Silkie breeding question?

[ChickenWhisperer101]

I know this doesn’t exactly pertain to your question, but this is my silkie chick that I hatched the other day! I put 4 silkie eggs in the incubator and only got 1 chick, but that’s okay I guess. This chick is the result of a black rooster over a white hen. I bought the parents from someone a few months ago, so don’t know if the parents have any hidden colors that they carry or not.

The parents

 

[Linda1218]

Thanks!
Please post photos of your chicks when they hatch!
I honestly learned most of what I know by reading the genetics threads here on BYC.
The chicken color calculator can be helpful, but takes a bit of time to understand how to use it.
Understanding how to use a Punnett square also helps in figuring out recessive genes.
If you did not learn about genetics in school, I would recommend basic genetics to start with to understand how traits are passed down.
Unless your birds are pure for color, then it can be very hard to predict what chicks will look like. Can be almost impossible to know what recessive traits they may carry.
Many silkie breeders keep their silkies in separate color pens for this reason, so they can be sure what colors the chicks will be.
https://kippenjungle.nl/basisEN.htm

There are several BYC members that are better versed in genetics than I.

Thank you so much for the info it super helpful .. I been at it for 2 years chicken keeping but this my first time breeding Silkie so far 3 hatching clutch so far and I been learning so much from it and also here . I do get into trouble with 4 toes sometimes n light skin which a few people don’t like and it interesting learning different things in breeding .

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Thank you so much for the info it super helpful .. I been at it for 2 years chicken keeping but this my first time breeding Silkie so far 3 hatching clutch so far and I been learning so much from it and also here . I do get into trouble with 4 toes sometimes n light skin which a few people don’t like and it interesting learning different things in breeding .

A couple of my purebred Silkies this go round only have 4 toes! Both parents have great feet with 5 toes. A few of my Polkies which are 75% silkie and 25% Polish have five toes!
I had some chicks hatch last season that had six toes on each foot! Go figure
It is difficult to fully understand/predict the polydactyly gene in silkies. Part of this is genetics and part of it is incubating conditions.
If you are breeding paints, then you will get some with light skin. It is due to the dominant white genetics. Often the light skin will darken as the chick gets older.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I know this doesn’t exactly pertain to your question, but this is my silkie chick that I hatched the other day! I put 4 silkie eggs in the incubator and only got 1 chick, but that’s okay I guess. This chick is the result of a black rooster over a white hen. I bought the parents from someone a few months ago, so don’t know if the parents have any hidden colors that they carry or not. View attachment 2869172

The parents View attachment 2869176View attachment 2869177

Your white hen in this case is likely a recessive white so the chicks will be black. you can test breed and see if you get more chicks. If you get any solid white or paint chicks from her with the black rooster then she is a dominant white.

 

[Linda1218]

A couple of my purebred Silkies this go round only have 4 toes! Both parents have great feet with 5 toes. A few of my Polkies which are 75% silkie and 25% Polish have five toes!
I had some chicks hatch last season that had six toes on each foot! Go figure
It is difficult to fully understand/predict the polydactyly gene in silkies. Part of this is genetics and part of it is incubating conditions.
If you are breeding paints, then you will get some with light skin. It is due to the dominant white genetics. Often the light skin will darken as the chick gets older.

Nice to no!!! I recently got a better incubator a nurture 360 and going to hatch another batch in 2 weeks . Oh remember that one chick I post if it was splash or paint here’s a updated pic .

 

[ChickenWhisperer101]

Your white hen in this case is likely a recessive white so the chicks will be black. you can test breed and see if you get more chicks. If you get any solid white or paint chicks from her with the black rooster then she is a dominant white.

I will likely breed her and my 4 other silkie hens next year.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Nice to no!!! I recently got a better incubator a nurture 360 and going to hatch another batch in 2 weeks . Oh remember that one chick I post if it was splash or paint here’s a updated pic .

Little sweetie!
Looks paint to me.

 

[NatJ]

I’d also like to know if you can tell what kind of comb a bird will have when it’s a chick

Depending on what genes your Silkies have, you might get walnut combs, rose combs, pea combs, or single combs.

If you look carefully at the baby chicks, the single combs should be pretty obvious (tiny, miniature single combs. They are thin, with points on top, and they stand up.) Walnut combs and rose combs should be wider and flat when the chick is young. Pea combs might look like the walnut or rose combs, or might look a little different. Pea combs are the only ones I might mix up with single combs when the chicks are young-- but since a Silkie is not really supposed to have either of those, it won't really matter if you mix them up.

 

[Linda1218]

Little sweetie!
Looks paint to me.

Yes I’m hoping it’s a hen but with my luck I’m getting none but Roos out off all the chicks I been hatching I have one hen so far ..

 

[Feather Down Silkies]

Depending on what genes your Silkies have, you might get walnut combs, rose combs, pea combs, or single combs.

If you look carefully at the baby chicks, the single combs should be pretty obvious (tiny, miniature single combs. They are thin, with points on top, and they stand up.) Walnut combs and rose combs should be wider and flat when the chick is young. Pea combs might look like the walnut or rose combs, or might look a little different. Pea combs are the only ones I might mix up with single combs when the chicks are young-- but since a Silkie is not really supposed to have either of those, it won't really matter if you mix them up.

Thank you very much!