What's wrong with their feathers?

[KellyHM]

Ok, quick update. My first batch of F2s are now about 4 months old. I'm almost positive there is only 1 roo (splash) and 6 girls (2 black, 3 blue, and 1 splash).

I have 5 others that are younger and I'm not sure of sex on those yet.

Out of the last batch of eggs from alice (F1 x silkied) I have 8 developing.

They are currently on day 16. I'm hoping for AT LEAST 1 silkied roo to cross over the F2 girls.

 

[Redcatcher]

The F2s are hatching now. The first one out is a silkied splash. There is enough of the primaries showing to tell. That makes it my very first silkied. I gathered up more eggs to set tonight. I noticed that the eggs that my F1s are laying are green, not blue. More of a pale teal and there are some eggs that lean towards olive.

I always have either very good luck or very bad. I came really close to losing my F1s last week. I let them free range while I am home. First, I usually open up one chicken house and I then wait an hour to let the others out since the two flocks start running around and picking fights when they are all turned out at once. In the mean time, the fox attacked. I lost half of the other flock but the F1s were spared.

 

[alicefelldown]

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Not more than 2-3 feet, and if there is anything lower, he won't even bother.


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If you're anything like most of us, you'll get nothing but boys!

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Congratulations on the fluffy chick!!

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That is something I've noticed from my F1s that came from Jubaby/Kathyinmo. Right now I have two flocks of F1 girls, the layers are greenish, and their replacements, which should be much more blue from their parent stock, are a month or two away. From what I remember, the original Fluffy stock was very pale blue at best, so we are working from behind here. At least this way, I know I'm working with at least two Ameraucana bloodlines, so I'm not as worried about inbreeding.


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I'm so sorry to hear of your loss.

I'm terrified to let my Fluffy boy out (also, he bosses the Marans rooster around!).

 

[BovieVei]

These are such beautiful chickens! If my mom wasn't so set on getting a started pullet, I just might have bought some eggs! Does anyone know what the successful hatch rate is?

BV

 

[judial8907]

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I'm not saying they are silkie crosses, but I had some silkie crosses with a variety of combs-none sloppy, and some had no leg feathers. Also some did not have blackish features. Just saying....


edited to add: they are absolutely gorgeous btw

I agree and also am not trying to be mean or rude but they can be Silkie Crosses. While they may not have the exact features of the Silkie parent they inherit the feathering from the silkie parent and other features from the other parent. If they had foot feathering, black skin, walnut comb/semi-crest, and the feathering as well then wouldn't that make them straight silkie? These guys we were already told were also Americauna, so I believe it is possible to have a crossed Americauna with a silkie and get a bird like this.

Yes! very nice looking birds

 

[KellyHM]

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I'm not saying they are silkie crosses, but I had some silkie crosses with a variety of combs-none sloppy, and some had no leg feathers. Also some did not have blackish features. Just saying....


edited to add: they are absolutely gorgeous btw

I agree and also am not trying to be mean or rude but they can be Silkie Crosses. While they may not have the exact features of the Silkie parent they inherit the feathering from the silkie parent and other features from the other parent. If they had foot feathering, black skin, walnut comb/semi-crest, and the feathering as well then wouldn't that make them straight silkie? These guys we were already told were also Americauna, so I believe it is possible to have a crossed Americauna with a silkie and get a bird like this.

Yes! very nice looking birds

You would have to cross multiple generations (10+) to weed out all other Silkie traits, and the parents of these birds were known purebred Ameraucanas, so it's more likely to be a spontaneous mutation, although I will give you the point that there's a 0.0000000001% chance that there was a Silkie in their line 100 years ago. Spontaneous mutations happen all the time. I recently saw a silkied Screech Owl and I'm pretty sure that wasn't crossed with a Silkie.

 

[Redcatcher]

I wouldn't think a silkied owl would be able to fly and would soon starve to death.

 

[KellyHM]

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He wasn't able to fly, which is why he was living in captivity. Someone found him as a very young chick and brought him in.

 

[tball]

wow....that a week of my life i wont get back!!!!168 pages, Well its nothing to what you folks have put in. The drama and hardships are incredible, my hat is off to you all! they are truly beautiful birds. And all the qustions along the way are in the thread, "READ IT" i had to...lol the silkie breeding was done in the very begining!

 

[alicefelldown]

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Do you mean the Silkie test matings to confirm if the mutation was hookless? None of these birds were bred to any Silkies - we've traced their lineage through the last 10 years of breeders who have confirmed that there were never any such crossings.