Silkie thread!

[peepblessed]

My silkies are treated like any other chicken...they have partially topped runs, but they love to stay out in the cold rain. I haven't lost one yet, no matter how dirty, icky, and cold and wet they get.

Wow! I thought it would be deadly to let them get wet. Always glad to get new info...

 

[marquisella]

I heard there is something in the water that affects leg feathering up there....

Only kidding, oh, and Marquisella also has Silkies.
Anyone else want to help out a newbie?

I'm new, just 6 months with Silkies, but I have 2 that started laying 2 weeks ago at 7 months.

Splash & splash will produce only splash. This is the blue genetic thing...:
black x black equals black
black x blue equals black & blue
Blue x blue equals blue & splash
splash & black equals blue

I only have young Silkies, won't have eggs probably until late spring if I"m lucky. Most of my birds hatched in October, so no eggs yet. I have 4 whites, 2 black, 1 silver partridge, 1 partridge, 1 calico, 2 buff, 3 splash, 1 grey...I'll be looking for a couple of mates soon. Most of them are girls, go figure!
I have 1 buff male, 1 black male and I think the grey is a male. I don't think I can mix & match them with the girls I have, so I will need to get some boys here right quick! LOL
Anyone? Can I breed a silver partridge to a partridge? Calico to what? maybe the buff? I need a book on genetics....
I am ok with the whites, and the bbs. Just the other rarer colors.
Sue

 

[Beth G.]

Thanks I was giggling when someone called them polar silkies!!!

Seeing this quoted in your post made me giggle again just thinking about that term POLAR SILKIES!!!!! hahaha

Really cool shot!!

 

[Beth G.]

Sue,

I would PM/Email April and ask her about color breeding. She is the best and I find her information to alway be 100% not to mention her way of explaining things in lemans terms is awesome. Sometimes peeps try to explain with crazy lango and it gets all stirred up and confusing. She has a way of saying simply breed this to this and get this! lol

Wonder if her ears are burning again....lol...

I think if you breed the Silver Parti to the Dark Parti you will intro the gold into the silver and most breeders do not like that. But, I say if you are doing it just for you to have some fun with chicken color science GO FOR IT

Just remember to mark those eggs and chicks when born so you can track their color genetics later for breeding purposes.

Can I breed a silver partridge to a partridge?

 

[stoopid]

Right now my splash girls just started laying, but I haven't set up breeding pens for the little guys yet... I am putting my efforts into the Marans right now.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Show lines often mature very slowly, while hatchery lines mature much more rapidly. I do not expect eggs for at least 8 months, and am not surprised if I do not get them until the bird is close to a year. A few have been several months later than that. It is NOT normal for silkie roosters to have large combs. Some do, but most breeders breed towards very small combs on the boys; even hatchery birds typically do not have huge combs.

Splash X splash will give 100% splash. Black X splash will give 100% blue. Blue X splash or blue X black will give you a about half of each. Breeding blues together will give all three varieties.

White is always an unknown; each white can be dramatically different as far as colour and pattern genes are concerned. The only certainty is that white X white should give 100% white. A white out of paint breeding will likely upset that apple-cart and give unknown results.

ok silkie experts.
When do silkies typically start laying or reach "maturity"? My 2 silkies are 5 months next week. I got them a month ago and their tophats and necks were a little chewed on by an agressive roo. So not sure if I am seeing streamers on my splash or not... But I dont see much of a comb there. I know most silkie roos seem to have a huge comb, so trying to determine where we are at with these two.


Also can you tell me what breeding a splash to a splash would produce? Or what color would you breed a splash to for best results in colors? ( right now I have a white, black and splash with the splash being the one I am not sure about sex on) If it is not a roo, I am going to be acquiring one and wanted to ask about best color for these or for most options.

 

[marquisella]

Thats what I figured, but was hoping you could breed them like you can wheaten & blue wheaten...guess not...

Looks like I'm gonna be buying a lot of cockerels soon! LOL

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Thats what I figured, but was hoping you could breed them like you can wheaten & blue wheaten...guess not...

Looks like I'm gonna be buying a lot of cockerels soon! LOL

Blue, black and splash can go together; white needs its own pen.

 

[silkymom1986]

Just wanted to share some pics of my 2 new silkie chicks that hatched 2 days ago!! I love em so much!!

 

[sager:)silkies]

they look lovley