Silkies & Their Colors

[Je33ieg]

I am fairly new to breeding silkies, and am wondering if this information is correct. I was recently told that you cannot breed one color rooster to a hen of a different color or else the babies will be "special". is that true? i have done so much research and i hear arguments for both sides. I understand that a breeding pair of the same color will produce true offspring, but if i were to mix color breeders, what problems would that bring about?

There is a thread on this site promoting many gorgeous silkies, but none are the standard colors. While i find the various colors fascinating and incredibly beautiful, are they acceptable? Easy to sale? Show quality? Will they have mutations?

Again, excuse my ignorance; I just want to have all the facts since I have heard arguments for both sides. And I especially hope no one feels that I am demeaning them for breeding different color silkies together, because i do truly find them gorgeous. And i hope to raise baby silkies that are a variety of colors; as long as they are not mutant babies (which i have been told can happen).

If it helps, i have one black rooster in with a white, black and splash hen. and i have a partridge rooster & hen separate from the others.

 

[4hchickmama]

I am fairly new to breeding silkies, and am wondering if this information is correct. I was recently told that you cannot breed one color rooster to a hen of a different color or else the babies will be "special". is that true? i have done so much research and i hear arguments for both sides. I understand that a breeding pair of the same color will produce true offspring, but if i were to mix color breeders, what problems would that bring about?

There is a thread on this site promoting many gorgeous silkies, but none are the standard colors. While i find the various colors fascinating and incredibly beautiful, are they acceptable? Easy to sale? Show quality? Will they have mutations?

Again, excuse my ignorance; I just want to have all the facts since I have heard arguments for both sides. And I especially hope no one feels that I am demeaning them for breeding different color silkies together, because i do truly find them gorgeous. And i hope to raise baby silkies that are a variety of colors; as long as they are not mutant babey ies (which i have been told can happen).

If it helps, i have one black rooster in with a white, black and splash hen. and i have a partridge rooster & hen separate from the others.

"Special" as in handicapped? No. They may or may not have proper coloring though. To breed true, you should breed buff to buff, partridge to partridge, etc. with the exception of Blue, Black and Splash which can be interbred. Now there is an issue with whites masking color...which I can't fully describe because Ive been up since 4am. To my knowledge, there is no physical or mental or lethal genetics that can pop up when interbreeding different colors of silkies. If you just want them for your backyard flock...and you don't care what colors you end up with or that they will breed true...then let them all together. If you want true colors, keep them separate.

 

[Je33ieg]

thanks for your reply. and yes, i meant handicapped. i thought that sounded obsurd, but i thought i should at least ask!

 

[4hchickmama]

There ARE lethal genes in some birds...aracaunas for example. In that breed the double tufted gene can kill babies in the shell. In frizzled birds, two copies of the frizzled gene can cause some issues with severe lack of feathering (Think the worst moult you've ever seen, all the time.) To my knowledge, no such genetics are linked to any color crossing in silkies. You can also keep them all together if you want, and then if you want to hatch true color chicks, separate out to breeding pens for a few weeks. Glad i could help.

 

[Je33ieg]

There ARE lethal genes in some birds...aracaunas for example. In that breed the double tufted gene can kill babies in the shell. In frizzled birds, two copies of the frizzled gene can cause some issues with severe lack of feathering (Think the worst moult you've ever seen, all the time.) To my knowledge, no such genetics are linked to any color crossing in silkies. You can also keep them all together if you want, and then if you want to hatch true color chicks, separate out to breeding pens for a few weeks. Glad i could help.

thank you! I appreciate the info!