I have 8 hens to 2 roosters (1 isn't mature yet). This summer I bred the 1 mature roo to 6 hens and all but 1 or 2 eggs in a 10 egg batch would be fertile and hatch. You want to be sure to have a young and spry rooster. They have the best fertility chances.
Thanks! Have you ever bred silkies to standard? I've thought about it but didn't want to waste incubator space if they didn't turn out good.I have one 6 month old silkie cockerel with 10 pullets and 1 hen. Only 3 of them are silkies though. He only yesterday got to rejoin the flock after about a month separation (still got to roost with them at night) as he was not behaving himself with the younger ones. He is beng a good boy now and only trying to mate with the ones that are willing!
Won't know until Spring how this pans out fertility wise, but I do have some silkie crosses brewing in the incubator right now!
Can't answer your broody questions, but sounds like good advice from @ChloeSilkie08.
First time trying. I originally set from 3 different standards, though my pullet eggs didn't take, as I think their eggs are still a work in progress, but I have 9 lovely olive egger eggs with my silkie cockerel, in the incubator right now and a waitlist of people who want to buy them.
They will have smooth feathers, as the silkie feathering is recessive. So if two of these are bred together, then 25% of these would have silkie feathering.
Thanks for the info! I might throw a couple in there just for funzies! I look forward to the pictures!They will have smooth feathers, as the silkie feathering is recessive. So if two of these are bred together, then 25% of these would have silkie feathering.
I expect they will have feathered legs, as my olive egger has them as well. I will post photos when they hatch!
The white one will not likely affect much and you will likely get blue chicks, possibly with with some red leakage. The blue rooster will give you blue and splash chicks with some leakage. Hard to say for sure with mixed colors though!
Thanks! Is it also okay to breed fathers to daughters? Sorry for all the questions. I don't have any silkie breeders to talk to! LolThe white one will not likely affect much and you will likely get blue chicks, possibly with with some red leakage. The blue rooster will give you blue and splash chicks with some leakage. Hard to say for sure with mixed colors though!
