Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[thedragonlady]

Oh, lucky! I wonder if twin chicks could hatch from those?

NEVER set double yolk eggs! You will get deformed chicks, or dead chicks!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Yeah, that would be nice. My husband was asking me why we needed to be NPIP certified....I had to tell him that I wanted to keep our options open to see which direction these little silkies will take us in. I had to laugh because the last tailgate that I went to, I took 8 birds and came home with 8 birds, and he noticed the new birds because they were different colors and bigger. He NEVER notices..until that day...

. I got 3 new birds since then, still hasn't noticed. It cracks me up.

Once I become certified, that means that I can only buy stock from another NPIP flock right?

Yes, you need to be NPIP certified OR have 90 day Certs done (every 90 days) to be able to show, ship or sell birds. So far, I've been going with the 90 day Cert because I've not been to any shows so far that allow NPIP-- they want the much more updated 90 day certificate. I'm having my birds re-tested again on Monday to get another 90 day for the next up coming shows this Fall. In the Spring, I have them set up to do an NPIP, but it won't do me much good for the shows. And yes, if you want to remain NPIP in the same year, you can not buy any other non-NPIP bird. You must have their number and depending on what your State says, a 90 day Cert on that specific bird with the band number listed on it to keep your license. In my State, they have to be re-done, as out of State certs won't be accepted.

Hey guys!
I just wanted to say hello. I am new to the silkie owning and have read this entire forum front to back, over two days. Thanks for all the lovely information. We should truly make it a book! Anyway, I hope you don't mind that I jump in with questions and pictures too. I am very obsessed with Silkies nowadays. I even posted an ad on the fridge for my "dream coop" just in case my husband gets bored and decides to build me one. Hehehe. I also have two young sons, ages 1 1/2 and an almost 3 year old. We are living out in the middle of Nebraska right now. I still consider myself a wisconsin girl at heart though since I was born and raised in a small town near Lake Michigan there.

But anyway, again, thanks for all of the information. You guys had me running out to the coop at 12:03am and waking the birds just to check their wings for this whole primary and secondary debate you were on. What fun. The good news is my wings are ok on my partridge silkies, but, they don't hold them close to their body. It seems like every time I have a winning silkie then I find something off. Last month I had a BEAUTIFUL bird but found that it's comb never properly developed and it never laid an egg....

If your kids are old enough, I would highly encourage you to get into a local 4-H or FFA club. We are in 4-H. This will get you diving right into local club shows, which are fun. Then when you gain some experience, your state will probably have larger Open shows, Fairs, and Classics. We are doing pretty much all of it!

Wanted to share some new photos of my girl, Silk. She is just a little over 6 months now and I am so enamored!

If she isn't eating or walking, this is how she looks. She has never been bathed so I can only imagine how pretty all that fluff would look blow-dried.

She comes from a Catdance egg. She is trimmed quite a bit around eyes and muffs and sees very well.

OMGosh!!! She's stunning!

Thanks! I almost didn't recognize you with your new avatar. Silk is beautiful!

Oh remember the Lavender eggs? I had some trouble with my LG incubator, only 1 Lavender chick hatched. I had 19 eggs in that bator, only one made it. So, my lavender venture is over. I want to let the color develop a little before attempting again. It was such a disappointing outcome. I think I am going to enjoy my 1 Lavender chick and focus on white, black, and continue with the BBS pen to develop some show birds.

So sorry about your hatch. Maybe a new incubator is in order? What a bummer.

Would you all mind giving me a refresher on silkie DQ's? Thanks!
On a different topic...we have been growing out egg layers since April of this year. They are at point of lay and are just starting to produce some eggs here and there. We have one pullet who has laid 5 double yolk eggs in the last couple of weeks. It's so much fun discovering these eggs! Wish we knew which bird it is...

I think Rosemoore hit upon a lot of them.

Obvious ones are the color of the comb, number of toes, feathering on the toes, and wings. After that, you're getting into type and colors. Depending on what colors you are breeding-- they can present their own troubles. Like Buffs often have trouble with red combs, which is bad. Blacks can sometimes develop leakage after they mature. Of course, I was DQ'd after I entered a bird that was too heavy. Just read over the SOP carefully when you go to enter your birds and make sure they hit them. Here is the link to the SOP: http://www.americansilkiebantamclub.org/standard.asp If you do your best to stay within the Standard, you won't be DQ'd. If you have questions about particular problem areas or concerns, then ask now!

Guess I'd better come up with a better excuse quick!!

LOL!!! Yeah, that one didn't work really well. If that's all it took, even I'd be tempted to take a road trip!

Littlecritters- from what I've learned in the past two days researching this forum is that there are DQ's and then point reducers. Instant DQ's would be incorrect weight, wrong comb, wrong color of comb, incorrect number of toes and feathering not on feet, wrong color of eyes, and finally any color other than what the breed is supposed to be (no cross-colors unless shown AOV). Eyes must be black, or near black, wings tucked nicely at sides, and have a balanced crest that doesn't impair sight or form a "bonnet" so to speak. Really, there are too many faults to name. Better do what I did and spend the next few days reading this Silkie Manual of 91+ pages the chicken lovers have created for you!
As for peeps and KM, you guys crack me up. Yes--driving across the country with a beautiful silkie on your lap surely is acceptable, right??

on remembering the SOP! I've driven home from the airport with a bird on my lap after he got off the plane! That was a 45 min drive home, too. He looked out the window and talked to me the whole way home. So yeah, TOTALLY acceptable... and certainly not crazy.

NEVER set double yolk eggs! You will get deformed chicks, or dead chicks!

I did see a video of a double yolker that hatched two chicks. I guess technically it can be done, but it's not recommended. Guessing it would just give you heartbreak.

 

[Adoravachick]

NEVER set double yolk eggs! You will get deformed chicks, or dead chicks!

Awww, that makes sense. Once a hen starts to lay double yokers, will she continue with them, or are there certain factors that would increase the likeyhood of laying double yoked eggs? Genetic or one of those freak things?

 

[Adoravachick]

As far as the pullorum test, I know that the bird has to be over 16 weeks. I do have a few birds that are around there, give or take a couple of weeks. What about those that are right on the verge?

 

[littlecritters]

Quote: Awww, that makes sense. Once a hen starts to lay double yokers, will she continue with them, or are there certain factors that would increase the likeyhood of laying double yoked eggs? Genetic or one of those freak things?

This is amazing...she laid another double yolk egg today. We have gotten one egg per week from her. I may have to put in a webcam to find out who is laying these!

 

[littlecritters]

Quote: Awww, that makes sense. Once a hen starts to lay double yokers, will she continue with them, or are there certain factors that would increase the likeyhood of laying double yoked eggs? Genetic or one of those freak things?

This is amazing...she laid another double yolk egg today. We have gotten one egg per week from her. I may have to put in a webcam to find out who is laying these!

 

[Adoravachick]

I would definitely put a webcam, something that you could even monitor from work. We did that with our Koi pond, and when my husband and I were at work, we could still watch them and relax.

 

[Adoravachick]

The view from the coop. The leaves have changed even since this picture 2 days ago.

 

[jsp28504]

The view from the coop. The leaves have changed even since this picture 2 days ago.

I am jealous of that view!

 

[peepblessed]

The view from the coop. The leaves have changed even since this picture 2 days ago.

Awesome!!