Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[LadiesAndJane]

Awesome! Fingers crossed
That's great your breeder is such a reliable person!
Do you have a second incubator for when the lavenders arrive?

Yes!
Thanks!
So hoping I get some this go round.
Pretty confident Layla's egg will hatch anyway.

 

[LynnaePB]

The Silkie Poem
Silkies are not dumber then rocks
They do not look like mops
They are not hard to maintain
but, they are scared of rain.
If is wasn't for their hairness
Then they would have more awareness.
Mine lay eggs, that are bigger then their heads

Love the poem!

I love it! But mine aren't scared of the rain. They get all wet and in winter I have to dry them so they don't freeze. I made a double haiku about it:

The One Misery of a Silkie Keeper
Silkie feathers aren't
waterproof, but they don't know.
Wet silkies in rain.

Wet, cold, and gross, you
catch them, dry with hair dryer.
Winter eve' wasted.

Oh gosh yes I can relate.....why must they stand out in the rain!

So, my third batch (second from this breeder) of silkie eggs arrived today and I am just under the wire for the Easter HAL.
Layla just started laying this week, so I placed one of her eggs with the shipped as a "control". Air cells are loose, but otherwise look good. Crossing my fingers some of these hatch! I was shipped a dozen paint by mistake, so the breeder is sending me some of the lavender for free.
She has been very easy to communicate with and I do not place any of the poor hatch rate from the previous hatch at her door.

So exciting! That is great the breeder is sending the lavender for free since there was a mistake. I hope the trip wasn't as hard on them this time despite the loose air cells and you get a better hatch!

We've got chicks due at the same time, I just set my first batch of the year today too! I'm not positive they are fertilized but I think I saw the bullseye in a few I cracked open to check so here's hoping. I set 8 eggs, 4 from two different pairs. I had to try artificial insemination with one of the pairs because the cockerel was just not getting the hang of mating correctly, I'm hoping it worked!

Not trying for paints for once. Sort of doing a test hatch to try to get some hints into genetics with one pair and the other pair I'm hoping for some red pyle like chicks.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Love the poem!

Oh gosh yes I can relate.....why must they stand out in the rain!


So exciting! That is great the breeder is sending the lavender for free since there was a mistake. I hope the trip wasn't as hard on them this time despite the loose air cells and you get a better hatch!

We've got chicks due at the same time, I just set my first batch of the year today too! I'm not positive they are fertilized but I think I saw the bullseye in a few I cracked open to check so here's hoping. I set 8 eggs, 4 from two different pairs. I had to try artificial insemination with one of the pairs because the cockerel was just not getting the hang of mating correctly, I'm hoping it worked!

Not trying for paints for once. Sort of doing a test hatch to try to get some hints into genetics with one pair and the other pair I'm hoping for some red pyle like chicks.

Thanks!
So exciting! I have heard people mention AI a few times in the threads. How does one go about that?
If I get any paints out of this batch, I will be sure to pester you with questions!

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

How do I recreate my rooster colour? He gives me so much variety of colour offspring so I want to duplicate him. He has a little red in his wings that give some offspring red leakage that I love. Or is it just random that he ended up like this and I can't recreate his colour?
Also I want to keep the long tail, is that a dominant thing so most roosters will get it?




The other 2 boys I have (his offspring) are near the same colour.. Hens I have range in colour from black, grey, white, silver partridge..

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

Love the poem!

Oh gosh yes I can relate.....why must they stand out in the rain!


So exciting! That is great the breeder is sending the lavender for free since there was a mistake. I hope the trip wasn't as hard on them this time despite the loose air cells and you get a better hatch!

We've got chicks due at the same time, I just set my first batch of the year today too! I'm not positive they are fertilized but I think I saw the bullseye in a few I cracked open to check so here's hoping. I set 8 eggs, 4 from two different pairs. I had to try artificial insemination with one of the pairs because the cockerel was just not getting the hang of mating correctly, I'm hoping it worked!

