Silkied Ameraucana Project

[cgmaster]

To correct myself my great grandpa has NO brown reds all his ameraucana roosters are wheaten the only difference is some have the red gene while some have the gold, i personally prefer the red wheatens. Im wondering what silkied color projects everyone are working on. Are there any silkied wheatens? Thats what i want to work toward.

 

[EdenCamp]

Actually I did find some red-brown Ams out there. Surprise, surprise. Always something new.

Early on there was someone wanting to do silkied wheatn Ams - but don't think anything ever became of it.
As far as I know there's BBS, Choc/Mauve and Lav efforts going - that's it.

CatKai and ChooksChicks are about the longest survivors in the SiAms project. Think Cat had gone to all splash? And didn't ship live birds and Im hearing now won't ship eggs either. Last I saw CC had up a blue silkied juvie pair for $200 and blue silkied pullet for $100. But shes hard to get ahold of and those listings are dated.

The silkied birds are very delicate, and getting a silkied girl to survive and actually laying is no easy task. With the feather structure they don't weather well and are easy for preds to pick off. Then there is still that frustrating drop-dead-itus all too frequently, they are still very inbred.

Every one considering this project really needs to read the ENTIRE "what's wrong with their feather's" thread to understand what they are stepping into.

Blacks, silkied or even splits are important to any color project. I might be wrong, but I'm not thinking there's many producing blacks. Don't know anybody willing to sell them. I've committed to doing a few swaps with folks for black split cockerels, I'll even swap eggs - but they've paid their dues to the project. People that have done that do pretty much offer to others first that have also. Not so much about wanting to keep new people out as it is about not wasting rarities needed by other stubborn dedicated gluttons for punishment on a newbie that will likely wash out when they realize this is hard going. Buy a couple rounds of eggs -you have the same odds as the breeder to luck out. Grow them out. Once you've gotten that far you'll have earned respect (and commiseration and sympathy) - and find that others will include you in the "club" and try to help and share with you too.

I'm not trying to sound condescending nor trying to discourage you. Just trying to explain IME how this works. Your and other's experience may differ.

 

[cgmaster]

i know what you mean i think i will get a few hatches under my belt before i try to hatch silkied ams. Im still going to keep an eye on this thread through. How different in weather hardiness are they from silkies? Because my silkies do fine here.

 

[EdenCamp]

It's not that they a harder to hatch than other varieties really, but eggs aren't cheap and hard to come by. Since the feather structure is similar to silkies I think it's reasonable to assume their needs are similar. They really can't fly, so low roosts. The feather structure doesn't hold warmth or shed rain like hard feathers do. Splits have good size but at this time silkied birds seem to run quite a bit smaller. So, well insulated, dry and secure quarters. I think being in TX - which doesn't get that cold and is dryer, is a big part of Catkai's success with SiAms.
Your being in AZ would be a plus I think.

I'm glad you didn't take offense at my post. Wasn';t intended to be anything other than frank laying it out there. I hear people feel SiAm folks are "cliquish", and perhaps we are for the reason's I tried to explain. SiAms are awesome cuties, definitely heartbreakers tho. There is so much potential ....just beyond.....reach.....ugh! People see them and think oh, I'll just toss out a few dollars and get me some silkied birds and awayyyyy I go. Doesn't work that way. Not that easy. I'll part with eggs, possibly even day old BBS chicks, and probable splits, the same chances and start I had to work with - but with the battle to take our own breeding programs forward, few can afford to part with "successes" and if you think about it, those that can be spared will be offered to others that won't waste them first, shared with people that have supported each other first, before they are let go to someone that its questionable will actually stick with it and do something with them. Can only speak for myself - but I'd love to see more dedicated enthusiasts out there. I think we all want to assist and help each other make progress with these projects - will even help new folks as best we can and wish for their success. But, people will have to learn, trial by fire, blood, sweat and tears - this project, 12 years later, is still extremely challenging and not at a turn-key place. You'll have to work for it. If it were easy any one could do it.

So by all means, study up. Join in conversation. Ask questions. And if and when you think you're ready to wade in, get some eggs from who ever's project is best situated for where you want to go with them and spin the wheel!.

