What's wrong with their feathers?

[EdenCamp]

It is Am mutation. No silkies. Would take generations to attempt to breed out obvious silkie genes.

 

[EdenCamp]

It is Am mutation. No silkies. Would take generations to attempt to breed out obvious silkie genes.

 

[mstricer]

ok so I got to about page 33 before wondering to thouse breeding these lovlies has any thought about taking a non featherd chick with the silkie recsive to a actual splash silkie then improving with ameracuna (sp) this would be away to provide genitc deversity and and still silken chickens Im not saying call them pure or anything but I think if you breed right you could get rid of everything but the silken amercauna look? maybe somthing to think about for the ones with roo's just through an extra hen in with them and go from there? anyways cool birds super neat 

Are talking about breeding a Silkie to an AM? Like Eden said there is no Silkies in these birds. They are Silkied feathered AM's.

 

[ChickenPeep]

It is Am mutation. No silkies. Would take generations to attempt to breed out obvious silkie genes.

That is so crazy that she just happened to get two of them from a single hatch, let alone a pair!!

 

[VioletandBodie]

Are talking about breeding a Silkie to an AM? Like Eden said there is no Silkies in these birds. They are Silkied feathered AM's.

Im not saying there not pure I agree this is probably just a weird happening but the only way to get more is to inbreed while slowly adding lines. Im saying to add deversity as a second project someone could also try adding a silking in then breeding out all of its traits but silkeness...sort of how new breeds are made of several other breeds then when the disared traits are found they keep breeding those.

 

[CatKai]

Im not saying there not pure I agree this is probably just a weird happening but the only way to get more is to inbreed while slowly adding lines. Im saying to add deversity as a second project someone could also try adding a silking in then breeding out all of its traits but silkeness...sort of how new breeds are made of several other breeds then when the disared traits are found they keep breeding those.

 

[EdenCamp]

That is so crazy that she just happened to get two of them from a single hatch, let alone a pair!!

It's a recessive gene. The parents of the origionally discovered pair had to have been carrying it for the silkied feather to present. That recessive gene had to have lurked and lurked with splits not showing it for many, many, many, many, many generations. No silkies, nor silky characteristics were found traced back thru 2 previous breeders the bird's anscestors came from. Skin color, comb and that extra toe comes with a silky crossing. It was tested in this thread.

Since these birds are Ameracauna, they are bred to other Ameracauna to provide dilution of the inbreeding factors that led to the double recessive silkied gene presenting in the first place. There is also a factor that contributes to drop-dead-itus that is lessening but still present. This in addition to aspects of having silkied feathering instead of hard feathers - like not being able to fly and get on higher perches and less insulation to weather extremes.

Many of us HAVE read every single page and gleaned the full benefit of the wealth of information available on the silkied ameraucanas contained here. In these pages is the struggle and heartbreak of many who tried, and those few who persevered, to contribute to the continued presence of these still very rare birds. The advance guard have all gone. Very few of the second generation of breeders carry on yet. I can assure you the next generation of breeders like mstricer, myself and others DID read every word of every page and were glad. indeed grateful, to have such a comprehensive record of the emergence of these amazing birds.

There are now projects to intergrate the silkied Ams into other colors besides the BBS they started with. Lavs, Choc and Wheaten have been mentioned. I'm looking at Crele, Jubilee and Lav in addition to the Choc/Mauve I all ready have. Yet others have or are planning projects to intergrate the silkied gene into other breeds - Olive eggers(Marans cross), Aracauna and CCLBs that I am aware of.

I'm not trying to squash anyone's interest in the Silkieds, lord knows we could use more people willing to invest themselves in them - one of the reason silkied people are so "close" and generous to each other is it does help to help each other. This is just not a frivalous bird in a nifty new color or different feather - they are very special. Just how special cannot be comprehended without taking the time to read this thread in its entirety. It took me over a week - but then I adore Stephen King novels and he's wordy as heck! LOL!

 

[EdenCamp]

That is so crazy that she just happened to get two of them from a single hatch, let alone a pair!!

It's a recessive gene. The parents of the origionally discovered pair had to have been carrying it for the silkied feather to present. That recessive gene had to have lurked and lurked with splits not showing it for many, many, many, many, many generations. No silkies, nor silky characteristics were found traced back thru 2 previous breeders the bird's anscestors came from. Skin color, comb and that extra toe comes with a silky crossing. It was tested in this thread.

Since these birds are Ameracauna, they are bred to other Ameracauna to provide dilution of the inbreeding factors that led to the double recessive silkied gene presenting in the first place. There is also a factor that contributes to drop-dead-itus that is lessening but still present. This in addition to aspects of having silkied feathering instead of hard feathers - like not being able to fly and get on higher perches and less insulation to weather extremes.

Many of us HAVE read every single page and gleaned the full benefit of the wealth of information available on the silkied ameraucanas contained here. In these pages is the struggle and heartbreak of many who tried, and those few who persevered, to contribute to the continued presence of these still very rare birds. The advance guard have all gone. Very few of the second generation of breeders carry on yet. I can assure you the next generation of breeders like mstricer, myself and others DID read every word of every page and were glad. indeed grateful, to have such a comprehensive record of the emergence of these amazing birds.

There are now projects to intergrate the silkied Ams into other colors besides the BBS they started with. Lavs, Choc and Wheaten have been mentioned. I'm looking at Crele, Jubilee and Lav in addition to the Choc/Mauve I all ready have. Yet others have or are planning projects to intergrate the silkied gene into other breeds - Olive eggers(Marans cross), Aracauna and CCLBs that I am aware of.

I'm not trying to squash anyone's interest in the Silkieds, lord knows we could use more people willing to invest themselves in them - one of the reason silkied people are so "close" and generous to each other is it does help to help each other. This is just not a frivalous bird in a nifty new color or different feather - they are very special. Just how special cannot be comprehended without taking the time to read this thread in its entirety. It took me over a week - but then I adore Stephen King novels and he's wordy as heck! LOL!

 

[chick-among-us]

Are talking about breeding a Silkie to an AM? Like Eden said there is no Silkies in these birds. They are Silkied feathered AM's.

Im not saying there not pure I agree this is probably just a weird happening but the only way to get more is to inbreed while slowly adding lines. Im saying to add deversity as a second project someone could also try adding a silking in then breeding out all of its traits but silkeness...sort of how new breeds are made of several other breeds then when the disared traits are found they keep breeding those.

If you muddied the waters with a breed as genetically STRONG as silkies you would for literally many generations have things like five toes black skin feathered shanks,cropping up making " working" on anything nearly impossible I would think. ( We are most of us) ONLY outcrossing to smooth non carrying Ams...yes there are other projects..but most of us are trying to strengthen and Improve the breed while maintaining the type, adding vigor and strength pretty quickly. The very next generation shows improved vitality. I think regardless of the breed even that you work on you try to GET back to the standard. Unless you are going solely for color/ (variety like mauve shave orps right?)..since I am actually going with lavs...I know I need my black silkied bred to lavs then crossed to each other to get my percentage of silkied birds with my splits. I m still two generations away..meanwhile I offer what I have extra to sell...splits or silkied birds that I don't need.

 

[mstricer]

I always fear that someone will breed a Silkie to these birds, get it looking right then sell it as a SFA (like my abbreviation) people buying them and ruining the breed. I went into this when I saw Catkai's birds and fell in love hence, buying her eggs. I hatched out 5 SFA's. I have to admit I like the Blacks and Blues the best. I will be hatching these eggs this winter. They will have their own coop. My eggs are a gorgeous blue color.