Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[aoxa]

My Orps thank you!
If you have a correct Partridge hen or pullet, and you can see true partridge markings over the wings, most judges will use them if they have superior type.You can't just call a bird with a black crest, red,or wheaten chest,  tan and grey back, etc,. a partridge.All those feathers, smoothed down, should show a partridge pattern, just like a gray should be a chinchilla grey, not another breed's grey. So many people don't read far enough in the ABA standard about grey, and miss the Silkie Grey. I bought 8 very good chinchilla grey silkies on traders' row one time from a very experienced breeder who had never finished reading the color on Grey in Silkies. He kept the incorrect ones described earlier in the standard!

I know what a silkie grey is I've never seen one in person, but I have read up on a thread here where there were actual images of greys, and boy are they beautiful.

Here is that picture I found.

I'd love to have some greys!

 

[AFChick]

I know what a silkie grey is

I've never seen one in person, but I have read up on a thread here where there were actual images of greys, and boy are they beautiful.

Here is that picture I found.

I'd love to have some greys!



One of my young cockerels out of my grey pen- He's 18 weeks as of today

 

[aoxa]

Question, how do you know he's a he? Looks VERY girly to me

 

[thedragonlady]

Question, how do you know he's a he? Looks VERY girly to me

Xs 2 !

 

[thedragonlady]

These are " The Terrible Triplets" taken at the APA semi-annual meet in Dalton, Ga. in 1988. Very polite sisters, who took turns winning! They were by the same White cock bird, who sired my buff, out of my 8 year old Black hen, Mamma. Notice that the grey is a very correct chinchilla grey, with a very even frosting. That's what you're shooting for.

 

[Hawkeye95]

Hawkeye,

I no longer have a good place to keep them, and being newly married, don't want to tempt myself with showing on a regular basis. I've always had LF too, and I've always wanted to breed Buff Orps. I had a chance to buy some really great Imported English Buff Orps, and I jumped at it. Hubby loves the eggs too!

Shorty still owes me two trios if I ever want back in! He's safe for now......

OOPS! My favorite colors were always the ones you could win with...White, Black, Grey, Buff, and Partridge. Too many people trying to show too many experimental colors, as novices now.Get the beginners to buy and READ a standard!

congrats on your new marriage. I'm not into all of those AOV colors, for sure. There are a few that are just darned neat, and other that seem just messy-- like the calicos. But I love the Columbian and wish that one would get more people behind it. I've looked at the Grey and thought that would be a really beautiful color to work with. But how hard is it to keep the silver leakage just right where it's supposed to be and not get all over the body? The young Grey that was just shown above-- it has the more messy leakage all over the body. Are they a difficult color to work with? BBS isn't super hard, but you do get leakage from time to time, and you get blues that are super dark, when the more correct color would be a lighter body with a darker head. I have a Blue Partridge (it was an oops egg) that has the more correct blue with darker head. But those greys are so striking.

Been reading up on the posts lately. I used to own a dairy goat. If you are ever considering owning one remember that you have to find someone to milk it if you go away, even for a day, and that isn't exactly the normal type of pet sitting most people like to sign up for.
I have heard that partridge colored silkies are harder to win with. I have three and am not even sure if I should enter them in my first poultry show. I'm worried I will be embarrassd. We'll see, I guess. I'm really trying to get back on the right path and stick to just white or black.
Oh and hay prices---that's the number one reason I don't own a horse. Who's to say our chicken feed won't break the bank soon enough though?

yeah, hay alone could kill you off. I remember the day when I used to buy a round bale for $20! Now they are $80+!! It's ridiculous!!! And the smaller square are just a rip off.

I know what a silkie grey is

I've never seen one in person, but I have read up on a thread here where there were actual images of greys, and boy are they beautiful.

Here is that picture I found.

I'd love to have some greys!

Yeah, I LOVE this color. I've looked at the greys many times, but the BEST ones seem to have a better controlled silver (like this one). Just wondering how difficult that is. I love my silkies, but I'm not one to just jump into a color without thinking it through and then figure out it's extremely difficult to stay to the standard and not be able to show them because the color is all over the place. But these are just gorgeous!

 

[Hawkeye95]

These are " The Terrible Triplets" taken at the APA semi-annual meet in Dalton, Ga. in 1988. Very polite sisters, who took turns winning! They were by the same White cock bird, who sired my buff, out of my 8 year old Black hen, Mamma. Notice that the grey is a very correct chinchilla grey, with a very even frosting. That's what you're shooting for.

Very beautiful!

 

[AFChick]

Question, how do you know he's a he? Looks VERY girly to me

I never say "she" for any reason with this line until I'm absolutely positive- It's easier to say "he" and be pleasantly surprised LOL Actually though, this one is on track the same as his father as far as development and comb. I would LOVE for it to be a hen, but I know as soon as I say "hen" it's gonna crow

That's just my luck

 

[thedragonlady]

Thank you! These girls were the hatch of a lifetime.

 

[aoxa]

I never say "she" for any reason with this line until I'm absolutely positive- It's easier to say "he" and be pleasantly surprised LOL  Actually though, this one is on track the same as his father as far as development and comb.  I would LOVE for it to be a hen, but I know as soon as I say "hen"  it's gonna crow That's just my luck

I'm the opposite. I say girl so much it has to be true. Worked for my turkeys!