Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[Hawkeye95]

Sorry to cut in but I have a question on grooming my pullet. I have heard people talking about trimming the crest and muff feathers around their eyes. How much do you trim? does anyone have a picture I could see? Thanks!

Are you going to be showing this Fall?? If you are-- don't trim your birds. Also if you look at your birds, it's not the crest (usually) that is interfering with their vision, but the beard/muff right under their eyes. Some people use the medical blunt ended scissors just on that part. Personally, I don't trim, maybe if I had a severely limited bird that wasn't getting around and couldn't find the food or water... then yeah, I might trim. People all do things differently depending on what they are doing with the bird. But if you have a Fall show coming up, I'd leave them alone. Just remember, once you trim, it doesn't grow back. You'll have to wait for a molt or pluck to get a new feather.

 

[ChicksNherps]

okay I will leave it then.

 

[Breshcandra]

I have a question for silkie breeders

I hatched a chick from my silkie rooster and my silkie hen.. I think its a male. Its got better feathering on the feet then my rooster and maybe tighter wing carriage. As I am new to raising chickens I am still learning.

My question is if it is a roo should I sell my current rooster and use him even though he will be the son of one of the hens. I only live on a third of an acre so I don't have a whole lot of room. And I don't have paypal so it limits my options










My 4 year old helped me with the photos.

He was born May 29th

 

[Hawkeye95]

I have a question for silkie breeders

I hatched a chick from my silkie rooster and my silkie hen.. I think its a male. Its got better feathering on the feet then my rooster and maybe tighter wing carriage. As I am new to raising chickens I am still learning.

My question is if it is a roo should I sell my current rooster and use him even though he will be the son of one of the hens. I only live on a third of an acre so I don't have a whole lot of room. And I don't have paypal so it limits my options










My 4 year old helped me with the photos.

He was born May 29th

Personally, this bird is too young to determine how he might turn out. But it's good that you are looking now and you can keep an eye on things and watch his development. But don't get too hasty yet (on liking him or not liking him) because they don't really fill in until they hit about 8 months or more. I had a male last year that looked like a pullet up until he was 6 months old, and then he started getting in streamers and filling out. Even at that, he continued to fill out at a year of age. SO much so-- that he wound up too large! (too heavy) Because I didn't wait to make sure how he was going to turn out (I just saw that he was very typey and looked great, I started using him). Now I have a lot of off spring that I'm worried are going to be too big--I was too hasty and I won't make that mistake again. Your boy doesn't have his crest in yet, and his wings are really immature-- he is missing some primaries. They may not be actually missing... they could just be taking their time coming in, but do keep an eye on that. Make sure they do come in. Another thought on wing carriage, unfortunately, my boys tend to drop their wings when they hit maturity. I have 'before' and 'after' photos of this happening even with my boys this year-- very frustrating. I've heard so many people say this happens with their boys too. I think since he's 3 months old, it's just too early to tell how well he is going to fill out quite yet. I do like his comb--it's nice and dark and has a great shape to it. The right foot (it's actually his left) doesn't have good separation on those extra toes, but that could be worked around with a hen that has better feet and cull hard. And BTW, your 4 year old did a fantastic job taking pictures!! I don't know if anyone else feels this way-- but personally, I think boys are harder to critique. You just have to wait much longer to determine how they are going to fill in (up to a year old or more!). Pullets are so much easier, they still may continue to fill in, but you have a much better idea of what you have before they get too old.
Maybe someone else will chime in with their thoughts on this. Growing out cockerels is a fun topic!

 

[RIRJen]

Hello! I was refferred to this group for a color question I'm getting this color popping out in my flock. I've been told Porcelin, lavendar, double silver gene white...which makes it pearl? lol I'm totally new to this but I am stuck on what color this is. I want to cull it from my flock if it's not something to have if you want to show. Any help would be greatly appreciated! Also, any comments on thier type would be awesome

Same cockerel, different angle...

one of my showgirl cockerels with the same coloring...


Here's a couple of them with a white pullet behind them...you can see the color difference when they are beside a white...

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

having them beside the white they aren't dark enough to be lavender IMO they're dusky/smokey white - I still say they are double silver gened. How old are they?

Type wise both those boys are NICE! Breed the regular roo over the white girls, you may get a couple more double gened silvers but only if the girls carry a copy as well I believe. Otherwise the offspring should mostly carry a single copy of silver and be a nice bright white as they get older.
If you do sell them let me know, I'd love to have the regular boy, having seen proof from a fellow breeder of the difference the silver in whites make over gold - I want to add silver into my small white program, and his type is Very nice over all.

