Silkie color confusion...

[Sonoran Silkies]

I htink purple sheen is related to carrying red? I'll have to look that one up. I do know that the beetle green is feather structure.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
It's something like that. I once had a black bird with a purple sheen, while its hatchmates had green. According to some of our mutual friends, it had something to do with the structure or something like that. I can't remember the details, I just know that I was told if you have one with purple to remove it from the breeding pen.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Got it. Autosomal red gives the violet sheen. If absent, there is a green sheen.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Well, there are varieties where autosomal red (Ar+) is desired or needed, but having it when not needed can dfefinitely cause problems. It's what is responsible for calicos--regardless of which type you mean: splash or grey, and also for the patchiness in colour of some buffs.

Pretty much any variety that has red shoulders should have Ar+.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
So how much does it have to do with red/gold hackles in blacks?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I don't think it does or doesn't relate--that is caused by a lack of melanizers, sometimes referred to as recessive black (rb), although it is not a single gene, but rather a group of genes that extend black colour into areas that are not normally black, such as the hackles.

 

[Bat Cave Silkies]

I'm just gonna' have to get brave enough--or is it patient enough--to try and get the pics OUT of the digital camera that I got for Christmas...

The black bird in question is a hen---solid black, slight greening to the wing feathers, but has a "smoky black" color in the fluff of her butt.

The 3 self blues are pullets I just bought--and I'm sure their color will change over time. But the adults the breeder had did NOT have an allover slaty blue appearance. The adults had varying shades of blue, with some dark barring in the wings, and dark areas on the crest.

I know pics would make this so much easier---sorry

But thank you ALL for your assistance

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Interesting indeed. Its amazing how much of this stuff you start to forget when you dont look at it or read it everyday.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
Without seeing the birds your talking about, I do know that some lavenders have a slight barring in the hackles or primary wing feathers. Some of them also have a 'smutiness' in their top knots.

And then there is always the chance that you got splash that are being sold as lavenders. I've seen that happen in recent years as well.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Your black sould like a black. Your "blues" sould like they are andausian blue or splash even. If they are blue/splash, they can ALSO be lavender, but the phenotype is closer to blue/slpash than to lavender. And they should still be fairly light in shade.