Silkie x Cornish

[Mozzieman]

Hi,

I would someday like to make a new breed of chicken using Silkie and Cornish (Indian Game). What could I expect the F1 generation to look like from White Silkie rooster x Dark Cornish hen?

I know that Silkie feathers (hookless) are recessive, and that Cornish have hard feathers (short and hooked). I would like to select short hookless feathers from the F2 generation. I'm guessing that Silkies also have a 'long feather' gene, and presuming that this combined with the 'short feather' gene of the Cornish would produce a 'medium length' feather?

I would also like to select 'green legs', which I understand are a combination of yellow skin and dark skin. Are these two different genes or are they alleles of the same gene; can I make green legs a 'breed trait' or will they always have to be produced by crossing dark with yellow?

If anyone has pictures of F2 (Silkie x) x (Silkie x), please post them!

Thanks.

 

[GreatBreeder]

I was thinking of a cross like this:
(Cornish Rock x Silkie) x (Cornish Rock x Silkie) = Silkie Cross x Silkie Cross = Final Silkie Cross.
Then I choose the ones with the best growth/ meat quality and cross them with eachother, occasionally bringing them back to Cornish X bloodline.

 

[GreatBreeder]

They will basically be silkied, Dark meat Cornish Crosses.

 

[jahg84]

Cornish rocks are hybrids, so they don't breed true (Cornish cross x Cornish cross does not create more Cornish cross). Very few of the offspring will match the production of their parents.
To create a fm, silkie Cornish cross, you'd need to add fm and silkie feathering to both parent strains (Cornish and white Plymouth rock), bring them back up to the production standard and then cross them.
A lot easier would be to cross Cornish and broiler silkies. They won't grow as big as fast and they won't be as dark but you'd get them right away. I guess your way would probably get you that too.

 

[GreatBreeder]

Cornish Rocks CAN breed and do it fine. It'll work because silkies and the breeds in cx are not genetically close, the cross would have plenty of Vigor.

 

[GreatBreeder]

Also cx aren't just Cornish x Rock. But those ideas would make a decent cross.

 

[jahg84]

I meant Cornish X don't breed true. Their offspring won't have the same characteristics as their parents.

 

[Fancy Pants Jim]

They will basically be silkied, Dark meat Cornish Crosses.