Silkie thread!

[emvickrey]

I'm confused. Could somebody tell me what the color of this hen is called.

I bought 2 hens from a lady near me and she told me the color was called silver. Then I saw some on BYC and their owner said they where splash. Then I saw some on another site and they called their's paint. In their pictures the bird looked white with lavender spots with some black spots. Thats what mine looked like when I first got them about 2 months ago.
They where nearly white with lavender spots, some darker than the others. They have both darkened up a bit. Where they where white they are now a lavender color but still have the darker spots and some of the spots look almost black. I gave one of them a bath today because I thought the reason they lookes darker was because it rained like mad the other day and they where muddy. After a bath she just lightend up a bit.

In the picture she looks gray. I can't seem to get a good pic of either one of them. I even put her in the sunlight. So I'm adding a pic of a chick that my house chicken hatched out yesterday that shows the correct color of her. Remember she does still have the spots and the lavender where she was white is lighter in areas.

By emvickrey at 2011-04-13

This is the chick that has the correct color that she has.

By emvickrey at 2011-04-12

This is the same chick just different pic. See how sometimes my camera just doesn't do the bird justice?

By emvickrey at 2011-04-12

I just wanted to prove that point about the color. I really need to get a better camera.

 

[Colie <3]

Quote:
IMO for sure that is not a paint. Paint is white with clusters of black feathers. Slightly similar to the clusters on your girl but the rest is way off.
I've seen many different variations of splash so that is what I would call that girlie, a splash. I have some splash chicks that started out with an almost white base and it has darkened as they have gotten older. I can see why the coloring could be called gray as well just because her head looks darker.
I also have a splash that I'm pretty sure is split to lavender that has a smokey appearance to it.
Sonoran Silkies is very good at identifying colors by the picture, wait till she comes thru lol she sounds a lot more professional than I do! :lol
How old is this girlie? You said hen so over a year right? Does she need to molt? I've heard people say that silkies' color can look pretty whacky before/during a molt also because of sun exposure.

 

[emvickrey]

I have a couple of questions regarding those 2 hens. I have them in a pen with a white roo. What color could I possibly get? Are paints all white with black spots? If I put them with a lavender roo would I get lavender chicks?

Ok, one more non related to those two. According to the breeding "rules", is it ok to put a roo in with it's mother, sister and 2 - 1/2 sisters? Will I get some messed up chicks?

The relation is as fallows. There is a black hen and the roo is a black lavender split (grey i've been told by a few people). In that same pen is the black hens sisters a blue and a splash. Then I put what I thought where 2 black pullets that came from the black hen and the black lavender split roo. But one is looking more like a cockerel although the roo isn't bothering it. I'm noticing some irridescent feathers on the wing tips and tail.

Anyway, I would like to change the roo in that pen to either a black, blue or splash and since there appears to be a black cockerel I was wanting to use him when he's old enough.

Is it safe to do so? Long explanation I know. I'm working on getting new blood but I pick the best of what I hatch out from others flocks. And sometimes I don't get any that are acceptable.

 

[emvickrey]

Colie <3 :

Quote:
IMO for sure that is not a paint. Paint is white with clusters of black feathers. Slightly similar to the clusters on your girl but the rest is way off.
I've seen many different variations of splash so that is what I would call that girlie, a splash. I have some splash chicks that started out with an almost white base and it has darkened as they have gotten older. I can see why the coloring could be called gray as well just because her head looks darker.
I also have a splash that I'm pretty sure is split to lavender that has a smokey appearance to it.
Sonoran Silkies is very good at identifying colors by the picture, wait till she comes thru lol she sounds a lot more professional than I do! :lol
How old is this girlie? You said hen so over a year right? Does she need to molt? I've heard people say that silkies' color can look pretty whacky before/during a molt also because of sun exposure.

The age was a question I failed to ask the lady. I bought them at an auction only because of their color. I have a splash that is nearly blue but has some streaks along her back They have a smoky color to them. My blue has been confirmed as a blue. I've taken pics of my black hen and she looks grey also but she is a shiny jet black. My camera just isn't very good.