 

[cgmaster]

its not that i thought they would be harder to hatch its that they are more important than my own and i havnt had any success with hatching my own

 

[LBKS]

Blacks, silkied or even splits are important to any color project. I might be wrong, but I'm not thinking there's many producing blacks. Don't know anybody willing to sell them.

I don't about anyone else, but I'm working towards a black flock in part to benefit color projects and mostly because blacks are so gosh darn pretty. Haven't really heard of any other black leaning flocks out there, most seem pretty splash heavy still. Going to have one BB SiAm pen this year with the rest being split pens (using unrelated birds -- these offspring splits will be crossed back with the all SiAm offspring to reduce the impact of their relatively close relation). Split pens will be mostly BB, with one pen BBS.

That makes my sharing goal this year: egg sets that are 1/2 all SiAm and 1/2 all splits - where the splits are coming from the unrelated good line blacks I crossed in. With any luck, the folks receiving them will heed my suggestion to only cross the silkied to the splits or unrelated (so they are crossing the least related lines in my flock if they have nothing else to breed) for their first home-hatched offspring that are SiAm and splits. That'll also give them time to bring in their own unrelated birds to start their projects with too without getting desperate and crossing SiAm to sibling (or half sibling) SiAm.

If this year's breeding goes to plan, that'll mean I'll have a choice of black SiAm to cross with a boat load of black split Am (new blood from 2 unrelated roos, 4 unreleated hens; 3 pens with SiAms; all good blood line). This would be setting up next year's ultimate goal of the black SiAm black split Am only breeding flock.

Has anyone tried shipping chicks yet? I haven't, not sure what it'd take to do it but I know we see a lot of requests. On one hand, I just don't like the idea of putting chicks through all that, especially since they aren't quite as hardy as standard chicks. On the other hand, I know I'm getting to the point where I will need to cull out blue/splash and this would give them a much better chance of being breeder birds in another flock versus just a layer or culled roo in mine.

 

[cgmaster]

I would love a couple splashes or blues! I wonder what a silkied blue wheaten would look like...

I don't about anyone else, but I'm working towards a black flock in part to benefit color projects and mostly because blacks are so gosh darn pretty.  Haven't really heard of any other black leaning flocks out there, most seem pretty splash heavy still.  Going to have one BB SiAm pen this year with the rest being split pens (using unrelated birds -- these offspring splits will be crossed back with the all SiAm offspring to reduce the impact of their relatively close relation).  Split pens will be mostly BB, with one pen BBS.

That makes my sharing goal this year: egg sets that are 1/2 all SiAm and 1/2 all splits - where the splits are coming from the unrelated good line blacks I crossed in.  With any luck, the folks receiving them will heed my suggestion to only cross the silkied to the splits or unrelated (so they are crossing the least related lines in my flock if they have nothing else to breed) for their first home-hatched offspring that are SiAm and splits.  That'll also give them time to bring in their own unrelated birds to start their projects with too without getting desperate and crossing SiAm to sibling (or half sibling) SiAm.

If this year's breeding goes to plan, that'll mean I'll have a choice of black SiAm to cross with a boat load of black split Am (new blood from 2 unrelated roos, 4 unreleated hens; 3 pens with SiAms; all good blood line).  This would be setting up next year's ultimate goal of the black SiAm black split Am only breeding flock.

Has anyone tried shipping chicks yet?  I haven't, not sure what it'd take to do it but I know we see a lot of requests.  On one hand, I just don't like the idea of putting chicks through all that, especially since they aren't quite as hardy as standard chicks.  On the other hand, I know I'm getting to the point where I will need to cull out blue/splash and this would give them a much better chance of being breeder birds in another flock versus just a layer or culled roo in mine.

 

[EdenCamp]

I don't about anyone else, but I'm working towards a black flock in part to benefit color projects and mostly because blacks are so gosh darn pretty. Haven't really heard of any other black leaning flocks out there, most seem pretty splash heavy still. Going to have one BB SiAm pen this year with the rest being split pens (using unrelated birds -- these offspring splits will be crossed back with the all SiAm offspring to reduce the impact of their relatively close relation). Split pens will be mostly BB, with one pen BBS.

