SQ Silkies????

[akcountrygrrl]

My daughter loves Silkies. So, I bought some eggs from supposedly SQ lines and hatched them out. They are about 8 weeks old now. Their middle toes barely have any feathering and what they have of beard and muff is pitiful. Well, I also got a "Hatchery Surprise" from Cackle which included several white Silkie chicks. All of these chicks have feathering on ALL 5 toes with the outer and middle both being heavily feathered. They also look like they are going to develop nice head furnishing (they're only 3 weeks old now). I've looked at the APA SOP and all it states about the toe feathering is that the outer and middle toes have to have feathering. So, that being said... I'd like to know what the show breeders look for in their chicks. How do you decide which ones you will keep and which you will sell? Is it to an exhibitor's advantage to have all of the toes feathered? I've shown feather footed breeds (never Silkies before) for quite some time but I've never seen any with feathering on all the toes like my one batch of chicks so I'm not really sure what to make of it. Any thoughts, comments, suggestions????

 

[LilPeeps]

In chicks, they should at least have some feathering on the middle toes, five toes, a straight beak, dark skin and eyes, and not have a single comb. If you plan on showing, they must have feathering to at least the middle toes, otherwise they will be dqed. Can you post pics of the chicks?

 

[akcountrygrrl]

I'm familiar with what the standard calls for but I've never seen any feather legged chick with feathering on ALL of its toes so I was looking for some feedback from some others who show silkies. I've been showing poultry (and various other animals) throughout my life and realize that there are certain things that would be preferred in a SQ animal that aren't necessarily written in an SOP. Usually, you have to learn these things by trial and error. I was hoping to be able to draw on some other exhibitors' experience and, hopefully, choose the best 6 or so for my daughter to exhibit. I guess what I'm really asking is... Would it be better to keep the chicks with feathering on all 5 toes or those that just barely meet the Standard?

 

[Chickenmaven]

I own silkies, but I am not a big ol' important poultry exhibitor. I AM, however, a voracious reader. What I have read is that silkies are late to sex & late to lay, compared to other birds. I also have read that the big time silkie breeders hang on to stock for much longer than others, because "SQ-ness" (those valued characteristics) unfold slowly over time. I'd advise that you wait & watch.

 

[LilPeeps]

Heavy foot feathering is good. It is not uncommon to see all their toes feathered.

 

[fluffychicksmomma]

I'm new and don't know a lot, but our Silkies didn't have a lot of feathering when we first got them and I was under the impression that they had all the feathering they were going to get on their legs and toes, but not so! They have gotten more and more and have a much more impressive bunch now at 6 weeks than they did when we first got them. Not much help, but thats all I know. : )

 

[robin416]

If that third toe isn't showing much they probably won't. I've had some hatch with the third toe with just a couple of feathers peaking out and that's about all the ended up with when the matured.

I have birds with feathers on all five toes so it does happen and is becoming more prevalent.

Best bet is to take pics if you can and post them for all to see and help guide you on your choices. And as already stated, Silkies are very slow to mature and can become something completely different as an adult.