What's wrong with their feathers?

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Agreed. And to keep the lines genetically diverse, try to create two or three separate breeding lines (use unrelated smooth birds for this), then cross offspring from one line to another, then those offspring to the third.

 

[Jubaby]

Hello Everyone! I haven't been around much lately, but someone emailed me and told me that my thread had been resurrected. LOL

I still have the original pair of silkie americaunas, but the process of breeding them has been a nightmare and a very long process. After growing up together, the rooster suddenly turned on the hen and began to terrorize her. She freaked out and stopped laying for months. I separated them, and after several attempts to reunite them, just gave up. She hates him!

Before all this happened, I was able to incubate one batch of eggs from them - resulting in 2 hens, 3 roosters. The offspring all look identical to the original pair - Silkie/Splash. So then I had to wait for these little ones to grow up and start laying. I've been waiting patiently since they turned 20 weeks for eggs, but they just barely started laying this week - at approx. 35 weeks old!

I'm leaving town for the weekend, but plan to put some in the incubator next week to see if they are fertile. If they are - then I'll finally have some eggs to share. I have the old mama hen in a pen with the younger ones, and have been getting 2-3 eggs per day this week.

I'll try to post some pictures when I get back next week. They are lovely birds!

 

[alicefelldown]

ooOooOOooooOOOOHHHH I wannnnnt these.

Count me in for being a loyal breeder of these birds if I can get some eggs (hint hint)

 

[pixie74943]

waiting for pics of the youngens.. they (older pair) look so awesome

 

[ParkerVA]

Do you have any black or blue regular feathered Ameraucanas?

Don't forget that you can out cross them both to regular feathered Ameraucanas and produce F1 chicks carrying a recessive silkie gene. Then crossing those F1 chicks back to the silkie parents would result in 50% silkie feathered. Or you could take those F1 chicks and breed them together and get 25% silkie feathered and 50% carrying a recessive silkie gene. Outcrossing to regular feathered Ameraucana would be a good way to expand your gene pool and increase your numbers.

 

[canada-goose]

Coolcoolcool!

 

[thechickonthehill]

Waiting anxiously to see how your eggs hatch out.

Sending good hatching vibes your way!

I want some of those eggs!

 

[Jubaby]

I finally have some pictures to share of my Rooster and Hens. The eggs in the incubator are due to hatch tomorrow. They were developing, but I think my egg turner got stuck for a few days before I realized it, and so I'm not sure how many will actually hatch. However, I do know the eggs are fertile, so I can now start sending eggs out to those who are interested. Currently I only have the silkie feathered ones. I would love to get some Blue/Black Pure Ameraucanas to breed with the silkie ones, but I currently don't have another pen to use. We recently purchased some additional land, and are planning to build a new chicken barn this spring.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

How lovely!

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

What color are the eggs?