Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

Pics
Please let me know what you all think...she still has pin feathers in her crest I have been offered a chance to buy her
She looks nice in this photo. Have you seen her in person? How are her toes? Does she have a well-feathered middle toe? How old is she? Her wings could be a bit tighter, but it could also just be the way she's holding herself in this photo. Her tail and cushion look very nice, though. :) Depending on how much, I'd probably be tempted to get her. :)
 
thank you to everyone....the crest was my concern also on a $75 bird....she is not peeping anymore so she is probably over 5 months old
If her wings and feet are really good, she would make a good breeder. She might not make the best bird for show because of her bonnet/ lobed crest. But I would check those wings-- for $75 they better not be hanging that low and loose. If her wings are really good-- or if they are on the loose side, but her fan is great, I would offer $50. I like her, but that crest and those wings.... it would worry me. I would want to see her in person. Otherwise, if you are working with a smaller crested boy with better wings, it might work really well. Like I said, she could make an excellent breeder with the right boy! :) She has the type, for sure.
 
Thank you! If you ever decide to show, I could sub out my name for yours and then send you the design to put on a shirt!

Sounds like fun! :)

I know! I love your designs!! I especially love your polish design. I would have bought one of your shirts/designs, but I really, really, really wanted the women's style shirt in PINK!!! LOL!! I love pink! I just drew up the silkies design in Corel, converted it to a .png in paint and went to the ooshirts.com and uploaded the design and then they will take out any background white and viola! Done! It wasn't super cheap, unfortunately. I spent $24 on the shirt/design which included the shipping. I think you had cheaper shirt prices, but it was worth it to get the color and style I wanted. I'm thinking for Fall, I can wear a cute grey burn out under it for the layered look and the V neck and cap sleeves will look pretty fashionable with a round neck long sleeve burn out. They had a lot of shirt styles there, so I may be tempted to make up another one in a different style and color! :) I'll wait to see how this one turns out before I get another one.
Thank you! You are too sweet!!
 
The SOP (yes, I'm quoting again!) lists as a defect and point loss a crest which is "divided". A judge who doesn't like the bonnet crest, especially if it is more obvious, might deduct as many as 8 points for the shape of it. That's potentially a lot to lose, although I think it'd be closer to 2 or 4 points. One reason this crest might be popular is because it can grow and appear larger than a regular crest, which is supposed to be upright and globular in shape, not lobed. So, you're likely to get lots of different feedback from judges, I suspect.
Thanks so much for this valuable imput!
 
She has a bonnet type crest and I can see at least 3 lobes within it. They aren't supposed to look like that; some people like it, some don't. It will come down to judging in the end on that one. It seems that this type of crest is becoming a popular crest. Without being able to see her wings in person, you're taking a risk on those-- but from 'here' they look okay--but she might be holding them a little loose and low-- hard to see well.. Did they tell you about any faults? ALL birds have a fault or two, or they wouldn't be selling her. But otherwise, she does have the type you would want to work with and she is very beautiful. I would get her! But I would ask the owners about her wings and feet and if those are pretty decent, I think she would be excellent to work with! :) And just an FYI-- since she looks like she is in show Condition-- which means she is not missing feathers and looking ragged, I would not put her in with a rooster. If you are wanting to breed her right away, I would do AI. I do AI on all of my birds that are in show Condition and ready for the show, but I'm still wanting fertile eggs from. The Fall shows are coming up FAST-- so I would hate to see you put her in with a rooster and mess her up before you could get to the shows.
I am very interested in the AI topic. I have a couple of very nice hens that I want to bring into condition, but I also would like fertile eggs from them. Would you care to elaborate?
 
I am very interested in the AI topic. I have a couple of very nice hens that I want to bring into condition, but I also would like fertile eggs from them. Would you care to elaborate?
AI is a great way of getting to know your rooster better. (LOL) It's rather easy and is typically successful if you do it regularly (daily or every other day). I learned how to do it several years ago after viewing a YouTube video on it. Suggest you start there if you're at all a visual learner b/c it helped me immensely. :)
 
AI is a great way of getting to know your rooster better. (LOL) It's rather easy and is typically successful if you do it regularly (daily or every other day). I learned how to do it several years ago after viewing a YouTube video on it. Suggest you start there if you're at all a visual learner b/c it helped me immensely. :)
Indeed! I had a LOT of questions when I first started doing it. The first two or three times you try it, probably nothing will happen. Your rooster has to get used to you stroking his back and tail. I collect in a plastic spoon, there isn't a whole lot there. But then you need both birds there right with you in cages so that you can switch birds fast to make the transfer. So I use large wire dog kennels and I have them stacked-- my boy is the bottom and my girl(s) are on top. (I have many of these stacked, and I just happen to like keeping the boys on the bottom.) I would grab my rooster, sit on a stool and face him head down on my lap, his feet up. I use my right hand to hang onto his feet/legs tightly! Then use my left hand to stroke his back. If you are right handed-- this seems a little backwards, but it works well. I set the spoon on a table or stool right in front of me. Then I can quickly grab it and collect. Like Janine says-- you really should watch a few YouTube videos to sort of get the hang of what you'll be trying. Get into a routine of doing it around the same time each day. I would collect about every other day. I would suggest mornings. But you can do it any time of day. Just keep him by himself and don't let him run with other hens or it won't 'work'. Don't get frustrated at first, just keep trying. Once you get the hang of it, it's really easier than you imagined!
 
AI is a great way of getting to know your rooster better. (LOL) It's rather easy and is typically successful if you do it regularly (daily or every other day). I learned how to do it several years ago after viewing a YouTube video on it. Suggest you start there if you're at all a visual learner b/c it helped me immensely. :)
LOL!!! I wasn't really sure of how details would have helped, I was hoping that someone would guide me in the right direction.
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom