Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[aoxa]

Here's one I posted a few pages back (I think). Her head looks yucky in this picture, she hadn't had her bath yet.

I really love her beard! Colour is very unique

 

[ChicksNherps]

I really love her beard! Colour is very unique

Yeah she's my little "creamy"

, told to call her creamsicle so that's how I entered her AOV for our show. I hope it's accepted and we don't get DQed

 

[aoxa]

Yeah she's my little "creamy"  , told to call her creamsicle so that's how I entered her AOV for our show. I hope it's accepted and we don't get DQed

Is she not a porcelain?

She's beautiful You must be excited!

 

[jrosemoore]

Why can't I post attachments? It says I do not have permission. Is it because I technically "just hatched"?

Not true. I have secretly been watching for years!

Boo. I guess you guys will have to wait to critique my silkies

I must say you guys have some beautiful birds. The last couple pages had flooded me with envy! Unfortunately, I am sure my won't measure up. I was VERY inexperienced when I first starting buying any silkie chicken or egg in sight..it kind of became an addiction.

 

[ChicksNherps]

Is she not a porcelain?
She's beautiful

You must be excited!

Honestly, I don't have the foggiest

I have been told she is creamsicle, or frosted. She is like a buff partridge splash. She is from partridge eggs, is a light buff color with darker underlying crest feathers and dark blue spots all over.

see, here's her bum spot, she has a few others here and there:

 

[jrosemoore]

Is she not a porcelain?
She's beautiful

You must be excited!

Oh dear...here we go again! If the blue splash conversation didn't last long enough...
I'm curious too?!?
And what makes a partridge color perfect anyway?

 

[ChicksNherps]

You know she may be, but only one person has mentioned it before, others are saying it's more of an "oops" color. She does kind of look like a darker porcelain, but not sure where the spots are from? Can a porcelain have spots? or maybe a paint porcelain? So many questions!

or maybe a buff calico? http://www.elitesilkies.net/sale-page-2.php

 

[ChicksNherps]

Oh dear...here we go again! If the blue splash conversation didn't last long enough...
I'm curious too?!?
And what makes a partridge color perfect anyway?

I unwittingly started that one too

hehe

 

[Hawkeye95]

Just awesome!!! Love her!!!

Thank you, Peep!

I am really quite surprised how quick some people are to scoff at the silkies and be completely rude about it. I am ALWAYS polite though, especially if it comes to birds that I don't particularly care for,why just be rude? I have an appreciation for all of the different breeds, I just prefer the gentle nature and size of the silkies for my girls. You know?

definitely!

I just find a judge behaving that way to be completely irresponsible! We all know how much time and work goes into breeding and growing a show winning bird. It is a slow process and to have a disgruntled judge disrespect my animal, time, and hard work, it would infuriate me.

I am just starting out so I am learning that locating quality stock is tough, and hatches can be slow and sometimes heartbreakingly unfruitful. A judge should know that right?


On another note....

I am questioning the age of my little splash. Instead of 4 1/2 months, I think it looks more like 3 months, just has a very imature look to it.

Birds can really mature at different ages. If the person who sold you the bird is sure it was 4.5 months, then it likely is. I have some birds that at nearly 5 months, I still can't tell what they are. They are super slow maturing. The others, I could tell what they were right about 3-4 months! I don't think a judge has any right to manhandle birds or slam cages or act like a child.

I was just in the garage checking on the splash, it just threw up.....water. I felt the crop and it feels like an inflated ballon. Is this bird sick?

Is it hot? I have a bird that will drink and drink when she's hot and then throw it up. She had me worried a few times this summer. But she just over fills on water. She also was 'sloshing' she had drank so much. Otherwise, she was panting. If you're really worried, (and she's not hot) you can massage her crop a bit, but just be careful if she is full of water. I really like the suggestion of probiotics. I use a powder probiotic that I got in the goat section. I top dress it on their food, or you can dump it in the water. It's GOOD to use after a round of antibiotics, too.

