well Dumor has a 20% but that's still lower than what I want and it's crumbles. I want pellets.
you dont want use pellets on chicks under 4 months
You will often see almost white feathers on the feet sometimes in them. Another common thing is white feather shafting especially in the wing primaries. I remember reading about it in Sigi's book... page 59 they show a close picture. She specifically states in there that white feather shafts in primaries is not a fault, but gold in one feather is. If you ever bathe your silkies you will notice on their foot feathers, there are thick quills coming out of the foot. If that shafting on them is light, it gives the appearance of lighter feathers too. I showed a black pullet back in 2010 that I knew was a straight black breeding. She was a typey lil gal, but did have some light feathers on her feet. Under Eric Kutch, she took 4th out of 17 black pullets in a show up here. Later that fall I shipped her down to FL and she did VERY well at a major double show. Judge never said a word in either time about the color there. Personally I worry more about overall body type and feather quality than some of the nitpicky lil details that may only be 1-2 points in the scheme of things.
I'm also going to bring up another point from Sigi's book about blacks that many may find interesting. This is a direct quote from page 59 too... "A few coloured feathers in the rooster's hackle can't be prevented because of the genetical background. Most are melanized Asiatic partridges. In their first year cockerels have black hackle, but after hormonal maturity (18 months) and their second molt, gold or silver breaks through." Now I personally see this ALOT. I get rid of cockerels that show any hackle color in their first year. I have an amazing black boy that got it just a hint of gold as a 2 year old. The original breeder of that bird's parents said her old black male got his about 5 years old. I had another black male from a different line that I just passed on to another breeder last week. He was an early 2009 hatch and still was jet black. He was only my back-up though and I had another nice cockerel to replace him this year. Now if I listen to the old wyndotte and cochin breeders from my poultry club, they claim that if you have a cock with just a hint of gold emerging later on in life to use that bird in your breeding pen. Supposedly you will see your richest, darkest blacks from that crossing.
This is my 3 year old male... All those previous pics I showed would be babies from him. He's the one that devoloped just a slight gold as a 2 year old. Old guys must know something I guess. His babies are about as pitch black as you can get. First 2 pics were from early last year. You can see just a hint of gold on that current pic from this year on last one. (scuse the molting hen too...)
Thank you so much for this in depth info!You will often see almost white feathers on the feet sometimes in them. Another common thing is white feather shafting especially in the wing primaries. I remember reading about it in Sigi's book... page 59 they show a close picture. She specifically states in there that white feather shafts in primaries is not a fault, but gold in one feather is. If you ever bathe your silkies you will notice on their foot feathers, there are thick quills coming out of the foot. If that shafting on them is light, it gives the appearance of lighter feathers too. I showed a black pullet back in 2010 that I knew was a straight black breeding. She was a typey lil gal, but did have some light feathers on her feet. Under Eric Kutch, she took 4th out of 17 black pullets in a show up here. Later that fall I shipped her down to FL and she did VERY well at a major double show. Judge never said a word in either time about the color there. Personally I worry more about overall body type and feather quality than some of the nitpicky lil details that may only be 1-2 points in the scheme of things.
I'm also going to bring up another point from Sigi's book about blacks that many may find interesting. This is a direct quote from page 59 too... "A few coloured feathers in the rooster's hackle can't be prevented because of the genetical background. Most are melanized Asiatic partridges. In their first year cockerels have black hackle, but after hormonal maturity (18 months) and their second molt, gold or silver breaks through." Now I personally see this ALOT. I get rid of cockerels that show any hackle color in their first year. I have an amazing black boy that got it just a hint of gold as a 2 year old. The original breeder of that bird's parents said her old black male got his about 5 years old. I had another black male from a different line that I just passed on to another breeder last week. He was an early 2009 hatch and still was jet black. He was only my back-up though and I had another nice cockerel to replace him this year. Now if I listen to the old wyndotte and cochin breeders from my poultry club, they claim that if you have a cock with just a hint of gold emerging later on in life to use that bird in your breeding pen. Supposedly you will see your richest, darkest blacks from that crossing.
This is my 3 year old male... All those previous pics I showed would be babies from him. He's the one that devoloped just a slight gold as a 2 year old. Old guys must know something I guess. His babies are about as pitch black as you can get. First 2 pics were from early last year. You can see just a hint of gold on that current pic from this year on last one. (scuse the molting hen too...)
Haha! Pretty funny! You started it!!
