Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[Me & Jack]

Janine, I hope you stick around on this thread. I think I need a wing 101 and I'm going to go out and take some pictures to post. This is all new to me, my dad raised WCB Polish for years and years and really, they are so easy, never have wing issues other than making sure they are held at the correct angle along with the correct fan on their tails with the right angle there. SO much easier than silkies, that's for sure. Of course there's more to it than that, but not all the issues that silkies seem to come up with-- the toes, the coloring, etc. We never ever had silver leakage in our body feathers. But it's like silkies just present with lots and lots of problems. ANyway, I have to get ready for my own birthday party today, so the pictures will come later (need to clean and get ready) but just hoping you're around to critique.

BTW, do you think I should call my wing that I showed you earlier a splint wing? All the feathers are there-- none are missing. But they are growing in opposite directions. That would be a split, right??

Nope, not split wing if all the feathers are there. Split wing ONLY refers to when the axial feather and follicle are missing. You could call it a loose wing, a weak wing, and if the primaries don't fold under the secondaries properly you could even call it a slipped wing. There's no definition for "weak wing" in the APA Standard of Perfection, so it can mean a number of things singly or several at the same time. That means your bird could have a slipped AND split wing at the same time, or a weak AND slipped wing. Wing issues can occur in combination, is basically what I am saying. I would call your bird's wing a weak wing because of the way the feathers grow in reverse directions and because the feathers appear twisted. I would possibly call it a slipped wing if I saw the way the bird holds the wing naturally and it didn't fold, with the primaries under the secondaries. But if all of the feathers are present, even if there is a gap, you can NOT call it a split wing. You are welcome to call it a gapped wing, a separated wing, or a messed up wing! But it's not "split wing" by definition unless that feather/follicle combo is missing. Hope this clarifies things.

 

[Me & Jack]

I wondered about those wings. It looks to me like the primaries and fold next to the secondaries. Would this be loose wing or weak wing?

The wing appears to me to be a slipped wing, with the primaries not folding completely under the secondaries. This could also be referred to casually as a "weak wing" or a loose wing.

So...weak wing just means there is some fault or weakness apparent in the way the wing is carried, in the way the feathers lie/the direction they grow/if there is a twisted feather in the wing, etc. (Twisted feathers are cause for DQ. Only a frizzle should have twisted feathers.)

So...the wing on the white bird is technically a slipped wing (assuming this is how the bird always carries it -- could just be a bad picture day). It's also okay to describe it as a weak wing or loose wing, too, but for those who know the Standard of Perfection the term "slipped wing" means that the wing is not folding correctly with the primaries under the secondaries. I suppose a wing could appear to be "tight" but still technically be a slipped wing, if that makes any sense. That might take a keen eye to recognize.

 

[peepblessed]

The wing appears to me to be a slipped wing, with the primaries not folding completely under the secondaries. This could also be referred to casually as a "weak wing" or a loose wing.

So...weak wing just means there is some fault or weakness apparent in the way the wing is carried, in the way the feathers lie/the direction they grow/if there is a twisted feather in the wing, etc. (Twisted feathers are cause for DQ. Only a frizzle should have twisted feathers.)

So...the wing on the white bird is technically a slipped wing (assuming this is how the bird always carries it -- could just be a bad picture day). It's also okay to describe it as a weak wing or loose wing, too, but for those who know the Standard of Perfection the term "slipped wing" means that the wing is not folding correctly with the primaries under the secondaries. I suppose a wing could appear to be "tight" but still technically be a slipped wing, if that makes any sense. That might take a keen eye to recognize.

So great to have this in-depth discussion.

 

[Me & Jack]

So great to have this in-depth discussion.

Oh, I'm sure someone will come along who disagrees with me! LOL

 

[peepblessed]

Oh, I'm sure someone will come along who disagrees with me! LOL

Happens to me almost daily!

 

[aoxa]

Hard to reply on my phone, but she was missing a feather in her wing, he showed me where the judges would feel to ensure it was actually there. It could have been all the heat, as the sun was coming in and hitting the silkies (I moved mine because of it) so she wasn't very happy at the time. But she does not have slipped wing, I can guarantee that

I'll have to take some more at the fall show.

Mine have awesome wings, but lack butt cushion!!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Nope, not split wing if all the feathers are there. Split wing ONLY refers to when the axial feather and follicle are missing. You could call it a loose wing, a weak wing, and if the primaries don't fold under the secondaries properly you could even call it a slipped wing. There's no definition for "weak wing" in the APA Standard of Perfection, so it can mean a number of things singly or several at the same time. That means your bird could have a slipped AND split wing at the same time, or a weak AND slipped wing. Wing issues can occur in combination, is basically what I am saying. I would call your bird's wing a weak wing because of the way the feathers grow in reverse directions and because the feathers appear twisted. I would possibly call it a slipped wing if I saw the way the bird holds the wing naturally and it didn't fold, with the primaries under the secondaries. But if all of the feathers are present, even if there is a gap, you can NOT call it a split wing. You are welcome to call it a gapped wing, a separated wing, or a messed up wing! But it's not "split wing" by definition unless that feather/follicle combo is missing. Hope this clarifies things.

Okay-- here she is:

Right wing

Left wing:

 

[Hawkeye95]

Janine-- I have a much younger bird to show you. I really, really like how she is filling in, even though she's young. I know Sonoran has said that wings can change drastically as they age... is it too young to say anything about them, or time to start looking for faults??

Right side

oops-- I took another right side. Oh well... Sigh. (same bird as above)

 

[peepblessed]

Okay-- here she is:

Right wing

Left wing:

Awww! So cute!! What a shame she has that wing thing going on!!

 

[Me & Jack]

Okay-- here she is:

Right wing

Left wing:

Definitely a slipped wing going on here. And the twisted feathers in the secondaries would certainly make it a weak wing on top of that. This is not a bird I would breed for that reason, even though she has nice type and a nice tail/cushion! What a shame. I suppose if you wanted to try breeding her to a boy with awesome wings and see what she produces...but, it's a big risk.