That makes my sharing goal this year: egg sets that are 1/2 all SiAm and 1/2 all splits - where the splits are coming from the unrelated good line blacks I crossed in. With any luck, the folks receiving them will heed my suggestion to only cross the silkied to the splits or unrelated (so they are crossing the least related lines in my flock if they have nothing else to breed) for their first home-hatched offspring that are SiAm and splits. That'll also give them time to bring in their own unrelated birds to start their projects with too without getting desperate and crossing SiAm to sibling (or half sibling) SiAm.

If this year's breeding goes to plan, that'll mean I'll have a choice of black SiAm to cross with a boat load of black split Am (new blood from 2 unrelated roos, 4 unreleated hens; 3 pens with SiAms; all good blood line). This would be setting up next year's ultimate goal of the black SiAm black split Am only breeding flock.

Has anyone tried shipping chicks yet? I haven't, not sure what it'd take to do it but I know we see a lot of requests. On one hand, I just don't like the idea of putting chicks through all that, especially since they aren't quite as hardy as standard chicks. On the other hand, I know I'm getting to the point where I will need to cull out blue/splash and this would give them a much better chance of being breeder birds in another flock versus just a layer or culled roo in mine.

Ohhhhh are you going to be POPULAR!!!!! LOL! I've got a black cockerel and pullet I'm hoping are splits and one POL black silkied pullet from Chookschicks choc/mauve project that I've kept in the house all winter determined NOT to loose her. Soon as she's laying I've got a SQ Redden black black (pair) to take her too. That is providing catastrophe doesn't come knocking yet again. A pair of split blacks from Catkai lines I thought were also split to lav but only had one hatch from them and all black so maybe not. Also a pair of Redden lavs. And a Smith lav pair - at least the roo is straight Smith. Other than that a lot of splits mostly blue or splash, couple mauve boys and girls.

So PLEASE Sign me up for eggs would you? Swaps or purchase. I've a ton of English Orp varieties as well.

You're absolutely right tho - we've GOT to get fresh blood into these birds. Cat had them pretty hearty and sounds like you've done OK too. But in the press to have silkied birds to work with they've become too concentrated again. Any silkied birds HAVE to go to total outcrosses. Absolutely agree.


Edited to post pics of the Redden birds.

 

[marsha tutterow]

I really need some black AM's. I want to eventually get to black silkied And I do have lots of eggs coming in right now. Will candle my last batch tonight. They have been in 5 days so I might be able to see the veining. My first setting has 5 definitely developing and one not quite sure. They are about half way now. And I have collected another 14 eggs to put in bater. Just candled and 10 are developing and 4 are to dark shelled for me to be sure. And the first group has 6 developing.

Anyone have straight black AM's let me know. I know it is asking to much to hope for split black.

 

[marsha tutterow]

Ohhhhh are you going to be POPULAR!!!!!  LOL!  I've got a black cockerel and pullet I'm hoping are splits and one POL black silkied pullet from Chookschicks choc/mauve project that I've kept in the house all winter determined NOT to loose her. Soon as she's laying I've got a SQ Redden black black (pair) to take her too.   That is providing catastrophe doesn't come knocking yet again. A pair of split blacks from Catkai lines I thought were also split to lav but only had one hatch from them and all black so maybe not. Also a pair of Redden lavs. And a Smith lav pair - at least the roo is straight Smith.   Other than that a lot of splits mostly blue or splash, couple mauve boys and girls.     

So PLEASE Sign me up for eggs would you?  Swaps or purchase. I've a ton of English Orp varieties as well.

You're absolutely right tho - we've GOT to get fresh blood into these birds. Cat had them pretty hearty and sounds like you've done OK too.  But in the press to have silkied birds to work with they've become too concentrated again. Any silkied birds HAVE to go to total outcrosses.  Absolutely agree.


Edited to post pics of the Redden birds.

Eden, I love your black roo. He is beautiful.