What Makes A Show Quality Silkie? ADDED PICS

[Laurajean]

**I added pics for those who asked.

Forgive me if this has been asked or for my ignorance in general, I know nothing about showing chickens and I don't ever visit this section.

I'm not planning to show my Silkies, as I'm sure they are NOT show quality. But I got thinking about it and wondering. I've seen pictures of GORGEOUS Silkies, all fluffy with giant head poofs, etc. Then I look at MY Silkies and think they must have pulled them from the discount bin.

Don't get me wrong, I love them very much, but they look scraggly and pathetic compared to so many pics I've seen. Their "head poofs" (there's probably a proper term for that) are not huge like pictures I've seen, they're pretty small, and they just have an overall scraggly look compared to pics I see of others. They are healthy, a good weight, very clean and well cared for with a super spacious coop, so it's not poor health. They just don't seem as "fancy" as others I've seen.

So anyway, I'm just curious. I assume mine just have lousy genetics, show quality-wise at least, but are there certain standards for show quality Silkies, and what are they? Certain attributes that make a show Silkie? I'd love an education on this, thanks!

 

[racuda]

Quote:
How old are they? Sillkies get "poofier" as they mature, assuming the genetics are there. For example here is a three week old, followed by her mother who is seven months old:

 

[peepswiththepoof]

You can start by reading this: http://www.americansilkiebantamclub.org/standard.asp

I'm sure those who show Silkies will chime in and give more info!

Where did you get your Silkies? Are they hatchery stock or did you get them from a breeder? That makes a world of difference!

 

[teach1rusl]

I wish that site Peep posted had photos/drawings with the descriptors. So according to this:
Disqualifications:
* More or less than 5 toes
* Absence of beard or muffs.
* Shanks not feathered down outer sides
See APA Standard for Other DQs and cuts

You cannot show a beardless silkie???

 

[equinelyn]

I'm not sure about show quality. I bought mine froma local breeder.
These are my new babies! Just a few weeks old. Not sure about sex yet.

 

[Laurajean]

A general reply to a few different posts....

Yes, I did get them from a hatchery. I never had ANY intention of showing them and still don't, I'm only curious about the differences. I KNOW mine aren't show quality for sure.

I just wanted bantams as pets so ordered a "featherfooted bantam assortment". Ended up with five Silkies, A Mille Fleur D' Uccle, and a Cochin. The D'Uccle and Cochin are beautiful, not sure if they're "show quality" or not, but they're very nice. The Silkies are really kind of laughable, but I do love them anyway.

They are a year and a month old today, actually.

I *think* one is bearded, and I don't think the rest are. Right now all their head poofs are extra scraggly thanks to the Roo, who is also a Silkie.

I gotta run out now for an appointment, but I'll try to find some pics to post of them when I get back. You can't laugh at them though, it will hurt their momma's feelings.

Oh, and they DO at least all have five toes.

 

[racuda]

I'll bet they are GREAT broodies!

 

[lynxs1981]

You can show beardless silkies, they just have different qualifications. Look under "wattles" in the link above.

 

[ChickyChickyBaby]

There are bearded and nonbearded varieties

Basically, when choosing which bird to show or breed from I go by certain things - not in order I look at........

Color of feathers & skin
Bird size
Comb type and size - I make sure no horns on the comb & it is a walnut comb that is mulberry in color
Crest size - some have poofier crests than others, and nonbearded silkies tend to have smaller crests in my experience.
Toes - I look for # of toes first. Spacing between the last 2 toes plays a small role in my decision making, but not as much as lack of toes or too many toes.
Feather Legs - Nice feathering down leg and middle toe
Wings - I look for wings held tight and high on the body, and not too much nor too little shredding
Tail - A nice poofy cushion, without hard feathers, or with few hard feathers
Ears - turquoise ears


I probably missed something. Not had enough coffee yet


Hatchery stock looks a lot different than show stock IMO.

 

[Laurajean]

Okay, I was finally able to get some updated pics today, the only others I had were when they were younger and distant coop shots. They are One Year and One Month old as of yesterday. BIG DISCLAIMER: The Rooster has been scalping them in mating I assume. No sign of mites or anything, so I assume this is happening due to mating. So their heads are not normally THIS bad. But you can still get an idea of their bodies, and why I say they're "scraggly".




Pic#1 This is Rachel. She usually has the best head poof of them all, I usually can't even see her eyes, but she got scalped worse than the rest too, so you can't see it here. Her body is the same as usual.

Pic#2 This is Blackie. She got scalped a little by the Roo, but her head poof is not much bigger normally anyway. She has a real knack for getting dirt and food all over her, so forgive her grubbiness, but you can still see she's scraggly. She's the only one that I think is bearded.

Pic#3 is Sunny. She also got scalped badly by the Roo. Her body is how it typically looks.

Pic#4 is Henny. She is the only one of the Silkies to escape the mating scalping of the Roo so far. Here's a body shot, and then a closer one.

Pic#5 is Henny again, a closer shot of her head. Since she's the only one yet to be scalped by the roo, this is a pretty decent example of how their head poofs usually look. You can see it's not very big.

Pic#6 is Gray, The Roo. He's the one scalping all my other Silkies during mating. I didn't dare pick him up for the photo because he can be a real jerk, so I took this shot in the run.

So, back to my original question. Aren't they scraggly? They don't look nearly as fluffy and fancy as other Silkies I see pics of. Granted, right now they're all scalped from the Roo, but even with full head hair, it isn't really poofy. You can also see regular feathers on them as opposed to the fur-like 'fluff' I see on others' Silkies. So are they just rejects? Poorly bred? They're all clean and healthy, just kind of scraggly. I love them, and it's a good thing I don't care about showing them, but this is why I asked what makes a show Silkie. They don't know they're funny looking, and I won't be showing them pics of fancier Silkies.

Any input?