What's wrong with their feathers?

[Happy Chooks]

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Bummer. But I'm still curious, do you have a pic to share?

 

[verycherry]

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You shouldn't be able to get a straight feathered chick out of two Silkie feathered birds since it's a recessive gene.

....but of course you already know this.

The three Kathy hatched out do look Silkied in the photos.

 

[evonne]

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You shouldn't be able to get a straight feathered chick out of two Silkie feathered birds since it's a recessive gene.

....but of course you already know this.

The three Kathy hatched out do look Silkied in the photos.

someone just forgot to tell the chicks!!

 

[alicefelldown]

I GOT A REPLY

I GOT A REPLY!!!

(copy of email sent to Pat here )

Yes I am that Pat, I bred blue and blue splash ameracaunas 3 years ago, I have not had silkies anywhere near the Ameracaunas So That should be a true genetic mutation.We did at one time have silkies in another pen all the way on the other side of our 5 acres from the Ameracaunas And All of our pens are the size of an average yard with netting on top and no way for birds to move between pens So It is safe to say these must be mutations.I wish I were still breeding and hatching I would love to see those I was the breeder that was working on giant silkies several years ago those were produced by crossing silkies to light brahmas.The end flock of those was sold to a lady in Calif.Some years ago.I have no Idea if she continued that breed.But we never experimented with our ameracaunas in that way.I did at one time have a pen of Americaunas crossed to Marans,But the desired results were not achieved so we Sold the stock as food birds.Feel free to ask any other Questions You can think of I will help any way I can.My Ameracaunas were bred to produce only green and blue eggs it took several years to achieve these bloodlines.Thanks Pat

I'm working on getting pictures of the feathers at a microscopic level (Julie's silkied ameras & some normal silikies for comparison), since as viewed by the naked eye they are EXTREMELY dissimilar. Julie's seem to have sections of barbs that 'velcro' together, while a true Silkie's feathers are completely 'down' like, with no connecting barbs. I posted casual findings here.

If anyone has any questions for Pat, please let me know and I will send her another email. This is so much fun!!​

 

[Happy Chooks]

 

[Brindlebtch]

Way Cool!

 

[mistyfeather]

wow those birds are very beautiful!

if only i had a bator !

 

[SteveH]

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????????? I'm confused , if they are breeding true , how is it your chick is normal feathered ?

 

[kathyinmo]

Here are pictures from today, 19 days old ...

I'm documenting this adventure here, with photos in the first post.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=295912

 

[onthespot]

I think my chick is a sport from the barred olive egger pen. Has a light spot on top of its head like a barred bird, and that is the only pen I have that is barred. I have one hen in there that is blue and lays a lighter egg, and may have thrown back a sport. Her granmother was a Silver Laced Wyandotte and like I said, may have hatched out a sport. The down is not quite the right color for splash, unless it was a dark splash chick. Now that it is older the white spot on its head is much easier to see, looks like a roo, btw.. LOL
Don't pay me no mind... I just don't examine each and every egg shell, and chart who did what. My varieties are such that they can all be sorted out at birth due to various characteristics, so I just hatch 'em as they lie and sort 'em out afterward. The only ones I have to keep separate are the Bev Davis copper black marans chicks. The rest I can tell as soon as they dry off. This chick hatched with very light plumage and I just jumped to the conclusion that it was one of the splash silkeds. You know what they say when you "ass-u-me" something...

Edit to add, the only other egg that could have had a splash would have been my splash bev davis marans, but it would have had feahher legs. The wing feathers that are growing in look blue, not splash. just the tips of the wing feathers are white. Legs are clean legged.