- May 17, 2013
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I was sold this little 3mo roo a couple days ago, and I wanted everyone's opinion. He was sold to me as a 'White Silkie hen x Brown Red Ameraucana rooster cross'. Avowed that both parents were pure, from a large reputable breeder in our town (told me I was welcome to call that breeder to confirm). She admitted she didn't know much about chicken breeding or genetics, but had paired these two in their own enclosure (no other breeding or mixed up eggs possible - apparently this is a constant pair she does each year). She does not have a silkie rooster, or any silkie-mixed roosters (her 3 roos are pure from the same breeder). He was marketed as 'silkie feathers and black skin'... I figured she probably didn't know what she was talking about, like she said, but he would be good for my flock (flock details in another post! 
).
Got him home. Well, I was correct that she didn't know about black skin - just assumed that since the legs were dark, he was black. (Checked under his feathers - nope, light skin. I figured, with a non-silkie roo and all.) She should have known that from the red-yellow face color, but, oh well. In feather color, he looks... well, brown red I guess, but the brown is almost gray in parts, so I'm not quite sure. Opinions on that welcome too.
But those feathers.... well. Darned if they don't look like silkie feathers to me. I was thinking he was just really late to molt his chick fluff, to her confusion, but... he is silkie-looking all over with those not-really-whole long feathers that young silkies get.
So here's the problem! If he has a pure silkie mom and a pure ameraucana dad, how does he have silkie feathers? From what I know, silkie feathers are recessive, and carrying the gene is pretty much limited to actual silkies, or silkie crosses. Isn't that right? But the woman I got him from SWEARS her birds are pure from xyz breeder (who I know, and they don't do crosses). The roo *looked* exactly like an Ameraucana bird, nothing to indicate he was a cross (especially with a bantam). The woman won't budge from her statement that he is a pure x pure cross, and that even though silkie is recessive 'sometimes this can happen!' - which goes against everything I know about recessive genes, unless I am missing something silkie-specific?
So. Ah.
Wha...?
).Got him home. Well, I was correct that she didn't know about black skin - just assumed that since the legs were dark, he was black. (Checked under his feathers - nope, light skin. I figured, with a non-silkie roo and all.) She should have known that from the red-yellow face color, but, oh well. In feather color, he looks... well, brown red I guess, but the brown is almost gray in parts, so I'm not quite sure. Opinions on that welcome too.
But those feathers.... well. Darned if they don't look like silkie feathers to me. I was thinking he was just really late to molt his chick fluff, to her confusion, but... he is silkie-looking all over with those not-really-whole long feathers that young silkies get.
So here's the problem! If he has a pure silkie mom and a pure ameraucana dad, how does he have silkie feathers? From what I know, silkie feathers are recessive, and carrying the gene is pretty much limited to actual silkies, or silkie crosses. Isn't that right? But the woman I got him from SWEARS her birds are pure from xyz breeder (who I know, and they don't do crosses). The roo *looked* exactly like an Ameraucana bird, nothing to indicate he was a cross (especially with a bantam). The woman won't budge from her statement that he is a pure x pure cross, and that even though silkie is recessive 'sometimes this can happen!' - which goes against everything I know about recessive genes, unless I am missing something silkie-specific?
So. Ah.
Wha...?
