silkie feather question

[MNmommy]

I bought 4 silkies from a breeder that says he breeds show quality birds. I have a question regarding the way the feathers are coming in. I don't plan on showing any of my chickens but i did pay more for them compared to a hatchery and I was just wondering if the black ones might be mixed with something else? They are all 11 days old so I know they have a lot of feather to still come in but they just look so different on the wings. Or do some silkies have the flatter normal looking feathers versus the fur look??

I have 2 black ones that look like this. Their feathers seem more flat and normal bird like. (don't mind my lack of terms

) they also have a real lack of feather on the feet compared to the other 2. They also are much bigger and heavier.

the other 2 are much smaller in stature and their feathers look like this with much more feathering on the feet.

 

[LilPeeps]

The first 2 pics are of a silkie mix, the last 2 is a pure silkie and looks pretty nice.

 

[MNmommy]

Thanks for responding. I feel like I should call him and let him know. I am no silkie expert (first chicks ever) but I even thought something was different from all the silkie pics i have seen. I think if he is breeding purebreds and also marketing them as show quality he should know the product he is selling is not up to standards??? Like I said I don't plan on showing them but I didn't plan on spending more money than I did on a mutt. Would you say something?? I just hate confrontation

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Yes, you should call and tell him that 2 (I think that is what you said) of the four birds do not have silkie feathering--so at least one parent was not a silkie. Becuase of hte skin colour and toes, they are sertainly part silkie.

I don't know what you paid, or whether you bought chicks or eggs, but you were told that you were paying for SQ birds. And half of the birds purchased would be DQed if you entered them in a show. This is not right.

The reality is that you cannot tell that a bird is SQ until it is mature. The potential may be there, but for every ten chicks hatched from SQ parents, only one or two will inherit all the right genes.