That's why I found her a good home - as per your advice

She wasn't as bad as your girl above, but I didn't want to chance it. She sure is cute though. Your girl got A LOT better. She looks deformed in the first picture, and much better in the second. Thank goodness the crooked beaks we discovered were both girls! It would be harder to find a deformed rooster a home.
I agree - sounds just like sour crop. Throwing up is not contagious, and it's not really like other animals throwing up. They just tip their head and it pours out their mouth.

- I've cured sour crop by massaging (no oil or force vomiting bird) and giving plain pro-biotic yoghurt. I get this local stuff. Tastes like crap to me, but they like it. It really worked too. Also wanted to mention that I've had birds drink too fast and throw up when they bent over. But by the sounds of the feel of her crop - it is very likely sour crop.

Yeah, the lady who has my bird is wanting to have a broody. I gave her two of my pullet culls. It is really interesting how the beak looked so much better as she got older. I'm glad I took the first pic early on as a chick, or I wouldn't have believed it.

Here's one I posted a few pages back (I think). Her head looks yucky in this picture, she hadn't had her bath yet.

Oh yes, she looks very nice! I don't have any idea what to tell you on color, so I hope she will still be judged! Great color!

Why can't I post attachments? It says I do not have permission. Is it because I technically "just hatched"?

Not true. I have secretly been watching for years!

Boo. I guess you guys will have to wait to critique my silkies

I must say you guys have some beautiful birds. The last couple pages had flooded me with envy! Unfortunately, I am sure my won't measure up. I was VERY inexperienced when I first starting buying any silkie chicken or egg in sight..it kind of became an addiction.

Did you try to upload pictures to your Profile?? That is how I do it. Top of the page, the brown button that says "Profile". Then scroll nearly to the bottom and it should have your albums, etc. Click upload photos. Then go thru that process. All you have to do then is copy/paste into the Reply here. The picture will show up. You can do the same with any picture on the net-- just right click Copy and paste here. So if you have something saved in Photobucket, that also works.

The trick with getting good birds is knowing what to cull. And mostly, that will mean possibly half or more of your hatch when they grow out and you can see what faults they have. So you only work with your best. Don't work with anything that you don't want to see later on.

 

[ChicksNherps]

Thank you, Peep!


definitely!

Birds can really mature at different ages. If the person who sold you the bird is sure it was 4.5 months, then it likely is. I have some birds that at nearly 5 months, I still can't tell what they are. They are super slow maturing. The others, I could tell what they were right about 3-4 months! I don't think a judge has any right to manhandle birds or slam cages or act like a child.

Is it hot? I have a bird that will drink and drink when she's hot and then throw it up. She had me worried a few times this summer. But she just over fills on water. She also was 'sloshing' she had drank so much. Otherwise, she was panting. If you're really worried, (and she's not hot) you can massage her crop a bit, but just be careful if she is full of water. I really like the suggestion of probiotics. I use a powder probiotic that I got in the goat section. I top dress it on their food, or you can dump it in the water. It's GOOD to use after a round of antibiotics, too.


Yeah, the lady who has my bird is wanting to have a broody. I gave her two of my pullet culls. It is really interesting how the beak looked so much better as she got older. I'm glad I took the first pic early on as a chick, or I wouldn't have believed it.


Oh yes, she looks very nice! I don't have any idea what to tell you on color, so I hope she will still be judged! Great color!


Did you try to upload pictures to your Profile?? That is how I do it. Top of the page, the brown button that says "Profile". Then scroll nearly to the bottom and it should have your albums, etc. Click upload photos. Then go thru that process. All you have to do then is copy/paste into the Reply here. The picture will show up. You can do the same with any picture on the net-- just right click Copy and paste here. So if you have something saved in Photobucket, that also works.

The trick with getting good birds is knowing what to cull. And mostly, that will mean possibly half or more of your hatch when they grow out and you can see what faults they have. So you only work with your best. Don't work with anything that you don't want to see later on.

I just found a picture from a breeder's webpage of a buff calico

looks a lot like her just she has a darker head http://www.elitesilkies.net/sale-page-2.php
also porcelain as suggested, could be just wouldn't explain the spots :http://www.elitesilkies.net/porcelain.php