Silkied D’Uccles Project

[I Like Turkeys]

Here are the little babies! Had some of them hatch on my birthday. Hopefully more than just one will be silkied this clutch
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Only one with 5 toesView attachment 3943015View attachment 3943016

Cute chicks! Sounds awesome only one hatched with five toes- and it looks like a few didn't inherit Fibromelanism. They look great, and you seem like you'll have good luck in weeding out the silkie traits(besides the feathering ofc) from your flock.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Unfortunately non of the chicks are silkied. Those chicks will probally be last for this year. I really didnt get anywhere this year besides knowing that both parents for sure carry the silkie feather and mottled gene.
Im still debateing on if I should use the silkied pullet I did hatch. She is not mottled but she could carry the mottled gene. She also doesnt have vulture hocks but she could carry the gene. Idk, what do yall think I should do?
If I do rebreed the F1s I could get more silkied chicks that may be vutured and mottled, I may do this anways instead of keeping the pullet. There is just so many "could carry" beside the vulture hocks and mottled that I may just sell her bc It could make the process longer if she dosent carry the mottled gene.

 

[Amer]

Unfortunately non of the chicks are silkied. Those chicks will probally be last for this year. I really didnt get anywhere this year besides knowing that both parents for sure carry the silkie feather and mottled gene.
Im still debateing on if I should use the silkied pullet I did hatch. She is not mottled but she could carry the mottled gene. She also doesnt have vulture hocks but she could carry the gene. Idk, what do yall think I should do?
If I do rebreed the F1s I could get more silkied chicks that may be vutured and mottled, I may do this anways instead of keeping the pullet. There is just so many "could carry" beside the vulture hocks and mottled that I may just sell her bc It could make the process longer if she dosent carry the mottled gene.

Yeah I'd recommend just rebreeding the F1s to see if you can get both Silkie feathers and mottling. Just breed huge quantities.
Can't you tell if birds carry mottling or not when they are younger?

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Yeah I'd recommend just rebreeding the F1s to see if you can get both Silkie feathers and mottling. Just breed huge quantities.
Can't you tell if birds carry mottling or not when they are younger?

Not that I’m aware of be sides if they are all white with a dot on the head or if they are white with black down their backs. I’ll attach some photos

These chicks are from my Brown Red Mottled D’Uccles project

 

[CastielH]

Unfortunately non of the chicks are silkied. Those chicks will probally be last for this year. I really didnt get anywhere this year besides knowing that both parents for sure carry the silkie feather and mottled gene.
Im still debateing on if I should use the silkied pullet I did hatch. She is not mottled but she could carry the mottled gene. She also doesnt have vulture hocks but she could carry the gene. Idk, what do yall think I should do?
If I do rebreed the F1s I could get more silkied chicks that may be vutured and mottled, I may do this anways instead of keeping the pullet. There is just so many "could carry" beside the vulture hocks and mottled that I may just sell her bc It could make the process longer if she dosent carry the mottled gene.

Given she's a pullet I'd keep her as a backup currently, but depending on what males you have available you could cross her back to one of the F1 males to try and get expressed mottled?

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Given she's a pullet I'd keep her as a backup currently, but depending on what males you have available you could cross her back to one of the F1 males to try and get expressed mottled?

Good idea! I didn’t think about breeding her to the F1 rooster. I may do that! Thanks for your input.

 

[CastielH]

Good idea! I didn’t think about breeding her to the F1 rooster. I may do that! Thanks for your input.

You're welcome! Unless it goes badly in which case I had nothing to do with it. In all seriousness it should be a good way to help set some of the traits you want, and you can keep breeding the F1's at the same time so you'll increase the range of genetics you have to play with. I'm really excited to see how your project moves forward!

 

[Egg Snatcher]

You're welcome! Unless it goes badly in which case I had nothing to do with it. In all seriousness it should be a good way to help set some of the traits you want, and you can keep breeding the F1's at the same time so you'll increase the range of genetics you have to play with. I'm really excited to see how your project moves forward!

Thanks

 

[Egg Snatcher]

So my F1 hen got out of her breeding pen and has gone broody somewhere, so there will be more little F2s on the way. Hopefully I can find her nest and convenience her to set in a nesting box so she can be moved.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Something got to the hens nest before I found her nest (hen is still alive). I’ll try to get some pics of the two silkied babies tomorrow.