Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[chickendales]

I agree, all of those eggs should be fertile. They should all hatch, unless something goes wrong. You can see ahead of time if an egg might not be as viable-- if the shell has clear spots in it (really porous) or if it's been sitting out too long, etc. So there are other variables. If you are not getting good fertility, could be too many hens, or he's just not doing a good job. I had that problem and now when I'm very serious about getting a good hatch and not a so/so one, I just AI them. Then I know everything is fertile. I also like the fact they don't have to be taken out of condition to breed to do that.

i think i well be AI ing next year too that way all my hens can run togeather and i just keep my boys in there own pens

 

[KMHunter]

Quote: Blue x Black= 50% Blue, 50% Black
Blue x Blue = 50% Blue, 25% Black, 25% Splash
Blue x Splash = 50% Blue, 50% Splash
Black x Splash= 100% Blue
Black x Black = 100% Black
Splash x Splash= 100% Splash

 

[Hawkeye95]

Yes I did, all clear

And my boyfriend and I are in the process of trying to buy a house so once we get our house I will be able to start. Right now I live in an apartment and can't have a bunch of little babies running all over

oh, that will be great getting into a home with a yard for chickens! Be sure to check your local ordinances for laws on chickens, or just look for homes in the farther suburbs or even rural areas so you can have your roosters!

So could you breed back to another silkie with a dark comb in hopes to keep the color right and darken the skin pigment? Or will you end up fudging the color?

And a bit of a stupid question, but since, I must ask because I didn't find it on all 130+ pages of this board...

How do we get splash? Can you breed a black and a white? Or do you have to start with two splash parents? I know it's elementary genetics...but I don't even have a silkie to breed yet

You can not breed white to anything except white. White is a recessive gene, and who knows what else in the background-- so you'll end up with colors you don't expect and are likely not what you want. Bad idea. Splash is already a standard color, so you don't make it. To get a splash, buy a splash. Or if you have blues, breed two blues and then you will have 25% chance of a splash. Of course, splash X splash will give you 100% splash. If you truly do have a black, then if you breed black X Splash you will get 100% blue-- no splash. If you get splash, then you don't really have a black bird, you actually have a dark blue.

blue X blue = 50% blue, 25% black, 25% splash
blue X black= 50% blue, 50% black
blue X splash= 50% blue, 50% splash
black X black= 100% black
splash X splash= 100% splash
Splash X black= 100% blue

 

[jrosemoore]

oh, that will be great getting into a home with a yard for chickens! Be sure to check your local ordinances for laws on chickens, or just look for homes in the farther suburbs or even rural areas so you can have your roosters!


You can not breed white to anything except white. White is a recessive gene, and who knows what else in the background-- so you'll end up with colors you don't expect and are likely not what you want. Bad idea. Splash is already a standard color, so you don't make it. To get a splash, buy a splash. Or if you have blues, breed two blues and then you will have 25% chance of a splash. Of course, splash X splash will give you 100% splash. If you truly do have a black, then if you breed black X Splash you will get 100% blue-- no splash. If you get splash, then you don't really have a black bird, you actually have a dark blue.

blue X blue = 50% blue, 25% black, 25% splash
blue X black= 50% blue, 50% black
blue X splash= 50% blue, 50% splash
black X black= 100% black
splash X splash= 100% splash
Splash X black= 100% blue

Thanks for that! I always had that question in my mind but didn't want to ask it since I feel like it is something I should just know. But realistically, I have yet to even breed a pair of silkies so I'd rather go into it with a good base of knowledge! With that, has anyone tried to bred a white with another color? What happens? Curious!

 

[Hawkeye95]

Thanks for that! I always had that question in my mind but didn't want to ask it since I feel like it is something I should just know. But realistically, I have yet to even breed a pair of silkies so I'd rather go into it with a good base of knowledge! With that, has anyone tried to bred a white with another color? What happens? Curious!

Yeah, on the other Silkie Thread, I have seen people go ahead and breed white to whatever color. If you're breeding for show, or to meet the standard, it's a waste of time. You just wind up with whatever is in the background of the birds and decides to be expressed. Well, of course, that is MY opinion. I just can't think of any good reason to breed a white to something other than white. Sonoran has explained about whites several times in a really excellent way. She does have a great way with explanations.

 

[Adoravachick]

how many girls do you keep with one boy

I've got 4 hens with one roo...all of the others are young, but they are in the same pen.

 

[peepblessed]

A big thank you for being so honest and open on evaluating my birds. I have been reading this thread for month now and I am learning something new everyday, so thanks again! I am struggling about the split feather even though it has been discussed many times. Eventually tomorrow I will add a picture of their wings because it is hard for me yet to distinguish split wings. Also, it is quite challenging to get a good shot at the correct moment because they move so much lol. I believe Berta is a dark blue which doesn't make me so happy because I wanting to add her to my black pen (knowing she is the sister of Maxime).
I have a dilemma with those chickens lol: My goal was to have 3 different pens: BBS, White and Black. The white and black shouldn't be an issue because they are/ will not be related, but my BBS they are all related. Therefore, I will have to cull my hens or my rooster and I don't wish to get rid of either of them!!! However, I don't have enough space to get two BBS and one white and black pens. My only option will be to forget about having a black pen and having two BBS pens and one white (wish bums me out) unless you guys suggest me otherwise. I see potential on Maxime, Berta and Sophie. They all have nice traits and I know they could give me very nice offsprings but if they are siblings, arg!!! I don't want take the chance.
They are still pretty young (around 6 months old), but Berta is the only one who is getting this nice bonnet. Do you think the other ones as they get older could possibly get a nicer crest or will the crest stay small? Anyways I am more than open to get more suggestions about this sibling issue. Thank you!

You can get beautiful blacks from a BBS pen.

I think that I have been having some fertility issues within my flock. What percentage of eggs should be fertile? During the incubation, what percentage usually quits early on or later on, etc?
In addition to trimming the fluff around the vent, what other factor could be contributing to decreased fertility? What feed is recommended for a laying and breeding flock?
Also, can having grow outs in the same pen as the layers somehow distract the rooster?

I've got 4 hens with one roo...all of the others are young, but they are in the same pen.

Do you know which girls are laying which eggs? I had one girl that the the roo didn't like or she didn't like him. The girls should have white powder residue around their vent if they are getting bred.

 

[ChicksNherps]

oh, that will be great getting into a home with a yard for chickens! Be sure to check your local ordinances for laws on chickens, or just look for homes in the farther suburbs or even rural areas so you can have your roosters!

The one we are striving for is a farm house with a barn and 4 acres =)

 

[LaPetiteFarmer]

Here we go thanks to you I found the answer. I will have two have two BBS pens, one with a splash roo and the other one with a black roo and I will still get beautiful black silkies until I see how Maxime matures! Thank you so much to clear my head lol!

 

[Hawkeye95]

The one we are striving for is a farm house with a barn and 4 acres =)

yep, that sounds perfect! You'll be buying a zero turn lawn mower with all of that! LOL We fenced in the back 7 acres of our property, and only mow the front 3 acres, and still takes a while to get it mowed. I want to turn another acre into a seasonal grass pasture so I don't have to mow it anymore.

I'm mulling the idea of sheep over... haha! My DH will want to kill me! The horses already eat $100 of grain each week.