Silkied Ameraucana Project

[Kusanar]

Sorry, should have been clearer, this would be a test cross, don't breed from the offspring in either case, I would give them away as barnyard mixes when they are 2 weeks old, silkied feathering is clearly evident in both silkie bantams and SiAms by then.

Ahh, ok. gotcha. Not sure if this has been done or not, I know there were a few people that misunderstood and started trying to create their own by doing a cross between silkie and standard Ams

 

[RaresightFarms]

Is anyone still breeding Silkied Ameraucanas? I had some about 6 years ago, but had to move cross country. Starting up my poultry again, and I'd love to find some starter birds!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Is anyone still breeding Silkied Ameraucanas? I had some about 6 years ago, but had to move cross country. Starting up my poultry again, and I'd love to find some starter birds!

I believe @dheltzel may be breeding them in the lavender (self blue) color.

 

[dheltzel]

I believe @dheltzel may be breeding them in the lavender (self blue) color.

I have not had silkied Ams for several years. They proved to be genetically too weak for my operation. I keep a number of different lines of Ameraucanas and am working with cuckoo and mottled genes now, but the silkies were simply too delicate. Silkie bantams survive fine, and I tried outcrossing them to my line of blacks and lavenders, so my stock might still have the silkied gene present in some birds.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I have not had silkied Ams for several years. They proved to be genetically too weak for my operation. I keep a number of different lines of Ameraucanas and am working with cuckoo and mottled genes now, but the silkies were simply too delicate. Silkie bantams survive fine, and I tried outcrossing them to my line of blacks and lavenders, so my stock might still have the silkied gene present in some birds.

Apologies. Your website still turns up on a google search. I was looking into getting some myself some years ago.

 

[dheltzel]

Apologies. Your website still turns up on a google search. I was looking into getting some myself some years ago.

I left the page and just dropped it from the menus, but Google's website "slurper" scans for all pages, not just ones with links. I didn't delete the page because the gene is still present in my black/lavender flock. This year I made sexlinked Ameraucanas from cuckoo pullets and a solid black cock. And guess what popped up in a recent hatch !! A female black silkied Ameraucana chick. I know who her father is, but not her mother, so if she makes it through the winter, I can pair her with her father and should get more silkieds and the rest splits.
After several years of unintentional outcrosses to a lavender cuckoo cock I obtained from an unrelated line, at least one of my cockoo pullets is carrying the gene. I've been very impressed with the type, egg color and general vigor of the cuckoo birds, so maybe the silkied gene popping up again is a second chance.

 

[Saris]

I left the page and just dropped it from the menus, but Google's website "slurper" scans for all pages, not just ones with links. I didn't delete the page because the gene is still present in my black/lavender flock. This year I made sexlinked Ameraucanas from cuckoo pullets and a solid black cock. And guess what popped up in a recent hatch !! A female black silkied Ameraucana chick. I know who her father is, but not her mother, so if she makes it through the winter, I can pair her with her father and should get more silkieds and the rest splits.
After several years of unintentional outcrosses to a lavender cuckoo cock I obtained from an unrelated line, at least one of my cockoo pullets is carrying the gene. I've been very impressed with the type, egg color and general vigor of the cuckoo birds, so maybe the silkied gene popping up again is a second chance.

Did that pullet end up making it through the winter?

 

[dheltzel]

Did that pullet end up making it through the winter?

No, I am trying again this year from that same pen. Last hatch was only 2 chicks, neither silkied. Today I took 7 more out of the hatcher, will know in a week if they are silkied.

 

[Saris]

No, I am trying again this year from that same pen. Last hatch was only 2 chicks, neither silkied. Today I took 7 more out of the hatcher, will know in a week if they are silkied.

That's a real bummer. I wonder what makes them so fragile compared to other breeds that have a silkied feather mutation. I can't recall if their mutation is compatible with other silkied mutations like in the silkied seramas, or Silkies (the breed)

 

[dheltzel]

I have had several hatches so far this year and no silkied chicks at all yet. Will check a few more hatches before I give up and stop setting the eggs.