Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[SethB]

Hello all,

I have gotten bitten by the bug of silkies. I am looking to start breeding them but curious to see what I'm going to get. I would like to think I've got at couple nice hens and want to make sure my roo is up to par. I am also curios to what colors he will throw out across my buff, white, partridge and splash hens. Picture below.

 

[SethB]

So after doing some more reading it sounds like it is almost virtually impossible to determine the coloring of the offspring. I guess my main question would he then is this roo a good breeding roo? If anyone needs more picture just let me know. Thanks in advance!

 

[PheobeLover21]

I have a black Silkie can you give me advice for when I show her next week? Plz plz plz

 

[zombiebait]

Me and the kids are totally new to this but we want to show silkies. Every year they have a show at the fair and there is only a few silkies each year. It there somewhere where we can learn about showing silkies? What the standards are, what judges look at and prepping silkies for show?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Really good paper by APA Judge here.


[COLOR=rgb(7.840000%, 9.410000%, 13.700000%)]FIFTEEN THINGS YOU MUST DO TO BECOME A GOOD CHICKEN BREEDER
As posted on the Marans of USA facebook page. By: Rip Stalvey [/COLOR]

[COLOR=rgb(7.840000%, 9.410000%, 13.700000%)]Wow, I have a half day off...I'm almost giddy with excitement. So I thought I would do something I haven't been able to do for a while; write a post.
I was thinking some about what I would tell someone who asked me what they should do to become a good chicken breeder. So here's my list.
1. Study the APA Standard of Perfection. Not just about your chosen breed either. The first thirty or so pages contain great information. Plus learning about other breeds will be invaluable to you.
2. Be honest with yourself. Don't suffer from coop blindness and fool yourself into thinking your birds are better than they are. Not being able to see the faults in your own birds is another issue.
3. Find a mentor. Good mentors are hard to find but worth their weight in gold. Look for someone that's been breeding birds at least fifteen years. Then follow their advice!
4. Keep your line pure. Crossing two different lines is the fastest way to fail that I know of. If you feel you need new blood get an unrelated bird from the same line you're working with. Always introduce new blood by using a female rather than a male...your results will be better over the long term.
5. Know where you want to go with your breeding. What needs to be fixed about your birds? What is your primary focus; type, color pattern, or egg color. Don't try to fix too many things at one time.
6. Build from a solid foundation. Get the very best birds you can lay your hands on. That way you be light years ahead of many. Re-read numbers 1 and 4.
7. Remember the rule of tens. For every ten chicks you raise usually only one will be good enough to keep. For every 100 chicks raised count on ten being good enough to keep. Never keep a bird that won't move your program forward.
8. Cull your birds rigorously. The tendency is for most people is to keep too many birds. Don't do it as it will only set you back! Re-read number seven.[/COLOR]

9. Limit your numbers. Only hatch as many chicks as you can adequately care for. Chicks reared in crowed conditions never reach their full potential. If you have space for 50, hatch 40.
10. Keep really good “forever” records. Document every thing...matings, results, egg color, growth rate, vigor, etc. This will document your progress and guide your future. Hang on to these records for dear life.
11. If you're in it for the money you won't succeed. Sadly there are too many folks that are out to make a quick buck. Typically their birds are pretty inferior representatives of the breed.
12. Breed from Cocks and Hens. When you do this you're dealing with a known quantity. It's a case of what you see is what you've got. Cockerels and pullets will change a lot as they full mature.
13. Support the APA and the breed club. Become an active member in both. These are the organizations working
to improve the hobby and the breeds.
14. Accept responsibility for your birds. It's not right to blame your line's creator for the faults in your flock. Once you acquire your start and begin breeding them they are your line not theirs.
15. Share your knowledge. Never be afraid to share what you've learned with others. Many old time breeder I knew were quick to help a new comer. We don't see much of that anymore and that's a shame because too much knowledge has been lost.

 

[only1bgirl]

  Vaulted skulls should not be petted or rubbed.  Brain damage can occur, regardless of age.  Silkies should never free range.  Never ever.  You will most certainly lose them.  Even the hatchery silkies aren't likely to do well free ranging.


Edited by Staff

Are you kidding with the petting? My girls would be dead we pet them everyday they love a good scratch too. You have to worry about them getting pecked too hard or knocking the top of their noggins on something hard but not petting. We free range too granted we have a watch dog and we supervise them as well, they love ranging the yard and garden. Pet them they like it!

 

[lubglub]

I would like my babies critiquedif possible I am new to silkies. It am in a rural area so I am trying to get the best I can here. They are still young. I am having trouble figuring out the boys from girls.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

They're cute, but there isn't much critiquing to be done at this age. Pretty much what you'll be looking for at this point is the correct number of toes and proper combs.

Sexing is pretty much out at this point too. They appear to be pretty decent quality, so they'll be harder to tell gender on. Your Sizzle does look like a cockerel to me though. I've been breeding them for a while now, and while I've only gotten a few partridges (I breed B/B/S, but have had some partridge and white pop out of my Sizzle pen as well), the cockerel I'd kept back (and desperately hoped was a pullet) looked very much like that. That vivid orange/red color is a strong male indicator. The red partridge Silkie might be a boy as well, though some pullets can be that pretty darker red color as well. Some help I am, huh?

They're lovely, just enjoy their cute fluffy-ness for now

 

[PheobeLover21]

Hi I'm showing my rooster tomorrow and I need help!! It's my first chicken show how do I clean him? Or what do I need to do to get him prepared? He is a 5 month old black silkie rooster!! Plz plz help me

 

[Fred's Hens]

http://www.poultryshowcentral.com/Show-Prep.html

This site is full of great information. Take advantage of it. And enjoy the show. It'll be a blast.