Silkie Question

[Byrdj]

Is it easier to breed out single combs or lack of feathering on the middle toes? I only have two roosters. One has great feathering on his middle toes but has a single comb. The other one has a nice walnut comb but only has bare middle toes. Which one would be be best to keep?

 

[LilPeeps]

How are your hens? Did these males come out of your birds? Single comb is recessive, so when bred to a female not carrying the gene for single comb, all the babies will have a walnut comb and be heterozygous for single comb. if the female is het for single comb, you'll get 50% single combs and 50% walnut, het for single. Improving foot feathering takes several more generations to correct.

 

[ninny]

I would use the single comb roo

 

[nzpouter]

the walnut comb, mated to the right hens.

 

[HatTrickSilkies]

A single comb will haunt you forever. Great improvement in foot feathering can be done in two generations.

~ Nikki

 

[Byrdj]

Thanks everyone. I've decided to keep the walnut combed rooster because most my hens have feathering on the middle toe but some have single and pea combs. I'm going to keep breeding him to the foot feathered hens until I get a really good walnut combed, feather toed rooster then use him as my breeder. I would love to eliminate the single comb from my flock is possible.

One other question. My best looking hen has a pinkish comb. Should I breed her with a nicely dark purple rooster or am I asking for problems by it possibly resurfacing down the line or even in the F1 offspring?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

You can try it, but if a light comb is showing in a hen, it will be doubly apparent in a rooster.

 

[Byrdj]

I knew you could count on you Silkie experts! Now that I've been educated, I'm leaning towards starting fresh with better quality birds. Do any of you show quality Silkie breeders have any hatching eggs for sale?