When does a cross breed become a real breed? IE: When is a Sizzle a Sizzle???
The general knowledgeable consensus is, it takes at least 7 generations before a cross is breeding consistently enough to call it a breed in its own right and a lot more work after that to be officially recognized as a breed. There are a few folks who are getting close but Sizzles are a work in progress, with many years of development still ahead of them. I know from my own experience that at 6th generation I am just starting to breed true. By breeding true I mean, a large enough percentage of my hatches are true to standard; maybe not good enough to show but, good enough to continue to improve the breed.
Sizzles are a newly developing breed that started out as a cross of Frizzled Cochin & Silkie. We (as in, those dedicated folks on the Sizzle list and a few others around the country) have chosen, for now, to use the Silkie standard for a place to start & to provide consistency for Sizzle fanciers. We have a major difference in the feather type, going with a hard/barbed frizzled feather, with a variety that is the same but smooth feathered. So, Sizzles need 5 toes, feathered legs & ft, blue skin, turquoise earlobes, Walnut or Rose combs & crests with a frizzled (or smooth) hard/barbed feather. Silkie feathering is a DQ. They come in all kinds of colors but, for show we are sticking to the recognized Silkie colors. We do have a few breeders who are experimenting with new colors, but they have to do the paperwork for the standard when they get them breeding consistently. With at least 7 generations before a cross IS breeding consistently enough to call it a breed in its own right and a lot more work after that to be recognized officially as a breed, ......Sizzles are very much a work in progress, with many years of development still ahead of them.
I got hooked 6 yrs ago on Sizzles because I got a beautiful proper Sizzle from an F1 breeding. I also got about 150 that didnt meet the grade that season. Of the over 250 I hatched out that first year, she was the best one and I kept 25 that were worth breeding but werent up to standard yet. Now, at 6th generation (about 200 hatched so far) , Im getting a much higher percent of proper birds and the quality of them has gone way up also but, I still have more then 40% who are sold off right away because I already know they arent going to live up to expectations and another 20-30% who will not be kept for breeding as they develop because of the same problems. That means Im up to about 30% success at proper Sizzles after 6 years of breeding, which is a big improvement over the 10% I started with.
So, in the beginning it becomes important to be aware of what generation your birds are from. The further along your breeding, the better and larger percent of actual Sizzles you will get from your hatches. IMPO - birds who do not have the required characteristics may be Sizzle breeding or perhaps pre-Sizzles. They are NOT Sizzles. If their faults arent too bad & you have an understanding of genetics, you can breed them to complimentary birds and hopefully get some proper Sizzles. That IS how we all started after all, but birds with 3 toes &/or no crests or foot feathers &/or big red wattles &/or Silkie feathering, they do not meet the standards and are not Sizzles. They may be Sizzle breeding & they might be breed to produce Sizzles but, they are NOT Sizzles. We, as a breed, are too young to have the leniency (of recognized breeds) to call a poor quality bird with faults a Sizzle. We are still defining our breed & if a bird doesnt come up to standards or the possibility of producing standard, it only delays the goal of reaching breed status by identifying it as a Sizzle..
Please understand, Im not throwing rocks at anyone here but, I am making a flat out statement on this for the sake of consistency for Sizzles. I have been seeing ads for F1 (Silkie to Frizzled Cochin) eggs & birds being sold as Sizzles. Also "Sizzle Crosses" breed to other breeds??? Putting a fancy name on it doesn't change the fact that it's a MUT. Sizzles are technically muts until they breed true! If you arent aware of how small your chances are at getting a proper Sizzle from early generations or the variety you most likely WILL get from it, you are probably going to be disappointed in what you hatch. That does not mean they have no value! Breed to the right complimentary bird just might give you something really terrific. There is already enough confusion about Sizzles, what they are, what they should look like, and how to get them without adding misleading ideas.
If your interested in having Sizzles, there are a growing number of dedicated folks out there selling eggs & adults who have done the work for the development of the breed. Be sure to ask what generation your getting, especially if your wanting to raise some of your own and please be aware that this can be a challenging endeavor that requires study, patience and persistence. If you decide to start your own lines (which I strongly support for the sake of genetic diversity) choose the best stock you can afford and go for it. Please, be prepared for the years of dedication ahead of you. It has been an amazing journey for me but, its also a lot of work!
If I have offended anyone with my statements, please accept my apology. I felt the statements needed to be made to help clarify a number of things and to promote discussion. Because we are a newly developing breed, we get to write the standard for our "kids" & we all need to "be on the same page" for them. We do (as a group) get to add the things we want to our standard and we also have to live with the results of what we do. I have happily given 6 yrs of my life to this project & hope to keep working on it for a long time. I wish for everyone else involved or thinking about getting involved as much fun & fulfillment as I get from it.
