Silkies 101 - 20 of the most common Silkie questions...

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Mature breeding birds have no regards for the specific breeds, or size, of potential mates. Your standard sized EE rooster will most probably try to mate with anything resembling a chicken that is of the female persuasion.

Which could include a rabbit or guinea pig!--Or the rabbit of guinea pig could view your silkies as being very sexy. (I've HAD that occur)

 

[Freeholder]

Someone asked if Silkie roosters would be able to breed other hens -- the answer is yes. I have two Silkie roosters and last August had two of my EE hens hatch out half-Silkie babies (the Silkie roos were my only roos, so were definitely the fathers). Also one of them bred one of my Golden-laced Wyandotte pullets, who also hatched out half-Silkie chicks. The chicks out of the two EE hens are doing great, four and a half months old now, and all very pretty little birds. The two half-Wyandotte chicks hatched just before Thanksgiving in the goat shelter, got away from their mother, who was still setting on some more eggs, couldn't find their way back, and died. Might let her hatch some more out just to see how they turn out!

Somewhere I read that Silkie crosses were very popular broody hens, and I'm keeping my little pullets to see if they do make good broodies.

Kathleen

 

[technodoll]

I asked this question in a new post earlier today but got no answers, so here goes...

Is it normal for my white silkies' ears to start off a brilliant peacock blue and then around 5 months of age to turn dark purple/blue, the same color as their face, comb and wattles? This has happened to my 3 roos so far, but not to my 2 girls... all from the same breeder.

I realize they are pet quality, but still - is this normal?

Edited to add:

Apologies, you DID answer! I never got the email notification to go check the thread... oops.

Thank you!

 

[Chic Chick]

So if only blue to blue will produce a splash 25% of the time will red to red also produce a red splash?

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
They should be anywhere between a "light turquoise blue, to a turquoise blue" however I've seen them approaching a bluish-purple as well. I dont have a copy of the standard in front of me, but I dont think that there is a specific DQ for variation of colors in the earlobe. At best, it may be a point or two off in the show ring. If you're birds are kept for exhibition, then of course any color is completely normal.

 

[Poulets De Cajun]

Quote:
This is why breeding birds requires advanced knowledge of genetics. I cannot accurately answer your question, and it will probably be better addressed by Suze, but I dont think red to red works the same way. Most probably, a red to red breeding will yield solid red offspring.

 

[Sissy]

Great thread . Iam a first time silkie owner
hatched eggs from BYC breeder. I have 4 white and 2 black,
I can tell that I have 1 roo because yesterday he found his voice
will he try to mate with his siblings and should I seperate them.


opps I see now they will mate.
with anything that resembles a female,

 

[onthespot]

Is the "shreddy" look of the hard wing and tail feathers in show birds generally manufactured, or do some hatch out with very shreddy wings? Is it possible to make a not-so-shreddy wing look showable? and is that considered faking?

 

[walkswithdog]

I can try a simple explanation and Suze or Chris or Henk can tell you if it works or not.

The three colors BBS, blue black and splash are interbred because they produce reliably within that group. Splash IS a form of Blue. If I breed Blue to Splash, I get about half and half, depending on numbers hatched and statistics not being perfect for small groups. I prefer to breed black to blue, to get the widest variety - all three can be produced.

This is not true of red. Red is not a form of Blue.

One blue gene - blue bird. Two blue genes - splash bird.

 

[Dar]

I love my silkies.. I have pet quality my DH has taken a fancy to the silkies over the standard hens...lol

I have a silkies EE X (I think) she lays a "muddy" blue egg, meaning its blue but it looks dirty. So because in a preious post there was talk about a male silkie and female standard hen the odds are against them being successful... are very low... I am assuming that my hen had a silkie mom and EE dad?