Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[chickengr]

I'm down to 22 chickens, all Silkies. 1 roosters, Biscuit, and I'd say at least 3 or 4 boys are in the mix that should show themselves soon.
I think you need double the amount of chickens if you have Silkies since they go broody often and don't lay as often

that's why I decided to keep a small flock of 2 boys and 5 girls. my favourite food is eggs. although I love silkie eggs they do not produce enough. but I will need broodies so 5 little incubators are just perfect for me.

 

[LynnaePB]

Things have been busy here, I'm trying to catch up with the thread and loving seeing all the new pictures from everyone!

I'm still impatiently waiting on some of my new color varieties to get old enough to breed. My little red satin frizzle is either laying or about to judging by her pelvic bones so today she went to be with one of my silkie boys who I think will compliment her color. I can't wait to hopefully hatch out some little frizzle babies when she starts laying fertilized eggs.

The little mille split satins are still quite a ways away from laying but should be coming out of the lanky stage soon and I'm excited to see how they'll fill in.

So hard to tell Bluey, Jaffa and Chip apart! Slight difference of darker bit on wings and Bluey is slightly lighter, patridge buff? What colour would you call them?.. I love Smokey and Biscuit colour babies! So much variety of colours... Here's pics of Chip...I think.. all still looking girly at this stage which is amazing since all orange looking ones have been boys in the past. Would all these coloured ones produce orange patridge sort of coloured offspring?
View attachment 3156837
View attachment 3156838
View attachment 3156839

I think it's looking like you'll have some lovely orange girls this time.

I think the big difference is your boy before was probably homozygous silver (silver/silver) where Biscuit is proving himself to be heterozygous (silver/gold). These little orange ones inherited the gold base. With the silver base that much red/orange showing up would be a good bet of having a boy but on a gold base it is a little different.

Gold and Silver ground color are sex linked. Girls always get their ground color from dad so if dad is silver/silver they'll always inherit silver and if dad is gold/gold they'll always inherit gold. Silver/gold like Biscuit must be makes for half gold based girls and half silver based girls. Girls only have space for one ground color gene but boys have two. Boys inherit ground color from both mom and dad. So say you have a silver/silver dad and a gold based mom the sons are going to be silver/gold. Silver is more dominant than gold so it can be hard to tell if a boy is silver/silver or silver/gold though the silver/gold sometimes looks to have a bit of a yellowish/straw tint to it. If the bird is a solid color like black or blue with no leakage you won't really be able to see ground color. eb base like I believe you have going on here with these girls shows ground color really well. So these cuties are partridge like (probably with some Columbian like restrictors from dad that extend the gold areas.

It really depends on the partner what you might get if/when you breed these little ones. Breed orange girls back to dad and you will very likely get at least some that are similar or breed orange boys back to mom and again you'll get at least some that are similar. Breeding a boy and a girl of this more orangey color together should definitely give you quite a few more like them.

 

[AngBantamLuv]

Betty, my polkie, really is all silkie personality and behavior wise. Her and Bambina, the paint silkie, are inseparable and despite the heat, each tries to snuggle under the others wing at bed time. They both sleep in the coop doorway together, just the sweetest. I'm trying to get cute pics, but they all love me and trample each other when i go outside. I might need to setup a video camera instead.

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

Things have been busy here

We've MISSED YA something awful! So good to see ya back!

 

[Gammas Bearded Babies]

I own 3 silkies, 2 white and one grey (blue?) silkie. The grey/blue one is the youngest and the other two I believe are siblings. Any advice on making silkies less skittish and enjoy my company? I have had a very good time socializing are chickens even older pullets but my silkies (especially the one I got as a chick...?) aren't very social. I'm starting to win over one or both white ones but my grey one hates being even touched.

It's really a work in progress from hatch...did u see this thread?
Thread 'How to make chicks cuddly and pettable? Feeling discouraged...' https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...dly-and-pettable-feeling-discouraged.1530942/

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

It's really a work in progress from hatch...did u see this thread?
Thread 'How to make chicks cuddly and pettable? Feeling discouraged...' https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...dly-and-pettable-feeling-discouraged.1530942/

Thank you for this info. Someone recommended giving them cooked eggs, I will try that along with other stuff. My white ones I don't think will be to hard and hopefully not the grey one. The grey one used to enjoy my company so hopefully with positive training I can bring that back. Thank you.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

Here are mine!! I got some not to long ago!!

And here’s my show “girl” Silkie!!

 

[NinjaGamer2022]

Here are mine!! I got some not to long ago!! View attachment 3157192View attachment 3157193View attachment 3157194View attachment 3157195
And here’s my show “girl” Silkie!!View attachment 3157196

I didn't know silkies could have yellow and white coloration. Great pictures.

 

[CaliFarmsAR]

I didn't know silkies could have yellow and white coloration. Great pictures.

Thank you

 

[LizGio]

My first batch! Show Girls