 

[Breshcandra]

Personally, this bird is too young to determine how he might turn out. But it's good that you are looking now and you can keep an eye on things and watch his development. But don't get too hasty yet (on liking him or not liking him) because they don't really fill in until they hit about 8 months or more. I had a male last year that looked like a pullet up until he was 6 months old, and then he started getting in streamers and filling out. Even at that, he continued to fill out at a year of age. SO much so-- that he wound up too large! (too heavy) Because I didn't wait to make sure how he was going to turn out (I just saw that he was very typey and looked great, I started using him). Now I have a lot of off spring that I'm worried are going to be too big--I was too hasty and I won't make that mistake again. Your boy doesn't have his crest in yet, and his wings are really immature-- he is missing some primaries. They may not be actually missing... they could just be taking their time coming in, but do keep an eye on that. Make sure they do come in. Another thought on wing carriage, unfortunately, my boys tend to drop their wings when they hit maturity. I have 'before' and 'after' photos of this happening even with my boys this year-- very frustrating. I've heard so many people say this happens with their boys too. I think since he's 3 months old, it's just too early to tell how well he is going to fill out quite yet. I do like his comb--it's nice and dark and has a great shape to it. The right foot (it's actually his left) doesn't have good separation on those extra toes, but that could be worked around with a hen that has better feet and cull hard. And BTW, your 4 year old did a fantastic job taking pictures!! I don't know if anyone else feels this way-- but personally, I think boys are harder to critique. You just have to wait much longer to determine how they are going to fill in (up to a year old or more!). Pullets are so much easier, they still may continue to fill in, but you have a much better idea of what you have before they get too old.
Maybe someone else will chime in with their thoughts on this. Growing out cockerels is a fun topic!

Thank you. I now know what to look for.

unfortunately all I have are hatchery stock. We got the silkies so I could make sure I had broodys. And I was going to sell any boys. My husband (after we got the chickens) told me we could keep one rooster. If I had known that I would have waited till the next day for the chicken show. So now I got to work with hatchery stock. I am going to the show again this march and if anyone there has silkie eggs of right colors then I will get some. I got one hen that has descent feet feathering but nobody has the nice crest so I am not expecting much out of that. I could be surprised.

 

[RIRJen]

having them beside the white they aren't dark enough to be lavender IMO they're dusky/smokey white - I still say they are double silver gened. How old are they?
Type wise both those boys are NICE! Breed the regular roo over the white girls, you may get a couple more double gened silvers but only if the girls carry a copy as well I believe. Otherwise the offspring should mostly carry a single copy of silver and be a nice bright white as they get older.
If you do sell them let me know, I'd love to have the regular boy, having seen proof from a fellow breeder of the difference the silver in whites make over gold - I want to add silver into my small white program, and his type is Very nice over all.

They are this years hatch, I'd have to look at my records but I'm guessing 5-6 months-ish. I really like the silkie one...he's a real butthead though! lol Ever notice how the pretty ones are always the ones you want to eat because of their additudes! LOL
I have a few really nice white pullets I can cross him with next spring. So would I enter him in a show as AOV pearl?

 

[The Lisser]

Does anyone know if the gene for mottling exists in silkies (aside from project birds that are crossed to mottled non-silkies)? As in mo/mo rather than Mo/Mo. I'm still learning about chicken genetics, so please bear with me.

I crossed a hen that I thought was blue partridge (turns out she is porcelain, or from a porcelain/partridge breeding) to a bird that I'm pretty sure is a black/lavender split with silver leakage - I was trying to make offspring that I could use in a gray project. I ended up with a splash looking male - but I wonder if he is expressing mottling because his back half looks like a reverse splash, and many of his tail feathers are black with white tips.

Mom:


Dad:


Offspring:

 

[peepblessed]

Does anyone know if the gene for mottling exists in silkies (aside from project birds that are crossed to mottled non-silkies)? As in mo/mo rather than Mo/Mo. I'm still learning about chicken genetics, so please bear with me.

I crossed a hen that I thought was blue partridge (turns out she is porcelain, or from a porcelain/partridge breeding) to a bird that I'm pretty sure is a black/lavender split with silver leakage - I was trying to make offspring that I could use in a gray project. I ended up with a splash looking male - but I wonder if he is expressing mottling because his back half looks like a reverse splash, and many of his tail feathers are black with white tips.

Mom:


Dad:


Offspring:

Can't help you, but wow! What a gorgeous guy!!