~Silkie genetics~

[SundownWaterfowl]

I heard that the males influence the foot feathering in their offspring, and the hens influence comb type and color. Is this true?

Ive also read that somebody bred a male with a red comb to a hen with a mulberry comb, and all 20 chicks had the hens mulberry comb. I have a Silkie rooster that is 4 months old, and the comb is more red than I would have liked, but I also have an amazing 4 month old hen with a nice dark, nice shaped comb. If I bred them, I would get chicks with the hens comb color and type?


Also, just to let you know. I will be looking to trade some of my eggs for some breeder or pet quality bearded buff silkie eggs in late march. Look on my byc page for info.

 

[hippichick]

I'm wondering the same thing. I have a Cuckoo roo with a red comb, but nice in other ways, and a nice hen. Was thinking about breeding them, but I don't want the red comb.

Paula

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Quote:
Ive heard from another breeder that males tend to have lighter combs than the hens do. Ive also heard that on cuckoo roosters, red combs are common.

 

[hippichick]

Good to know. Had never heard that. What about other color Silkies? Anyone have any idea?

Paula

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Also, how would one go about breeding for dark combs, or clear buffs? Just pick the best rooster with the darkest comb, and then hen with the darkest comb, breed them together and see what you get?

 

[reallemons1]

Don't know about the combs, but I just hatched 4 Cochen/EE mixes and 3 have feathered feet and 1 don't. The father is the Cochen.

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

Sounds like the father controlled the foot feathering.

 

[herechickchick]

Feathered shanks are dominate over clean shanks. It does not matter which parent has feathered shanks. If one of the birds you are breeding has feathered shanks then there is a good chance the offspring will as well. I do not know about the silkies.

 

[herechickchick]

Quote:
I hatched some Brahma/Orpington crosses and I though some were clean legged to but as they matured I found little bitty feathers on their legs so watch you chicks closely as they grow and I bet you will see some feathers. Cochin is the correct spelling, not Cochen.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

No, the fact that foot feathering is dominant controlled it--if the parents' breeds had been reversed, the results would have been the same. The fact that one did not have foot feathering tells you that the cochin is heterozygous for the genes (there are at least two).