Silkie color?...*pics*

[Poulets De Cajun]

gotchooks? :

I read on here somewhere that buff isn't a 'natural' silkie color either and had to be 'introduced'. That being said, is the same true for grey? I mean do Silkie breeders have to cross 2 grey birds to ALWAYS get a grey at some point or will there be other colors thrown from this pairing?

Buff isn't a natural color. It was introduced through outcrossing. Just like the andalusian blue gene, and the lavender gene.

If I am not mistaken, the only natural color of Silkies, are white. Any other color was bred in by outcrossing. I'd have to check my notes but I believe that any other color of Silkie other than white was "man made."​

 

[Brokenegg]

The post above is correct, If you don't have a white Silkie, you have a Mutt, Foresure, probably Inbred to. We mix and match all colors of silkies and even the white's produce many colors, not just white. Pure? Whats that mean anymore? We just hatched a Blue from a white roo and a white hen?
Who really Care's, You do have a nice bird.

 

[paduanchook]

i bred my black silkie roo to my buff silkie hen and im getting grays nearly every time. since they are pets SQ was irrevelent but they are coming out quite nice. im just curious at the genetics of it, how does black and buff equal gray? if i bred them back to each other wud they stay gray or come out all colors? anyway, they are fun

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The way silkie breeding and exhibition work, a "mutt" is a bird that is either a cross-breed or doesn't match a variety colour/pattern. Notice I did not say a recognised variety. A crele or cuckoo or mille fleur or mottle or lavender would fit that distinction. The are genuine varieties, but not recognised for silkies. And there are breeders working on each of htese. Some seriously; some simply for fun.

A bird that conforms to the standard for a variety IS that variety, and will pass on the genes for that variety to its offspring.

In the original grey pullet in question, her father provided the silver gene, and at least one of her parents did NOT provide a copy of the recessive white gene. She also received the pattern gene, Pg, from at least one parent. This gene is very common in silkies of many varieties: white, blue, black, partridge, grey, splash for certain, and probably in buff as well.

As to whether the bird will breed true, it will depend on what she is bred to and whether she is homozygous or not for Pg. If bred to a male grey (who carries only silver), and if either is homozygous for Pg, they will breed true. If bred to partridge she will have grey sons and partridge daughters; if dad carries a copy of gold, it will probably show in his plumage and grey & partridge offspring of both genders will result.

About the only way to absolutely ensure you have a "pure" bird is to select varieties that require recessive genes: the genes will not show on a bird who isn't "pure" for those recessive alleles. But even then sports occur.

As for blackXbuff equaling grey, it has to do with the genes of those individual birds, not the overall varieties. Blacks are providing silver and one or both are providing Pg.

Are you noticing any gender differences in the variety of your offspring? With this breeding you shouldn't be able to have grey male offspring: they would all carry gold, which is dominant over silver, even if one copy of silver is inherited from dad.

 

[paduanchook]

they arent old enuf for me to sex them yet, but i had another one to hatch and its black, so it sounds like u may be right. I hope the grays are girls, that wud b nice

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

How old are the greys? Female greys and partridges have different plumage than male greys and partridges. The females have the concentric pencilling, whereas the males have different colours on different parts of their body.