what color would you call this silkie

[minister man]

Hi,

Here is what I know about these birds. They are 15 weeks old, they were purchased from a poultry judge at a week old. They looked like little chipmunks. I asked him what color they would be, and he said, at that age it was hard to say, they would be either partridge or buff. That tells me he has both of those colors. When I asked him about housing, he said he had 8 silkies and they all lived in one 4x8 pen. So I am thinking they are probably a cross between the two colors? I am not sure. All I know is I want to use them for setting out, both thier own eggs and some leghorn eggs, so Color isn't the most important thing. I am going to divide them into small breeding groups at random this year, and then make sure that the males and females come from differn't groups in the future. I am just wondering what colors you think are involved, so when I need to bring in new blood, I will know what colors will compliment them. Thanks for any and all opinions, Minister man

 

[muddyhorse]

I think it is a blue partridge, very nice bird

 

[bantymanutah]

I would say a buff partridge

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

1,2 and 5 look to be blue partridge, 3-4 reds
Hard to see, I couldnt get the pics to enlarge, but that's what they apear to be

 

[minister man]

Thanks for the input.

The first 2 pictures are females, and the last picture is a male. So if they are all Blue Partridge, would I make them one group? I think there is one other male that is a blue Partridge. The Red male, in the two center pictures, is the same bird in both pictures. I am sure that there is one hen that color too. So would I mate them together as well? or would that be breeding too close, becuase the birds of the same color are more likely to be closly related? What color do you get when you mate a red and a Blus Partridge?

I found this picture of a tractor on the internet, (although I can't remember where)




I am thinking that a few of theses would make nice looking breeding pens. I am thinking 3x4 for the little house and the run maybe 6 feet long. That would be good for a trio or quad would it not?

 

[Boggy Bottom Bantams]

yes that would be your best bet for color breeding in them

 

[hinkjc]

In my experience buff hatches looking solid buff (not chipmunk). It worries me that a poultry judge selling these chicks doesn't even know what color they are. In my opinion, they appear to be a blue X buff or blue x partridge, not a pure color. The chipmunk chick down does indicate partridge is more likely in the mix.

 

[Sportsterjeep]

Quote:
Gonna agree with you on that, big time. Did the judge sell them to you as pets, because I'm really hoping that he wasn't selling you something as show potential stock, or even as a breeder. Yes, you could breed them, and they may throw some very cute little pet quality birds. If what you are looking to do is breed a pure line, then start with pure stock. There are alot of breeders out there, and on here who sell awesome stock to start with. To use them as broodys for your leghorns is an awesome idea, silkies will hatch a golfball if you let them

. I've personally seen birds that came from a "breeder" who let the birds all run together, and the outcome didn't impress me. The F1's may look ok, then you start throwing F2's with some really screwy color issues.

 

[minister man]

Thanks for the information. I really didn't have any discussion with him about the quality of the birds. I answered an on line classified add. I was having trouble with my incubator at the time and was figuring that I would look for some of "God's Natural Incubators". I paid 5$ a piece for them, but figured from a judge they were worth it. I told him that I wanted a flock of incubators. He said that they would certainly do that, thier mothers only laid about 10 eggs and set. He discribed that as a bad thing since they were "really Good" silkies and he wanted to hatch a bunch. I don't Think he shows them, as they are not listed under his name in the Feather directory. He uses them to hatch peafowl and "exotics".

My goal with the leghorns was to hatch my own egg layers, but I am finding that the standard leghorns eat a lot more than they lay. I crossed a bit of Commercial leghorn into them, but they still don't lay as well as I would like. So I thought maybe I would go back to keeping commercial birds for eggs and replacing them each year, and just raise some silkies. I am thinking they don't eat much anyway, and they would breed and hatch themselves. If I keep 3-4 groups then I can still have a "conservation type" closed flock and have some fun, selling any extras simply as "natural incubators". So I guess the color really isn't that important too me at this point, I was just thinking what color ne Blood should be. Most silkies around here are white, so if I saw something the right color, I might pick it up for new blood. However, if these are crossed colors, they probably aren't too inbred. Right?

My other thought is that a "rolling style Mating" might just be the way to go, with a flock of pullets and old males and a flock of old females and cockereals. That would be less pens and less paper work, since it is just for fun. Maybe 6 females in each pen, and when they set, I could move them, nest and all to pens like the ones I pictured above. Then the best of the chicks that year would be considered the young side of the matings for the next year and the best mothers and fathers keep over to be the "Old side of next years matings. Is that something that sounds like it would work?