Silkie Cross Thread!! PICS!!

[ESofVA]

I think I'll hatch a big batch of this cross when the hen starts laying again. I just thought it was odd that all of the chicks came out looking identical. And they're all black! The Silkie rooster is buff (smutty), the hen black, so I though some partridge chicks would pop out. But, I'm a genetics dummy so

I'm trying to upload some recent pics of my chicks, but the mobile website is being a pain (or maybe its my phone). One of them isn't far from being mostly feathered. The other only has a few tiny wing feathers and a couple of foot feathers. Its a funny looking little thing, still all covered in chick down!

Some of the chicks I've hatched a raised that was mixes, the girls grew their feathers way faster then the males. So you might have a boy and girl.
In the cross I have been starting for myself and among the 21 of my first chicks, I have 4 that have yet to get all of their feathers on their backs. They all hatched from 2 to 2 1/2 months ago. 3 are pullets and one is a cockerel. They are soooooo slow growing but at least I can see that since the oldest of them is now getting some back feathers there is hope that the others do, too!
Has anyone else had Silkie crosses where some of the chicks were so slow in feathering?
I guess if they didn't grow in they would be "naked backs" instead of necks!!!

 

[ESofVA]

Guess I just need to put my chicks on the grass before I take pics

Yep...me too! I have been watching s few of my chicks trying to decide for sure which are pullets an which are not.

 

[ihavechickens2]

these are some silkie mixed chicks. dad was a white silkie to both of them.
this one i think is a mix with a orpington, not sure though.
( BTW ,i dont know why they have 7 toes instead of 6 like a silkie)
.






and this ones mom was a partridge rock.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Cute! Silkies (and their mixes) can have more or less toes than they're supposed to have....which is 5

 

[ihavechickens2]

Cute! Silkies (and their mixes) can have more or less toes than they're supposed to have....which is 5

Oh yeah, I new that. Sorry.

 

[JaimeLynn20]

I have read that if the chick has black skin like a silkie it's a girl. I have some Cochin/Silkies that are pink skinned that are boys. Is this true for large breeds too? I have some that just hatched that are silkie/Easter egger mix.

 

[BandofBantams]

All of my chickens are just a year old but doing well. It started out as a fun project for my sons & I, so we have a hodgepodge of chickens, chosen for their calm temperament. Hens are-- 2 Buff Orpingtons, 2 Black Laced Silver Wyandottes, 1 Black Bantam Frizzle, 1 Bantam Americana & 1 Splash Cochin/Frizzle bantam. 1 White Silkie Roo (non-bearded). So, 3 hens went broody---Mabel, Orpington, hatched 4 chicks, Smoke, Splash Cochin Frizzle, hatched 4, but 2 were killed either by her or other hens, 1 died for no apparent reason & 1 survived & doing great (Peepers), but hen attacks, so it's in the broody box. Rose, Americana, is due to hatch any day.

What I find interesting is that all 5 surviving chicks have the 5 toes & feathered feet. Since this was just a see if anything hatches there were eggs from all the hens because they all share nesting boxes, not because none are available but by preference. I'm going to have to check skin now that I see pullets will carry the Silkie darker coloring & cockerels will be lighter.

Here is a picture of Peepers

 

[ihavechickens2]

Bandoffeathers

That looks like one of my old Orpington mix with white silkie chick, so it's prolly Orpington mix silkie.

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

Here's an updated picture of my Sizzle chicks. I think I have a boy and a girl. My suspected cockerel is that lesser feathered chicks in the front with the big, bumpy comb. The one behind him hardly has anything going on in the comb department and is starting to sprout some cute little crest feathers.

I was considering selling the cockerel bc I thought I didn't have a use for him, but now I think I'll put him over my blue and splash hens who lost their blue roo this past spring (I was considering selling my blue and splash hens as well bc they were roosterless, then I had a serious DUH moment). Keeping them both will definitely speed my Sizzle project along a little faster since I'm starting from scratch.

 

[ihavechickens2]

Here's an updated picture of my Sizzle chicks. I think I have a boy and a girl. My suspected cockerel is that lesser feathered chicks in the front with the big, bumpy comb. The one behind him hardly has anything going on in the comb department and is starting to sprout some cute little crest feathers.

I was considering selling the cockerel bc I thought I didn't have a use for him, but now I think I'll put him over my blue and splash hens who lost their blue roo this past spring (I was considering selling my blue and splash hens as well bc they were roosterless, then I had a serious DUH moment). Keeping them both will definitely speed my Sizzle project along a little faster since I'm starting from scratch
I also started from scratch, and waiting on the chicks to mature. Are the splash and blue hens your mixing him with silkies?? or are they smoth sizzles.