What would be the best cross?

[ninny]

I am wanting to work on milli fleur and mottled silkies. What color silkie should i use and should breed should i use?

Thanks!

 

[monarc23]

I have splash silkies, and im going to cross them over my black mottled silkies...this cross will give me 100% blue, and split to mottled which is perfect as im working on blue and black mottled silkies.

Ofcourse all of mine are chicks right now

 

[Krys109uk]

I think the cochins are often used as an outcross to silkie.
You could use a mottled cochin with good quality black silkies giving all black offspring.
Breed the offspring together. From the offspring of that mating select for mottling, as well as silkie type & traits.
From these select the mottled offspring with the closest to silkie traits & breed to good quality black silkie; again the offspring will be all black. Of these black offspring select the closest to silkie type & breed together. Again select for mottling & silkie traits. Repeat breeding to good quality blacks & then breeding together the offspring until the birds are as desired.

 

[blackclownfish16]

I personally used Mottled Houdan Bantams because they already have many of the traits I needed. They can be somewhat hard to find though.

Mottled cochins would work. Regardless of breed, the best silkie color to cross is either black or splash. I used both and it gives you more color options. I don't know a whole lot about milli fleur but I believe that partridge or maybe buff would work best? I'm sure one of the milli fleur experts will see this.

I just want to say that I love how many people are working on mottled silkies

 

[ninny]

Okay im going to have to get mottled cochin, black and splash silkies
and for ,millie fleur use buff or partridge silkie and d'uccle?
Im going to have to use hatchery birds to start ugh. Oh well better then nothing. I'll get better birds someday.

This will be my frist time trying a project which would be the easiest? Or should i just jump in?

Im going to keep records like crazy.

if anyone has pics of mottled silkies could i see them please?!

 

[Krys109uk]

Mottling ought to be reasonably easy, though I don't think silkies are as easy as many.
It won't matter a great deal what quality of mottled cochin you buy, but really you would do best to buy exhibition quality silkies or wait until you can obtain some. Silkie traits & type are of the utmost importance you may encounter all kinds of issues if you use less than great stock. You will have enough issues without starting with birds which might not have the correct genes to make a silkie.

Have you looked into mottled houdans as Blackclownfish suggested? I'd have thought they could make a good outcross to pick up the mottling gene as they already have crests & five toes.

 

[ninny]

Quote:
Not sure where to get them. Im thinking of ordering the cochins with my hen order in the spring. Then try and get silkie eggs from a breeder. Im wanting to get jersey giants too though.
I could order standard houdans would those work?

 

[tate]

Quote:
dont use d'uccle it will take yrs to get rid of the beard and the d'uccle type

 

[blackclownfish16]

You could use standard houdans but then you would have size issues. The best bet would be to go with mottled cochins and work from there, it will take a LOT of chicks and hard culling but it can be done.

I don't think anyone has any pictures of mottled silkies, at least I don't. I'm only in f2 this year so once they mature I will post some.

If you use d'uccle you want the beard so that wouldn't be a problem. The vulture hocks and single comb might be but again lots of chicks and hard culling will do wonders and you will see progress.