Silkie breeding, genetics & showing

[chickendales]

Okay, I'm back from the ASBC E. Nationals. We did pretty good-- I didn't expect to win anything at all, so we're really happy with our placings. I met up with several other silkie ladies-- Bren from Birds of Paradise, Chris from Touchwood Silkies and several other ladies and of course, our Junior exhibitors! (my son included).

Blue Partridge, BV (Open) 2nd Place, Splash Pullet (my son-Juniors) 3rd Place, Splash Pullet (my son-Juniors)

1st Place, Splash Cockerel (my son) my son-- Intermediate Showmanship

Me. (Open) 2nd Place, Intermediate Showmanship

Oh-- Open Show: and I forgot to mention that my cockerels in Blue-- also placed 4th and 5th out of a large class.
I had a Splash pullet that placed 1st in her class as well.

congrats

 

[littlecritters]

Hi my son Cody Granatier competed at the Silkie Nationals yesterday and won JR Grand Champion of the Show with his white silkie hen Buttons as well as Ch Bantam..Ch Featherleg and BB and his black hen Paparazzi won JR Res Champion of the show...he also won BV/RV splash...BV partridge..BV/RV black...BV/RV buff and Champion and Res Champion AOV with his self blue creams,,,this is a line up of his angels all BV and Show Champion and Res Champion.....it was a day for the silkies as they defeated all the other breeds of poultry and waterfowl theer in the jr show.in Sedalia Missouri...Congrats to Cody all your hardwork paid off .

Congratulations! What a beautiful picture.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: Cuckoo is the pattern of messy barring. Without a specified descriptor, it is with white bars. By adding the word blue as a descriptor, you now have a blue bird with white bars.

Isn't cuckoo typically a blue feather with white bars? Like the Barred Rock - which is obviously barred rather than cuckoo but still the same barring gene. Just wondering how you would know it was a "blue cuckoo" v just a plain old cuckoo. I guess you can add the barring gene to any colour? Do we have black barred or cuckoo birds? (I'm going to have to get my books out again ....

)
Cuckoo and barred are black with white bars. Genetic difference is the fast versus slow feathering gene. Blue cuckoo or blue barred adds in the blue gene.

cuckoo/barred is B/B or B/- bl+/bl+
blue cuckoo/barred is B/B or B/- Bl/bl+

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I went and looked at your gallery. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing that. So wings are one of the traits that can't be culled for early on. I'm glad to know that because I was close to letting go of some young chicks that might have turned out great

I think severe of wing issues can be IDed earlier on. You might not want to get rid of the bird without giving it a chance to improve its wing posture, but then again, you might.

I NEVER used to see bad wings. Now I see it a LOT. Worst I used to see was wings held at a more vertical angle than the standard, but definitely not slipped or split, and not weak.

 

[CluckyCharms]

Can someone point me to the right link here on the site (or somewhere else is fine too) regarding how to properly groom Silkies? I've seen one site already, that many have linked in various areas, but it does not say on that site *how* to brush these birds. It says to use a fleacomb but doesn't say which direction to brush, how gently, in what manner, where, or how. Do you brush up down left right? Do you brush each individual feather area and brush away from the shaft in any direction or what? lol! Additionally, they say you're supposed to trim and file their beaks??? Doesn't that cause them pain?

 

[chickendales]

Can someone point me to the right link here on the site (or somewhere else is fine too) regarding how to properly groom Silkies? I've seen one site already, that many have linked in various areas, but it does not say on that site *how* to brush these birds. It says to use a fleacomb but doesn't say which direction to brush, how gently, in what manner, where, or how. Do you brush up down left right? Do you brush each individual feather area and brush away from the shaft in any direction or what? lol! Additionally, they say you're supposed to trim and file their beaks??? Doesn't that cause them pain?

you dont brush silkies and flea comb just get poop off the dirty feathers

 

[CluckyCharms]

Ugh..half the info I find on it is balogna then? nice to know. LOL So wash and a blow dry does the trick? Or is that not done either?

 

[fluffyfeathers]

I will definitely keep that in mind. These chicks are very young but one looks like it isn't folding its wings properly. If it continues I will post pics and see what you guys think.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

DragonLady and Sonoran,
I know of breeders who use AI and then let the broody moms hatch the eggs. I know of other breeders who use natural breeding but collect the eggs to hatch and raise in an incubator. Have you seen any pros/cons or benefits to either method? The issue of slipped/split wing has made me question whether there is an association with the method of hatching and brooding?

Silkies are a broody breed, but they go broody on their own schedule, not mine. I don't think wing issues are because of natural versus artificial incubation. I suppose it is possible: the 5th toe may not form if he temperatures are too low during the first few days of incubation. But if artificial incubation were the cause, I would expect that wing issues would have been going on for a very long time rather than being a relatively recent phenomena.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote: It depends on Mama/ If Mama is comfortable with you handling her and the chicks, the chicks will be fine. If Mama is a wild thing, then she will teach the chicks to be, too.