the APA not include a description for splash?

Why does it seem like gray are so much less common than the other 5 colors? Are they harder to breed? Harder to find? Or just less desirable for some reason?

Thank you

Splash is a recognized color. I don't know why it did not have it. It may be a typo.

 

[flocknfoal]

Ideal has grey silkies (silver partridge) available this year. I think that is what your chick on the right is.

Are "gray" and "silver partridge" the same thing?

pretty much...it depends on how detailed you want to get...

Ok, I'm ready for the detailed answer. The APA has a description of a gray silkie, but as noted above, few of the people I know of who breed SQ silkies seem to have them. There are a few hatcheries that say they have them (Ideal and Purely Poultry). Huckleberry Farms lists gray in their list of colors they breed, then in their pictures they have one labeled "Silver Penciled Partridge". Maybe one or two other places list gray, but they seem to be scarce.

So, genetically speaking: I'll make some very uneducated ponderings (b/c I learn more when I try to make sense of it first), then you can explain the real answer.

I'm guessing that the phenotype described in the APA as "gray" can be attained via a few different genotype combinations, but with varying degrees of 'perfection'? Maybe this is why there are so many different colors referred to as "partridge" but few of them closely resemble the dark black and red described in the APA. It seems that a general "partridge" type pattern isn't difficult to obtain, but the correct pattern with the correct colors in the correct places - well, that's why it's called a 'standard of perfection' rather than 'standard of what lots of people think is pretty'.

So I'd guess a "gray" and/or "silver partridge" should be partridge (e^b - brown) but with silver (S) which inhibits red pigment, pheomelanin? Something like that, but more complicated I'm sure.

Edited to add: Two theories on why the gray may be less popular: (1) might be difficult to breed in terms of not having brown/red leakage (but buffs can be some of the most difficult and they are still popular) (2) "gray" sounds dull. "Silver Partridge" sounds so much fancier - so maybe people just think they are going to be dull gray like a gray day? Just theories.

 

[CrazyChookLady5]

hi silkie lovers!!
i breed silkies, and i love them