Not trying for paints for once. Sort of doing a test hatch to try to get some hints into genetics with one pair and the other pair I'm hoping for some red pyle like chicks.

How does AI work? I want more chicks from my multi colour rooster but I don't seem to be getting many fertile eggs, if any at all! My poor broodies have sat on eggs and none fertile so I keep having to break them!

 

[LynnaePB]

Thanks!
So exciting! I have heard people mention AI a few times in the threads. How does one go about that?
If I get any paints out of this batch, I will be sure to pester you with questions!

How does AI work? I want more chicks from my multi colour rooster but I don't seem to be getting many fertile eggs, if any at all! My poor broodies have sat on eggs and none fertile so I keep having to break them!

Here is a thread that has a video in the second post on how to do it.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/genetics-artificial-insemination-how-do-you-do-it.285219/

I didn't do it quite like that but I don't really know what I'm doing very well. I was a bit gentler and didn't do it as long but we definitely got something when we tried. The first time not as much as subsequent times, I think it takes a little bit for the cockerel or cock to get used to it. I did it every other day 4 times in total before collecting my girls eggs for incubation, I'm just hoping it was successful! I used a spoon to catch the (hopefully) semen. It seemed pretty easy but it helped that my husband was there to help hold them.

How do I recreate my rooster colour? He gives me so much variety of colour offspring so I want to duplicate him. He has a little red in his wings that give some offspring red leakage that I love. Or is it just random that he ended up like this and I can't recreate his colour?
Also I want to keep the long tail, is that a dominant thing so most roosters will get it?


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The other 2 boys I have (his offspring) are near the same colour.. Hens I have range in colour from black, grey, white, silver partridge..
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View attachment 2578012

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I'm thinking your boy is likely a silver partridge/gray with autosomal red leakage. His male offspring look to be columbian gray with autosomal red leakage. I don't really see columbian in the dad so maybe one of your white hens has it under the recessive white? Columbian has a stronger effect when homozygous so there is maybe a possibility he is only heterozygous and does carry columbian but it doesn't show much on him. I wouldn't be surprised if it was your white hens that were contributing a lot of the neat color genetics to the offspring as well, you never know what they have hiding under that white till you breed. Your rooster probably carries recessive white as well given he's had white offspring. Only half of his offspring will carry this if bred to a mate that doesn't carry it.

I'd pair him with a silver partridge/gray if you want to reproduce his color. A darker colored girl would probably work better for getting more darker colored males like him. Others the same color as him may not give you as much variety of color when bred, white for one if they don't also carry a recessive white gene.

I've got what I believe is a silver partridge/grey with red leakage that looks a bit similar to your boy. Mine may be diluted with blue (not quite sure) and probably has a moorhead but they are kinda similar in color otherwise. He's actually the one I had to use AI with because he is not getting the hang of mating yet.

Your boy has a beautiful tail! I'm afraid I don't know what kind of dominance the longer/more prominent tail has though.

 

[PioneerChicks]

Layla just started laying this week

I have a Layla too! Well, actually Malala, but that is such a mouthful!

 

[LadiesAndJane]

I have a Layla too! Well, actually Malala, but that is such a mouthful!

After Malala Yousafzai?

 

[THEChIcKeNwhisperer354]

I love it! But mine aren't scared of the rain. They get all wet and in winter I have to dry them so they don't freeze. I made a double haiku about it:

The One Misery of a Silkie Keeper
Silkie feathers aren't
waterproof, but they don't know.
Wet silkies in rain.

Wet, cold, and gross, you
catch them, dry with hair dryer.
Winter eve' wasted.

Mine hate the rain I must be lucky

 

[PioneerChicks]

After Malala Yousafzai?

Yes actually! I heard her story and loved it! So inspiring! Her name is pronounced Muh-law-lah but Lay-lah fits a laying hen better, don't you think? Is your Layla named after her too?