Anyway the lady told me they where raised free ranging and are laying eggs. They didn't start laying any for me for about a month. I suppose it was because of the move. I'm gonna guess they are around a year old. When I gave her a bath an a blow dry I felt no bald spots or new feathers coming in. And they are both laying. I have 4 hens in that pen and I normally get 4 eggs a day and i've seen them sitting in the spot they all choose to lay their eggs in. They all refuse to use a box. They will move the box out of the way of their spot and lay them on the floor.

 

[Colie <3]

Quote:
Since I'm around I'll try and help ya the best I can.

If you pen them with a white roo AND they carry a copy of the recessive white gene you will get white chicks. If not I don't know what you will get as white is a masking color and underneath it genetically could be anyone's guess. Not really knowing genetically what your hens carry I can't really guess based on my knowledge.

From what I've seen paints are indeed all white with black spots but I don't know squat about paints LOL

If you put them with a lavender roo you will get lavender chicks if the girls carry the lave gene themselves. If not you will get all chicks that are splits that carry the lav gene when bred back to the lav roo you will get lavenders.

Generally in line breeding mother to son or father to daughter is ok. It's discouraged to breed brothers to sisters as they both carry the same genetics and therefore any flaws in them will be multiplied against each other (did that make sense?) If it were me I'd be ok with a 1/2 sister just not a full sister. People do breed bro & sis together successfully but it's discouraged on a long term basis with your breeding. If you do end up with a black cockerel and want to use him I would give it a shot and see what you end up with from it. I think everyone works with what they have at any given point. I have some that I think are cockerels one day and then the next I then they are pullets lol Considering a DNA test just to save my sanity!!

 

[Colie <3]

Quote:
IMO for sure that is not a paint. Paint is white with clusters of black feathers. Slightly similar to the clusters on your girl but the rest is way off.
I've seen many different variations of splash so that is what I would call that girlie, a splash. I have some splash chicks that started out with an almost white base and it has darkened as they have gotten older. I can see why the coloring could be called gray as well just because her head looks darker.
I also have a splash that I'm pretty sure is split to lavender that has a smokey appearance to it.
Sonoran Silkies is very good at identifying colors by the picture, wait till she comes thru lol she sounds a lot more professional than I do! :lol
How old is this girlie? You said hen so over a year right? Does she need to molt? I've heard people say that silkies' color can look pretty whacky before/during a molt also because of sun exposure.

The age was a question I failed to ask the lady. I bought them at an auction only because of their color. I have a splash that is nearly blue but has some streaks along her back They have a smoky color to them. My blue has been confirmed as a blue. I've taken pics of my black hen and she looks grey also but she is a shiny jet black. My camera just isn't very good.

Anyway the lady told me they where raised free ranging and are laying eggs. They didn't start laying any for me for about a month. I suppose it was because of the move. I'm gonna guess they are around a year old. When I gave her a bath an a blow dry I felt no bald spots or new feathers coming in. And they are both laying. I have 4 hens in that pen and I normally get 4 eggs a day and i've seen them sitting in the spot they all choose to lay their eggs in. They all refuse to use a box. They will move the box out of the way of their spot and lay them on the floor.

Is you splash that is nearly blue confirmed a splash? I've seen blues with streaks on their back that is a lighter color sorta like their under fluff with the smokey color. It's hard getting a good picture of color sometimes playing with the light helps. Try switching to outdoor lighting no flash, flash washes things out IMO. Or shoot get a cardboard box, a can of spray paint and a spare lamp and make a cheapie light box

I have some new birds that were all laying on arrival, (even laid eggs in the box being shipped to me) but they promptly stopped laying and haven't started again. I've heard it can take a few weeks from the stress of the move and acclimating to a new home. Ohh and silly birds! I have some of the most stubborn silkies that refuse to use the nest box (even with golf balls in) and also refuse to use a ramp. Let me tell you I'm sooo tired of picking birds up every night and putting them in the coop so the sprinklers don't soak them

 

[emvickrey]

I'll try to get a pic of the one I call a splash. She's skiddish, hasn't been handled much. She never cared for it.

