Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[Sonoran Silkies]

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?

Were you holding the bird when it threw up? If so, my guess is that you pressed on the crop area while it still had water in there. As for whether there is a problem, keep an eye on the bird, checking every few hours to see how the crop does/does not change, and how much the bird does/does not eat and drink. If the crop stays the way you describe, there could be an issue with sour crop, however, it could just be that you were checking the bird when it had a crop full of water.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Impacted crop would feel like there is a baseball inside the crop (very hard and full); sour crop feels sort of like described; inflated and kind of a mushy feel. But don't jump onto thinking there is a serious issue based upon a single point in time observation of the crop. Keep watch over how it does or does not change over time, as well as other behaviors that seem normal or like she is in distress.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

This reminds me a great deal of this, but younger.

 

[littlecritters]

This                                         reminds me a great deal of this, but younger.
 

That winning bird is exactly what popped into my mind when I saw Hawkeyes picture! Should this be the type we strive to produce with our breeding programs?

 

[littlecritters]

I found these excellent, well written articles for those of us new to showing.

Showing for the new exhibitor and visitors ---> http://www.poultrycongress.com/info.html#anchor_16

How to read a coop tag and sample entry form ---> http://www.poultrycongress.com/how_to_read_a_coop_tag.pdf

***the bath pics are all so cute***

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Oh yeah!

 

[jrosemoore]

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.

Perfectly said!

 

[Hawkeye95]

This reminds me a great deal of this, but younger.

OMGosh!!! that could almost BE my bird.... except that amazing bird on the right also has an amazing crest to go with her.

LOL! My new bird has such a beat up looking small crest. I hope I can get some really good babies out of her!

 

[Hawkeye95]

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

Your bird looks like a buff with a LOT of silver leakage (which BTW, is gorgeous). Or maybe it would be a silver/white bird with gold/buff leakage.... hehe! I don't know. It's a really beautiful oops color.

Perfectly said!

Well, I have to keep reminding myself about this when I get a beautiful bird but something is wrong with it. I have to pry my fingers off of it and sell it. LOL I actually gave two of my culls to a friend of mine who wanted broodies and they were both stunning-- amazing type, better than my others, which I could just cry. Of course that beautiful type would happen on birds that also had that wing issue I fell into (no thanks to myself) this year. SO YEAH... if you don't want to see it later, don't breed it! Boy did I eat that one this year. Good lesson I guess. I'll never do it again and I'm having a much easier time letting go of birds and being pickier.

 

[Hawkeye95]

I found these excellent, well written articles for those of us new to showing.
Showing for the new exhibitor and visitors ---> http://www.poultrycongress.com/info.html#anchor_16
How to read a coop tag and sample entry form ---> http://www.poultrycongress.com/how_to_read_a_coop_tag.pdf
***the bath pics are all so cute***

thanks, those are great links! I love that it listed the names of the publications to be checking for local shows. I need to get my own copy of Poultry Press, right now, my cousin (who raises and shows pigeons) gives me his paper after he reads it. That's really the lazy way to go about it.