Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Now that I have found a home for my Polish cockrel, I've been watching and reading more in silkies.
Paint wasn't one of the listed colors - just splash. Is that right or accurate?
I had thought I had 2 white paints...but questioning now if they r white splash.
This is Vanilli and she's bearded....or could she even be a lavender?

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Now that I have found a home for my Polish cockrel, I've been watching and reading more in silkies.
Paint wasn't one of the listed colors - just splash. Is that right or accurate?
I had thought I had 2 white paints...but questioning now if they r white splash.
This is Vanilli and she's bearded....or could she even be a lavender?
View attachment 2778710

These are the recognized colors that silkies come in:

Bearded/Non-bearded White, Bearded/Non-bearded Black, Bearded/Non-bearded Buff, Bearded/Non-bearded Blue, Bearded/Non-bearded Splash, Bearded/Non-bearded Gray, Bearded/Non-bearded Partridge, Bearded Self Blue,
Bearded White Naked Neck,
Bearded Paint.

Then of course there are all the lovely mixed colors and project colors that people have which in my mind are often more beautiful.
Look up for example calico silkie and you will see what I mean.
In order to maintain the above colors, silkies have to be kept in "color pens", which most people do not unless they are serious breeders. Many people who want to breed silkies (and many other breeds for that matter) start with BBS (blue/black/splash) as these colors can all be kept together and still breed "true".
I agree yours is not paint and likely splash. Paint is crisp white with patches of black and is the result of dominant white (most silkies are recessive white) over black.
They are crisp white with clear black patches. They have their "spots" at hatch and they develp more as they grow.
Eko as a chick and at 3 months of age:

Splash is part of blue genetics (BBS) and is a light grey (blue) with darker grey (blue) "splashes" coming through. These birds are usually hatched a light silvery white and the coloring comes in as they feather out.
Layla as a chick and as an adult:

Lavender (officially known as selfblue) is a dilute of black in the same way that blue is, but is completely different genetically. You need to have two lavenders or a bird that is recessive for lavender to create lavender chicks. Your bird could very well be. There should be no flex or anything and she should be a very even light silvery color. Some blue birds can appear to be lavender as well, the blue has more of a gradient of color and it’s not completely uniform like lavender.
Hope all this makes sense! I am by no means an expert in genetics and I’m still learning, I find the topic very fascinating!

Edited for clarity and spelling errors.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

These are the recognized colors that silkies come in:

Bearded/Non-bearded White, Bearded/Non-bearded Black, Bearded/Non-bearded Buff, Bearded/Non-bearded Blue, Bearded/Non-bearded Splash, Bearded/Non-bearded Gray, Bearded/Non-bearded Partridge, Bearded Self Blue,
Bearded White Naked Neck,
Bearded Paint.

Then of course there are all the lovely mixed colors and project colors that people have which in my mind are often more beautiful.
Look up for example calico silkie and you will see what I mean.
In order to maintain the above colors, silkies have to be kept in "color pens", which most people do not unless they are serious breeders. Many people who want to breed silkies (and many other breeds for that matter) start with BBS (blue/black/splash) as these colors can all be kept together and still breed "true".
I agree yours is not paint and likely splash. Paint is crisp white with patches of black and is the result of dominant white (most silkies are recessive white) over black.
They are crisp white with clear black patches. They have their "spots" at hatch and they develp more as they grow.
Eko as a chick and at 3 months of age:
View attachment 2778832View attachment 2778831
Splash is part of blue genetics (BBS) and is a light grey (blue) with darker grey (blue) "splashes" coming through. These birds are usually hatched a light silvery white and the coloring comes in as they feather out.
Layla as a chick and as an adult:View attachment 2778842
View attachment 2778849
Lavender (officially known as selfblue) is a dilute of black in the same way that blue is, but is completely different genetically. You need to have two lavenders or a bird that is recessive for lavender to create lavender chicks. Your bird could very well be. There should be no flex or anything and she should be a very even light silvery color. Some blue birds can appear to be lavender as well, the blue has more of a gradient of color and it’s not completely uniform like lavender.
Hope all this makes sense! I am by no means an expert in genetics and I’m still learning, I find the topic very fascinating!

Edited for clarity and spelling errors.

Wow! U explained all that so well!
Whats the difference in blue vs self blue?
I'm excited to learn more bout this kinda stuff too! Especially as they keep growin and filling out! Milli n Vanilli as chicks first few days...even Mango doesn't look "black" but I guess there are different variations of black even.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Wow! U explained all that so well!
Whats the difference in blue vs self blue?
I'm excited to learn more bout this kinda stuff too! Especially as they keep growin and filling out! Milli n Vanilli as chicks first few days...even Mango doesn't look "black" but I guess there are different variations of black even.View attachment 2778858

I started learning by searching the threads here on BYC. Many folks on here are genetics experts and are a fund of knowledge.
Here are 2 charts that I have seen elsewhere and I have also posted before. They illustrate the basics of both BBS (blue/black/splash) and lavender (selfblue) genetics:

You will see the expression "split" alot when you read up on genetics. This means the bird is recessive for that quality. In the above chart for lavender, the "split' bird is black in appearance but carries the lavnder gene, which is recessive and needs two copies to be expressed. The split bird carries one copy.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Wow! U explained all that so well!
Whats the difference in blue vs self blue?
I'm excited to learn more bout this kinda stuff too! Especially as they keep growin and filling out! Milli n Vanilli as chicks first few days...even Mango doesn't look "black" but I guess there are different variations of black even.View attachment 2778858

Adorable! Are yours large or bantam? The color standards are different for each. Grey, Blue, and Splash are recognized colors for silkie bantams, I am not sure about for large fowl.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Are yours large or bantam?

Thank u!
Mine are all bantams.

 

[LadiesAndJane]

Adorable! Are yours large or bantam? The color standards are different for each. Grey, Blue, and Splash are recognized colors for silkie bantams, I am not sure about for large fowl.

The list I posted was directly from the American Silkie Bantam Association and are all the current recognized colors for these.
Large fowl are mostly found in the UK and Europe and they likely have a different standard.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Check out this bold little week old chickie!! Already roosting!

(Grainy pic, didn't want little one to lose her balance getting too close!!)

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

No, they didn’t! My older chickens attacked it though!

Ah...my silkies finally ate the homegrown lettuce!!! I had chopped it up and froze it with pie e of their food into ice cubes and gave earlier this afternoon and this is all that's left! Must of been starving lil babies!!! Not a single sign of lettuce at all!

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Ah...my silkies finally ate the homegrown lettuce!!! I had chopped it up and froze it with pie e of their food into ice cubes and gave earlier this afternoon and this is all that's left! Must of been starving lil babies!!! Not a single sign of lettuce at all!

So funny.. mine want it chopped up too.