Trying to understand Silkie colors.

[10 acre woods]

Last spring, while at the local farm and home center. My wife and daughter persuaded me to let them get a dozen silkie chicks. After all was said and done, we wound up with a rooster and five hens. The rooster is red, two of the hens are partridge and three are white. I collected a set ten eggs from these hens. All were fertile and all hatched! Four are mahogany colored chicks and six are black. With three of the hens being white, I figured there would some buff or yellow chicks in the mix somewhere. Is this typical of silkies?

 

[keesmom]

Most white silkies are recessive white. Recessive white acts as an off switch, preventing colors and patterns from expressing themselves. There's no way of know what other genes those hens are carrying under that white. They could be any of the usual colors and patterns (black, blue, partridge, etc), or they could even be a non-standard mixed color. Breeding to white is always a wild card.

The only way to get recessive white chicks is if your male carried it.

 

[10 acre woods]

Thanks for the explaination.