So what do you think of these silkies? [Lots of pics]

[jossanne]

I'm wanting to have and hopefully breed b/b/s silkies, and so far all I have is a black cockerel and a partridge pullet. Obviously I know the partridge won't work in there, but she's so pretty that I couldn't resist keeping her.

So what do you honestly think of the quality of these two nearly 4mo birds? They're the first silkies I've ever touched, let alone owned, and all I can judge them by is the pictures I see online. They hatched April 1 from eggs from equus2, who got her stock from fellow BYC members. They free range on our property, with very little grass, so their foot feathering isn't in the best of condition, but I don't think it's looking too poor for the ground they're on.

Will Leroy be okay to work toward breeding nice quality b/b/s silkies? The only fault that I can see on him is he has a lobster claw on one of his toes, but obviously I know nothing...

And here's Mrs. Party:

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

I just got my first silkies too, so I don't know enough to answer your question, but I just had to say that the last pic cracked me up!! She's like, "yeah, Leroy's my b@*%^!!!" HAA HAA HAA!!!

 

[NYREDS]

I suspect no one has responded because they're reluctant to be the first to tell you the truth. It often seems to me that on this site the only acceptable reponse to a "What do you think of my ...." question is "They're beautiful".
Unfortunately I have to say that yours are not very good Silkies. If you are interested in breeding for show you'll need to start over. The fact that they origionated from a BYC member doesn't guarantee their quality. From pictures posted here it seems most members are raising pet quality birds.
I'll tell you what I tell everyone interested in breeding Learn the breed before yoyu buy birds. Buy & study the Standard. Go to some shows & look at the winners while comparing them to the Standard descriptions. Talk to breeders & judges at the shows & after all that you'll be ready to buy.
When you do buy make it from someone who shows & occasionally wins. You'll save a lot of time & frustration. Don't let anyone convince you that you can "get some good chicks" from the birds you have. As the saying goes "You can't make a silk purse from a sows ear".

 

[xtremechickens]

They are so cute!!!! Good Luck

 

[jossanne]

Quote:
Thanks NYREDS, I was looking for honesty. I appreciate your response.

I am not looking to show. I live nowhere near any good poultry shows. There is probably no way I'll ever get to visit a good poultry show. I will probably never get exposed to good silkie stock except on the internet, and when I finally buy some from someone. I would love to do more personal, hands-on research, but I am not in a place or situation in life to be able to do so.

I do, however, want to own the best silkies I can so that I can eventually sell decent-quality eggs and birds. No one around me has any breed of any chicken that's show quality. We all have just poultry from the feed store and hatcheries, and barnyard birds. The birds at our county show are often mixed.

So what isn't good about my birds? Can you give me a bit of a critique so I can learn? Thanks!

 

[NYREDS]

Gosh, they have so little going for them [other than health & good care-the part you're responsible for] that it's hard to comment.
In short, not enough cushion or crest, lack fullness, long backs, etc. The Partridge's wing feathers are much too completely formed-hardly "Silkie" at all. The primary feather should look pretty raggidy.
Where are you maybe I could point you to a breeder. Do a search on this site for Hat Trick Silkies-she has some of the best anywhere.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

There is a show in Farmington the first weekend in November, one in Tucson on Thanksgiving weekend, one in Safford, AZ the first weekend in January (this one is the closest to you) and one in Casa Grande, AZ the 3rd weekend in February. I don't recall when your state fair is. One of the very best breeders in the US lives in Sandia Park, NM.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The both have good beards, well shaped combs and good comb colour. Toe separation looks good, but I can't tell for sure. The male holds his tail too low and it is too small. The partridge should hold her wings more tightly closed, although it is carried high enough. How old are the birds? He may fill out more, depending on his age. Her colouring is good. I agree with NYREDS comments.

 

[jossanne]

They were hatched April 1, so they're almost 4 months old.

I would probably be able to make it to a show in Safford, but the rest are questionable. We're only 1.5 hours from Safford. State fair is in September, but I haven't been since 2001. The problem is mostly that I'm a stay-at-home-mom with 6 kids, and we're living on my husband's government employee salary. 'Nuff said.

HatTrick's eggs have been out of my price range on EggBid. One of these days, though... they're my goal.

I have eggs from cjexotic in Pennsylvania under a broody right now, but they had a rough trip through the mail and they're not developing. Most of them had loose air cells. Today is day 14, and all are candling clear. I plan on tossing them in the morning. I'm not having the best of luck getting the babies I want.

This batch with the birds pictured above wasn't what I was expecting them to be, as I thought I bought b/b/s eggs, but it turned out there were a couple whites in her b/b/s pen. I didn't end up with any blues or splashes, and out of 8 babies had a buff, 3 partridge, 3 white, and a black.

I'm planning to be more careful about eggs I buy in the future, and do my research a little better.

Anyway, thanks for your input. It's really much appreciated!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

At 4 months they are still quite young--he, in particular is likely to keep developing for many more months.

Purchasing started or adult birds is far more reliable than purchasing eggs.