Silkie Breeding Questions

[NatJ]

We can take this chat into a conversation so we don't take up, @Egg Snatcher's thread?

That's a good point, but I think there are some other people reading it too, so a new thread makes more sense. Here we go:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/discussing-details-of-mottled-chicken-genetics.1428670/

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

I would for sure invest some money into the SOP book. The comb on yours is as horrible as my "show quality craigslist" silkies. But with time effort and generations you can probably get some nice looking stock. None of mine to date even have melanistic bones, though they have the blue ears, 5 toes, and other decent features. I am currently removing all of my silkie roosters from the gene pool and no longer incubating their eggs in hopes of ending that line. However, the nefarious silkies have their own plan to grab a load of eggs and run off to hide them somewhere, brood and keep coming back.

I did make an interesting to me discovery recently with a silkiexBlack sumatra and rediscovered dormant genes on the Sumatra line as all of the whites from the silkie were replaced in a Black Breasted Red Pattern supposedly they(sumatra) had this color in the 1850's.

View attachment 2392472

Your silkie x Sumatra isn’t black breasted red. You mentioned that the silkie involved in the cross has white. If that extra white is on its hackles, saddle feathers, or chest, but not in any sort of pattern, then it’s called silver leakage. It’s very common for silkies to have leakage, because they are often crossed between varieties. And, because of their silkied feathering, it’s not as important (to hatcheries and backyard keepers, at least) to breed the leakage out.
Here’s how it happened- your silkie passed on their leakage to their son. However, the Sumatra must have had a gold gene (all solid black birds have a gold and/or silver gene, even if they don’t have leakage). So, instead of silver leakage, the mixed roo got gold/red leakage from the gold gene he inherited from the Sumatra.
You see, the leakage/pattern is from the silkie, but the color (gold/red) is from the Sumatra.

That's fine, if you want to try. I believe my birds carry a Dominant mottling gene. Not the recessive.

Gonna test breed Squeakers to my silkie hens, to see if I can replicate BigFoot.

Also gonna Breed Phoenix (OEGB) to the D'uccle hen again to see if I can get a Female version of Squeakers.

I accidentally sold a OEGB/D'uccle cross to someone who wanted silkies, or silkie crosses. She didn't seem to mind though, cuz she's a friend. It was during the summer.

I will respond to this on @NatJ ’s thread.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Your silkie x Sumatra isn’t black breasted red. You mentioned that the silkie involved in the cross has white. If that extra white is on its hackles, saddle feathers, or chest, but not in any sort of pattern, then it’s called silver leakage. It’s very common for silkies to have leakage, because they are often crossed between varieties. And, because of their silkied feathering, it’s not as important (to hatcheries and backyard keepers, at least) to breed the leakage out.
Here’s how it happened- your silkie passed on their leakage to their son. However, the Sumatra must have had a gold gene (all solid black birds have a gold and/or silver gene, even if they don’t have leakage). So, instead of silver leakage, the mixed roo got gold/red leakage from the gold gene he inherited from the Sumatra.
You see, the leakage/pattern is from the silkie, but the color (gold/red) is from the Sumatra.

I will respond to this on @NatJ ’s thread.

Thank you I was just surprised at the way these genes expressed, and to see:

+


=




I'll be clearing out all silkie Cockerel mixes from the flock soon, except this new one. He can stay. With no plans to allow silkie eggs to be incubated in the future. I am going back to an all Sumatra flock.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

We can take this chat into a conversation so we don't take up, @Egg Snatcher's thread?

It's good info on stuff I never considered in breeding. It might help.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

At the top I made a breeding chart of how to make a pure bred. Am I correct? If not please tell me

Do any of these crosses look interesting that I should do?

 

[Amer]

View attachment 2413179
At the top I made a breeding chart of how to make a pure bred. Am I correct? If not please tell me

Do any of these crosses look interesting that I should do?

For the most part yet. If it represents the SOP for the breed and breeds true it is that breed. I don’t see any outstanding crosses there but I’m also not someone who crosses birds.

 

[MysteryChicken]

View attachment 2413179
At the top I made a breeding chart of how to make a pure bred. Am I correct? If not please tell me

Do any of these crosses look interesting that I should do?

The lavender silkie crosses look interesting.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

For the most part yet. If it represents the SOP for the breed and breeds true it is that breed. I don’t see any outstanding crosses there but I’m also not someone who crosses birds.

Thanks. I didn't know if I was waiting it out right.

@MysteryChicken, I think that was Amereacauna and silkie cross.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Thanks. I didn't know if I was waiting it out right.

@MysteryChicken, I think that was Amereacauna and silkie cross.

Okay, it may work with Porcelain D'uccle too. I'll take a picture of the Porcelain D'uccle/Silkie cross today.

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Do any of these crosses look interesting that I should do?

That all depends on your personal preference. That’s the cool thing about mutts- they don’t have to conform to a standard, so their traits are entirely decided by the person breeding them (and genetics). Personally, I would go for the most unique coloring possible, but that’s just what I would do. Mix the chickens you want to mix.