My black hen will go up the ladder to the nesting shelf but won't go down. I suppose it's because she probably can't see very well to get back down. I always keep a bowl of feed and water up there. I do take her down but not till I find an egg. My coop is divided with a wall with a door so I can go from one side to the other without having to go back out and around the coop to another door. Anyway, My 2 young black silkies will sleep right by the door. The bottom of the door is about 6" off the floor with wire mesh as the wall. I've gone in there at night and just barely missed steppping on them when I walked through the door. It's dark and they are jet black. The rest will sleep on the edge of the nesting shelf. Same as the ones in the white side. The sleep on the edge of the nesting shelf but lay their eggs under it in a corner on the floor.

 

[emvickrey]

Its very hard to get a pic of a chicken. They just won't sit still. It's by a chance of luck to snap one off before they decide to move again.

I've got some more pics if somebody wants to try to identify their color for me. I'm trying to learn about silkies but there is so much to learn. Right now i'm trying to put color pens together and get new blood to add to my flock but I only pick the ones that are actually better looking than what I have. My white roo is pretty but his comb is too big and could be a little darker. My partridge roo needs replaced but him and the partridge hen put out some very pretty pullets. I was surprised but the hen has a big poofy crest and the roo has a few feathers sticking up. I should name him DT (donald trump) and his comb and waddles are red. The pullets I kept are nice looking but one has what I was told to be split wing and another's beak is to light. Realy only 1 is just beautiful in my opinion. I am no expert but she is pretty to me anyway.

I call these Red Partridges. I'm sure thats wrong. They camr form dark parents. My favorites are the one up front and the only one with out the dark crest.

By emvickrey at 2011-04-09
.This is the one I was told is blue

By emvickrey at 2011-04-09
This is the one I call a splash when it was much younger. You can see the stripes on her back, the rest of her looks blue and her neck and crest are darker. I will try to get a recent pic of her to post later.
http://img243.imageshack.us/img243/9581/0723101443.jpg
My white roo

By emvickrey at 2011-04-10
The black pullet. She don't look black here but she is actually jet black. I either get a pic that is so dark you can only see a beak or I get one making her look grey

By emvickrey at 2011-04-09
I bought this huy thinking he was a calico. I put him with the ones I call red partridges. They aren't laying yet though.

By emvickrey at 2011-04-09
My patridge fella. He's prety if you don't look at his ugly head.

By emvickrey at 2010-11-17
This is the roo that I was told was a black lavender split but others say he's a grey. He has a tiny bit of gold at the tips of his crest. Those longer feathers. I forget what they're called

By emvickrey at 2010-11-02
He's my buddy. He would make a perfect house chicken if he didn't crow. He loves attention and insists he gets it everytime I go in the pen. When he ws the only roo, and I only had 1 white silkie hen they produced a very pretty pullet. She 's the one that stands out from the rest with alot of white. She was very pretty. When I took most of those juvies to a sale she was the first to get bought and the people that saw her go asked if I had any more like her.

By emvickrey at 2011-04-07

Ok enough picture overload for now. If I could get some input on some of these as for their correct color it would be much appreciated. Some I just wanted to show you all.

 

[robin416]

Quote:
Hi, my two mystery chicks look just like yours in pictures 3,4 and 5. The are pale gold with grey in wings and body but no stripes. Do these turn out to be white? Grey? and what does OS stand for?

OS means Offspring...
In over two years of dealing with this color I have had them feather in all white a lavender color or a dirty white. I'v been told there are some whites out there that carry a Smokey line I am not the best with Genetics or really where the line of smokey whites come from. Maybe some of the Genetic gurus will jump in on this and give better advice.

Here are two pics of what they are calling the smokey gray. The amount of color this boy has is the result of several generations of line breeding. With white females he produces white chicks. With a black female he produces black chicks. That confirms they are recessive white. Although I knew that already comparing his coloring to the off color of the dom white in the paints.

 

[Freckle Face Farm]

emvickrey
1st pic partridges they one in the front is what you are shooting for for correct coloring

I myself would keep your part roo with these girls you are getting correct color females..
2nd pic Blue
3rd looks to be a dark blue
And I think you split/lav roo is a split lav
not to sure about the calico but he sure is pretty