Silkie thread!

[HattieScratchy]

I have a question.. I'm looking into breeding my silkie roo with the black (non bearded) and buff (bearded) hens i have but know nothing about genetics of silkies... what colors would come of these? Is the black dominant and would only produce black? Would I get a Mix of white and buff with my buff hen? Also, my black hen has a single comb which I know is not breed standard, would that be passed down to her babies? Should she not be breed in that case even tho they Would just be pet quality (sweetest hens in the whole world) Would her babies be both bearded and non bearded or would that create a hybrid? my black hen is also a laying machine (almost an egg a day still), is that passed down to her chicks as well?

 

[NNYchick]

Chicken genetics are very complicated to say the least. I’m a newbie and have been researching standard more then genetics because I’m interested in showing with my daughter but not necessarily breeding. What I have found is it is advisable to breed white to white and buff to buff. The only group of colors recommended to mix is blue, black and splash. I guess it would depend on your goal hatch a few just for pets for yourself or hatch hundreds of chicks a year to sell. If you want to sell chicks you really should be working to breed standard. You are right the straight come is a default and not advised to breed as the chicks could be born with correct comb and later when they are breed start throwing default straight combs in the chicks leaving the breeder with a mess trying to find which bird is doing it. Your black hens is pretty her shape reminds me of a Cochin.

 

[Hinotori]

I have a question.. I'm looking into breeding my silkie roo with the black (non bearded) and buff (bearded) hens i have but know nothing about genetics of silkies... what colors would come of these? Is the black dominant and would only produce black? Would I get a Mix of white and buff with my buff hen? Also, my black hen has a single comb which I know is not breed standard, would that be passed down to her babies? Should she not be breed in that case even tho they Would just be pet quality (sweetest hens in the whole world) Would her babies be both bearded and non bearded or would that create a hybrid? my black hen is also a laying machine (almost an egg a day still), is that passed down to her chicks as well?

You'll get a bunch of mixed color chicks that aren't correct to any color.

The black would probably be closest in that the chicks would be leaky black in both male and female when they get adult feathers in.

White in silkies is normally recessive white which requires two copies to show, so all chicks would be carriers. White also can hide anything under it so you don't know what the base color is under. Usually that is the wild type color that is pretty much just partridge in silkies. (Wild type and partridge can be told apart in normal feathered hens)

Mixing colors isn't really a good thing unless you know what you are doing and have a goal. I was able to mix a black based bird into my partridge to help out male feathering. First generation chicks were all just leaky black based. Second generation has given me some leaky black and some partridge. Next generation should be back to just partridge. I think this is the easiest color cross to get set back correct.

Well white can go back in the second generation because recessive white covers all and doesn't leak like dominant white. Then you still get into the silver versus gold base issue on whites.

Chicken genetics are confusing. I've been learning little bit by little bit over the years and have a ton more to learn.

 

[HattieScratchy]

You'll get a bunch of mixed color chicks that aren't correct to any color.

The black would probably be closest in that the chicks would be leaky black in both male and female when they get adult feathers in.

White in silkies is normally recessive white which requires two copies to show, so all chicks would be carriers. White also can hide anything under it so you don't know what the base color is under. Usually that is the wild type color that is pretty much just partridge in silkies. (Wild type and partridge can be told apart in normal feathered hens)

Mixing colors isn't really a good thing unless you know what you are doing and have a goal. I was able to mix a black based bird into my partridge to help out male feathering. First generation chicks were all just leaky black based. Second generation has given me some leaky black and some partridge. Next generation should be back to just partridge. I think this is the easiest color cross to get set back correct.

Well white can go back in the second generation because recessive white covers all and doesn't leak like dominant white. Then you still get into the silver versus gold base issue on whites.

Chicken genetics are confusing. I've been learning little bit by little bit over the years and have a ton more to learn.

Oooh my golly I guess breeding is not in the cards for me except for my own flock... that's intense lol

 

[HattieScratchy]

W

Chicken genetics are very complicated to say the least. I’m a newbie and have been researching standard more then genetics because I’m interested in showing with my daughter but not necessarily breeding. What I have found is it is advisable to breed white to white and buff to buff. The only group of colors recommended to mix is blue, black and splash. I guess it would depend on your goal hatch a few just for pets for yourself or hatch hundreds of chicks a year to sell. If you want to sell chicks you really should be working to breed standard. You are right the straight come is a default and not advised to breed as the chicks could be born with correct comb and later when they are breed start throwing default straight combs in the chicks leaving the breeder with a mess trying to find which bird is doing it. Your black hens is pretty her shape reminds me of a Cochin.

.. I doubt think i'll be breeding my birds now at least not for anyone other than myself...

 

[Hinotori]

It just gets really complicated. Since you have a white rooster, maybe look at getting him a white hen or two in the future

 

[HattieScratchy]

It just gets really complicated. Since you have a white rooster, maybe look at getting him a white hen or two in the future

This is actually a possibility! That would make things easier lol

 

[NNYchick]

Advice. So I have broody she was sitting on fake eggs in my middle nest box on Wednesday night so I put up a curtain, Thursday I came home from work and she was sitting in the wrong nest with other fake eggs. Thursday I took all the fake eggs out and put my eggs I’ve been collecting in the middle box. This morning she got out to eat and drink and went back to the correct nest yah! But now my I must have a second layer as I found a egg layed on the ground. So do I leave things be and just let the newbie continue to lay on the ground for now or do I put fake egg back in empty nest box and hope broody doesn’t get lost again? What would you do?

 

[sue25]

Take the ones you find on the ground and place in other nests. Be sure to mark the ones she started sitting on so if the other hens lay in the same.nest you don't get staggered development. It's a nightmare.

 

[NNYchick]

What are you using for winter water. I bought a heated dog bowl but they are not using it. I keep going out and changing the water in the plastic gravity fed but that’s not going to work on weekdays while I’m at work. Also for some reason one of my pullets keeps getting her crest wet around her face and it’s frozen on the ends. This hasn’t happened before, her getting her crest wet when drinking. I’m wondering if I just give the the heated bowl they will use it. I’ve had it in with them since September so they could get use to it as they are so suspicious of anything new.