Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[GregnLety]

We have a white and a buff hen and recently acquired a older white rooster. Soon we will begin building their own coop so we can isolate them for breeding purposes.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

I have more... Around 15 adult pure Silkies (some are mixed colours) and 6 silkie mix chicks

I have 13 at the moment, possibly 6-9 will hatch Christmas day under broody Chickaletta
Burtle is Smokey (silver partridge) x Biscuit my rooster. I want more red leakage /buff in the mix so I may need to buy hatching eggs off someone who has buff.

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

We have a white and a buff hen and recently acquired a older white rooster. Soon we will begin building their own coop so we can isolate them for breeding purposes.

Sounds exciting! never know if other colours are hiding behind a white so will be fun to see the chicks!

 

[GregnLety]

Sounds exciting! never know if other colours are hiding behind a white so will be fun to see the chicks!

We love the fact that both our girls are super friendly. The buff, Itty Bitty will come to you chirp to be picked up. Hoping this gene gets passed on. Work will slow down after New Year's so I will get on building the new coop then

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Updated pic of 'Burtle' the cockerel 9 weeks old. I'm liking his colouring so I think I'll try keep him as a backup to Biscuit if they can all get along. He has red leakage

So far the other 2 in the hatch look like pullets. The 3 mumma Puff is raising I don't know yet boy or girl no early indications just yet unlike Burtle who I knew weeks ago!
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He is beautiful! I hope you get to keep him.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

Made a week by week thread for my chicks!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkie-silkie-cochin-mix-week-by-week-thread.1504221/

I don't know if you can see it in the picture but one's outer toes on each foot are short and missing the toe nail.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Made a week by week thread for my chicks!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkie-silkie-cochin-mix-week-by-week-thread.1504221/

I don't know if you can see it in the picture but one's outer toes on each foot are short and missing the toe nail. View attachment 2926192

I noticed this in Esmeralda (my polish) but there was an itty bitty sideways nail coming out of the front... i think i notice that on yours too.

 

[LynnaePB]

I wish we had poultry shows here, sounds like it was a fun experience.
I LOVE your new boy!
I did not like the "showgirls" at first either, but now after I have seen them the past few years, and finally in person, they are growing on me too.
I have not seen mottled silkies before, what a great project to get into.
Which birds will you breed him with to get more mottling?
Your grow outs looks great, super fluffy!
I am very curious how the vaulted skull tends to be linked to female gender. I have done some research online, trying to find out how the genetics work, as it seems to be sexlinked to some extent, but there must be some other factors involved too. I have not found any clear connection written up anywhere.
I have had both male and female chicks with vaulted skulls, and both male and female without, though there is definitely a weight towards the vaulted skull chicks being female. Does not seem to work the other way around, as many of my non-vaulted skull chicks are female, too.
I also had a chick hatch this year with a huge vaulted skull, both parents are non-vaulted, so there is that question, too, how does it pass down, recessive, partially dominant? Lots of research to be done still, it seems.

Thank you!

I'm going to be breeding him with one of my paint girls. She is the one with the biggest spots and I've been wondering if she might have some mottled genetics going on. Some breeders mixed mottled into paint lines and got some interesting results with some really nice large spots. Some of her black grandsons have been getting some white tipped feathers in their beards lately which is something that can go on with mottled and mottled splits (only carrying one copy). If I get any mottled chicks pairing her with him that should confirm she is carrying at least one copy of mottling. If she isn't mottled or split to mottled I'll have to pair some of his daughters from the crossing back to him to get any mottled babies since the mottling gene is recessive.

I'm really curious about the vaulted skull and the link to sex as well. It would be very neat if it was studied further. With a vaulted female over a non vaulted male the accuracy of sexing seems to be around 75% in my past hatches. Other pairings don't seem to work as well. The last group I hatched from the male I think is vaulted and he has mostly vaulted females with one or two non vaulted girls. With this pairing it's looking like the accuracy of sexing is a lot lower. The older grow outs are most likely the vaulted males offspring as well but I think with such a small sample size I just got lucky that the accuracy ended up being 75%. I think whatever genetics are involved in the vaults are probably somewhat complicated. It doesn't seem like a simple recessive given that you can get non vaulted from two vaulted parents. The vaulted from non vaulted would make sense for a recessive gene though.

Updated pic of 'Burtle' the cockerel 9 weeks old. I'm liking his colouring so I think I'll try keep him as a backup to Biscuit if they can all get along. He has red leakage

So far the other 2 in the hatch look like pullets. The 3 mumma Puff is raising I don't know yet boy or girl no early indications just yet unlike Burtle who I knew weeks ago!
View attachment 2925934View attachment 2925936
View attachment 2925941

Aww what a pretty little guy! I'm looking forward to seeing how the red comes in as he grows if you are able to keep him.

Made a week by week thread for my chicks!

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/silkie-silkie-cochin-mix-week-by-week-thread.1504221/

I don't know if you can see it in the picture but one's outer toes on each foot are short and missing the toe nail. View attachment 2926192

I've seen this pop up before. It's actually a fairly common fault in feather legged breeds. So much so in fact it is just a small point deduction in shows rather than a DQ I believe. I think it has a specific name/term but I've forgotten it. I've heard it is somewhat likely to pass on however so being that it isn't as desired as the normal length toes with toenails it's something to keep in mind when breeding to the SOP.

 

[RebeccaBoyd]

Hi everyone. It's been a few weeks since I posted a update and my silkies are now 6 months old. I did have a heart breaking moment when one of my "I'm sure it's a girl" silkies Lil Bit crowed at me 2 mornings before he turned 6 months old. I literally sat down on a milk crate outside their coop that morning and cried. I knew what it meant, 2 males to 1 hen was just a horrible ratio and not fair to Poppy. I drug my feet for a week but finally listed him for sale and found him a perfect home with 3 silkie hens and 7 large fowl girls all of his own. But it hurt letting him go yesterday, I've had 6 months to get attached to that little man. I'm also very happy that I had taken the time to turn them all into "pets" because the family that adopted him have small children and when he left he left riding in the lap of their youngest child. Now that I just have 2 silkies I'm on a mission. I need at least 1 if not 2 more hens to have a happy ratio. I'm going to be picky and since I have horrible rooster luck look for something between 6 months to a year old. I'm open to all colors but would like to find a Buff maybe. The one no go is showgirl silkies. I just do not like naked necks.
These are the pics I took on their 6 month old birthday.
Branch

Poppy

And the last pictures I have of Lil Bit.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

I'm leaving shortly to get paint silkies and TOLBUNT polish!!!!!!! Omgomgomg!!

So the lady also has silkie mix chicks.. mom is silkie, dad is blue birchen Marans... any idea how the size works out depending on who mom/ dad is? I'm thinking about it, but might hold off for bantam Easter eggers.

She also has black bantam cochins the meanie color!!