Silver partridge Orpington?

[redrooster99]

I am hatching out some silver partridge orps in hopes of setting up breeding pens and I also bought some chicks from the woman I bought hatching eggs from. And she said every once in a while her silver partridge chicks will hatch out a chick with red down instead of silver. What causes this and what will the chick look like?

 

[The Moonshiner]

Sounds like thats something she needs to answer.
Not getting enough info to know for sure. "Red down" is a bit vague.
Perhaps her silvers aren't pure for silver and they're throwing gold which would be partridge instead of silver partridge.

 

[redrooster99]

I’ll get a picture this evening it doesn’t appear normal partridge colored to me.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

I believe she is referring to Silver Penciled when chicks have the red brown hue down. Darker down than the pure silver expression. These will grow into birds with brown hue in silver of body.

The standards in breeding Silver Pencilled will say to avoid breeding hens with the brown hue. Robert Murphy, Silver breeder, will tell you not to overlook or discount those birds on that one factor alone. Of course the bird paired with must be pure Silver expression or you'll see it all the time in birds and that is not the Standard. Silver are silver.

I'm with Murphy that you don't throw the baby out with the bath water. If all other attributes are breeder worthy don't let the brown hue stop you from using in program.

This is not to be confused with autosomal red expression. That you'll see on K's when 20 plus weeks old. Never use these birds for breeding.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I believe she is referring to Silver Penciled when chicks have the red brown hue down. Darker down than the pure silver expression. These will grow into birds with brown hue in silver of body.

The standards in breeding Silver Pencilled will say to avoid breeding hens with the brown hue. Robert Murphy, Silver breeder, will tell you not to overlook or discount those birds on that one factor alone. Of course the bird paired with must be pure Silver expression or you'll see it all the time in birds and that is not the Standard. Silver are silver.

I'm with Murphy that you don't throw the baby out with the bath water. If all other attributes are breeder worthy don't let the brown hue stop you from using in program.

This is not to be confused with autosomal red expression. That you'll see on K's when 20 plus weeks old. Never use these birds for breeding.

Yes silver partridge and silver penciled is the same thing.
What brown hue are you talking about? What causes it or where does it come from?
I raised silver penciled Plymouth rock bantams for years and never came across anything like that.
I was wondering if OPs breeder may have some males split to gold.

 

[redrooster99]

I havnt seen all of her breeders. If nothing else I will find somewhere for it. I was curious exactly what caused it. And what wil autosomal red do? Is that where the silver cockerels will get red shoulders?

 

[redrooster99]

Regular silver on left and the reddish one on the right.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Autosomal red is red shoulders and brassy hackle and saddle feathers. Never breed brassy birds.

Photo you provided is exactly what I'm talking about. I've no idea what causes the brown hue. It's mentioned in every writing on breeding this variety I've read. I've seen it with two lines of this variety Plymouth Rock. Large Fowl. It's common and we try to reduce it. The pure Silver is what you want but with so much improvement needed and the multitude of things that you shouldn't breed that will express after 20 weeks you just don't toss out the brown chicks on that alone. Or you do. It's your call.

Happen to have a copy of "The Mating and Breeding of Poultry" by Harry Lamon and Rob Slocum on the stand here next to me. My copy is Lyons press 2003, original publication 1920 by Orange Judd Co. I don't have the time to type out or cite pages. This is but one reference to the brown hue in Silver Partridge and to avoid breeding it.

I don't believe bantam are real chickens

 

[redrooster99]

Thank you for the info.

 

[redrooster99]

Thank you for the info.
What is this variety below? I found this picture on the internet and I love that roosters coloring.