Silkie thread!

Awwww, so cute!  Is the splay legged one a Paint?  I think I see a black spot on its back....

I just noticed - its white skinned?   I had a few born like that, they did turn black later on but they were never as dark as the ones that hatched out black skinned.  I sold them as PQ.


Yes a paint, I noticed it had part black part lighter skin. I really like this one and will probably keep it. I have 12 chicks all together and will be selling most in about six weeks. So if anybody wants some keep me in mind. :)
 
Hey y'all. So I had three Silkie eggs under a broody Silkie. She decided after 13 days she was done sitting. So I of course wanted to see if she would go back into a broody state. She had abandoned the nest for about 6 hrs when I discovered she was done. Sought the advice of a trusted friend and set up a small container tub with my red brooder lamp and put the eggs under it. At the end of the day I candled and discovered two looked like they quit but one was still red in the veining. So I left all three overnight. Went out and adjusted the lamp height the next morning so not so hot, was 105 under the lamp. Left the eggs all day and candles that evening. Two eggs were obvious quiters, all black veins. But one was still alive, and I saw movement. Tossed the quiters and left the live egg in the tub. The next day was real hot and temp got to 112 under the lamp, but the little bugger was still moving inside. At this point I asked the same friend if I could borrow one of her many bators. Picked it up yesterday and she brings out a Genesis 1588 for me to borrow. That one egg is in it and still going strong. Tomorrow evening is lockdown. After this chick hatches, hopefully, I will be setting a bunch of Blue and Buff Silkie eggs I have been collecting this week to hatch some stock and see what I get. Oh and BTW, Marsala laid her first egg yesterday. I know it was hers because the former broody laid the day before and is a consistent every other day layer. And this egg was a little smaller and had some blood streaks. Checked Marsala's vent and it could have an egg pass through it now. Yay, finally at 8.25mo. The only pullet I have yet to start is the light Blue from the Catdance eggs, we named her Smokey, since she looks like smoke. She is only 4.5mo though and still in the juvie pen.
Hope that egg hatches after all your work!
Does anyone know the best coloring for showing? I'm thinking of adding a few silkie hens to my flock
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Many breeders suggest using white for a first time silkie breeder. It is easier to find good quality whites and you don't have to deal will so many color issues. Blue, black and splash are three colors that can be raised together if you want variety.
 
Does anyone know the best coloring for showing? I'm thinking of adding a few silkie hens to my flock
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Hello and
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and Welcome to the Silkie thread!

I think Silkies are an Excellent Choice!

White is the most established as far as the possibility of finding good quality birds because they are out there. The color is also easiest to maintain while breeding (White to White always produces White, just do not mix any other colors in there), not so much for showing (gets dirty and will sunbleach, turn yellow from corn, etc). Black is the next choice but there has been some talk of the blacks not being black enough. Good ones can be found however. Next choice I think is the Blue/Black/Splash breeding.. the Blues are harder because the color ranges from almost appearing black (and has been mistaken for Black occasionally) to a very very light blue (gray).

The other colors are much harder to find good quality/correctly colored birds. Buff can be done - but so many have smut or pigment problems because of the genetics, Self Blue is relatively recent and I don't know availability of good quality birds, Partridge (my favorite
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) is very challenging because everything that is marked chipmunk as a chick is thrown under this category - whether or not the genetics are correct.

Paint, Calico, Self-Blue Creme (Porcelean) etc... are all project colors and can only be shown under AOV. They sure are pretty though.
 
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Quote: Whites can be difficult to keep white, so IMO, not the best choice for a beginner who dosn't have a variety preference. My answer to the question is to get the bird(s) with the best type that you can find that are also a recognized variety. By and larg, any recognized variety has an equal shot at placing, although some seem more likely to win--but from everything I have seen, it is not bacuse of the variety itself, but beause of the bird's type. The only time I ever saw a bird with the best type not win was when a judge thought that splash wasn't recognized--but it had been for YEARS.
 
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