Silkie experts please

[pbjmaker]

Is a domed head a more desireable trait on a silkie? Is that a specific gene?

Just wondering - so far I have 3 new silkie chicks and one has a definate dome. I was even thinking of naming it and the first silkie to hatch Pinky and The Brain.

 

[BamaChicken]

It is a trait that happens. It doesn't neccessarily mean they will have a huge crest. I like mine to look like they have a button cap on. Nice flat round head. I have had some with huge crest with large Cone head when hatched.

Here is an example of some with what i call button caps

This one was a cone head and has a great crest also.

 

[lurky]

cute babies

 

[LilPeeps]

A vaulted skull is just something that comes up. I do not know of anyone breeding specifically for vaults. Nikki of HatTrick has written a nice article on the subject, hopefully it can help clear up a few things

http://www.hattricksilkies.net/articles_vaulted_skull.html

 

[Guinea Goonie]

One thing I have learned about silkies is really quite remarkable.
They have a small hole in the top of their heads. Yep, if you drop them on their little pointy heads you could kill them. When I see a silkie in the barn dead from no apparent reason I attribute the death to this. It does not happen often, but it does happen. So this is where the "vaulted skull" comes in play. Not all silkies have this and I do believe and have seen in the 25 or so silkies that we have that it does not determine the top notch shape.

 

[Enchanted Sunrise Farms]

Beautiful silkie babies! They are just so adorable when they're young, and then when they get older, too. i have two kids, eight weeks old tomorrow. One has a huge do. i can't even see her eyes anymore. Will take pics tomorrow!

And, i've heard about that hole in the head thing. i understand that's why you don't want to house silkies with larger breeds, as a peck on the head could be deadly.

 

[pbjmaker]

I have one EE pullet and one Cuckoo Maran pullet, but everything else I have is banty sized. I appreciate the warning about the bigger birds though. I knew they had a hole on the top of their head but didn't think about what would happen if someone pecked it.

 

[pbjmaker]

Quote:
It did - thank you

 

[chicken_boy_Kurt]

Quote:
The hole in the head comes from the vaulted skull. Which means most (if not all) crested breeds have it.