Silkie color Question

[Minniechickmama]

I hatched three Silkie chicks in March. I know one is a black pullet. I know the other two are pullet and a cockerel. The question I am looking for an answer to is...
The blue pullet, is she just the regular blue or self blue?
And the cockerel, he is blue, but why would he have the silver hackles? It is almost like a Birchen coloring, but so far, this is the only silver feathering I see.
Any opinion about them would be nice too.
I have a hatchery splash in there too if you notice her at all.

The two of them together.

Thanks for you help!

 

[Minniechickmama]

Ha! I missed seeing little Flapper the black pullet poking out between the pair at the end

 

[Smoky73]

They are andalusian blue the standard blue color. If it was lavender(self blue), they would be consistantly a nice even shade of blue much lighter than what you have and no variation.

Your cockerel must carry a silver gene to get the silver hackles, if you do not plan to show, I would not worry, he is very pretty. My blacks carry a silver gene and the cockerels get a tiny bit of silver. IMO, silver in better than gold in black and blue.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I must be confused, I read on another thread not too long ago that self blue and lavender at two separate genes. I understand the andalusian blue coloring and there are shades of blue from dark to light, that is not a problem. She is a much lighter blue than he is. I think what I had read is that the self blue have the blue shaft in the feathers along with the blue of the fluff/barbs/whatever you call the rest of the feather on Silkies. Hers are that way, all blue. I thought that lavender was a bit lighter shade too.
Thanks for the input though Smoky73. I am glad to hear that this isn't some weird thing I got here. I got them from a breeder who has some nice SQ birds, and they look WAY better than the hatchery stock I got and got rid of this spring. I did keep the splash from the hatchery, but the rest were either huge for a Silkie or they had single comb.

 

[ultasol]

Self blue is lavender... completely different gene than blue (andalusian blue). Lavender does not act in the same way as the andalusian blue gene.

Your pullet is blue.

 

[Minniechickmama]

Understood and thank you.

 

[SilkieTime]

I love the first blue one. That is a real nice looking blue.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The term "self blue" means several different things. As a variety in the US, it is almost always lavender, but it is possible to instead be a uniformly coloured non-laced andalusian blue. In some countries, that is the definition of self blue, and lavender is called pearl grey or lavender.

Genetic names and variety names are not one and the same.

 

[Minniechickmama]

I got the eggs from reesepoultry. She has lavenders or at least the gene in her flock, but I never thought her to be a Lav, but a blue. She was a bit lighter than the rest as a small chick, but slowly feathered into what you see in the picture. And I know the pictures are really good to judge their quality, they were nervous about being in the grass since they have only been on shavings until now. Once they get out and run around I will try to post some good pictures. I got them for my daughter, and she is happy. I also don't mind the fact that they are going to be some brooders next spring if I can get them to set.

Of couse, my daughter picks the hatchery Splash pullet to want to take to the fair for her Cloverbud project.

Whatever makes her happy, it is all for fun this year for her.
thanks for all the answers, folks.

 

[joe17]

Isnt the silver in the your roosters hackles considered a bad fault? I thought you wanted a solid black.