Sincerely,
SarahsSizzles
The general knowledgeable consensus is, it takes at least 7 generations before a cross is breeding consistently enough to call it a breed in its own right and a lot more work after that to be officially recognized as a breed. There are a few folks who are getting close but Sizzles are a work in progress, with many years of development still ahead of them. I know from my own experience that at 6th generation I am just starting to breed true. By breeding true I mean, a large enough percentage of my hatches are true to standard; maybe not good enough to show but, good enough to continue to improve the breed.
Sizzles are a newly developing breed that started out as a cross of Frizzled Cochin & Silkie. We (as in, those dedicated folks on the Sizzle list and a few others around the country) have chosen, for now, to use the Silkie standard for a place to start & to provide consistency for Sizzle fanciers. We have a major difference in the feather type, going with a hard/barbed frizzled feather, with a variety that is the same but smooth feathered. So, Sizzles need 5 toes, feathered legs & ft, blue skin, turquoise earlobes, Walnut or Rose combs & crests with a frizzled (or smooth) hard/barbed feather. Silkie feathering is a DQ. They come in all kinds of colors but, for show we are sticking to the recognized Silkie colors. We do have a few breeders who are experimenting with new colors, but they have to do the paperwork for the standard when they get them breeding consistently. With at least 7 generations before a cross IS breeding consistently enough to call it a breed in its own right and a lot more work after that to be recognized officially as a breed, ......Sizzles are very much a work in progress, with many years of development still ahead of them.
I got hooked 6 yrs ago on Sizzles because I got a beautiful proper Sizzle from an F1 breeding. I also got about 150 that didnt meet the grade that season. Of the over 250 I hatched out that first year, she was the best one and I kept 25 that were worth breeding but werent up to standard yet. Now, at 6th generation (about 200 hatched so far) , Im getting a much higher percent of proper birds and the quality of them has gone way up also but, I still have more then 40% who are sold off right away because I already know they arent going to live up to expectations and another 20-30% who will not be kept for breeding as they develop because of the same problems. That means Im up to about 30% success at proper Sizzles after 6 years of breeding, which is a big improvement over the 10% I started with.
So, in the beginning it becomes important to be aware of what generation your birds are from. The further along your breeding, the better and larger percent of actual Sizzles you will get from your hatches. IMPO - birds who do not have the required characteristics may be Sizzle breeding or perhaps pre-Sizzles. They are NOT Sizzles. If their faults arent too bad & you have an understanding of genetics, you can breed them to complimentary birds and hopefully get some proper Sizzles. That IS how we all started after all, but birds with 3 toes &/or no crests or foot feathers &/or big red wattles &/or Silkie feathering, they do not meet the standards and are not Sizzles. They may be Sizzle breeding & they might be breed to produce Sizzles but, they are NOT Sizzles. We, as a breed, are too young to have the leniency (of recognized breeds) to call a poor quality bird with faults a Sizzle. We are still defining our breed & if a bird doesnt come up to standards or the possibility of producing standard, it only delays the goal of reaching breed status by identifying it as a Sizzle..
Please understand, Im not throwing rocks at anyone here but, I am making a flat out statement on this for the sake of consistency for Sizzles. I have been seeing ads for F1 (Silkie to Frizzled Cochin) eggs & birds being sold as Sizzles. Also "Sizzle Crosses" breed to other breeds??? Putting a fancy name on it doesn't change the fact that it's a MUT. Sizzles are technically muts until they breed true! If you arent aware of how small your chances are at getting a proper Sizzle from early generations or the variety you most likely WILL get from it, you are probably going to be disappointed in what you hatch. That does not mean they have no value! Breed to the right complimentary bird just might give you something really terrific. There is already enough confusion about Sizzles, what they are, what they should look like, and how to get them without adding misleading ideas.
If your interested in having Sizzles, there are a growing number of dedicated folks out there selling eggs & adults who have done the work for the development of the breed. Be sure to ask what generation your getting, especially if your wanting to raise some of your own and please be aware that this can be a challenging endeavor that requires study, patience and persistence. If you decide to start your own lines (which I strongly support for the sake of genetic diversity) choose the best stock you can afford and go for it. Please, be prepared for the years of dedication ahead of you. It has been an amazing journey for me but, its also a lot of work!
If I have offended anyone with my statements, please accept my apology. I felt the statements needed to be made to help clarify a number of things and to promote discussion. Because we are a newly developing breed, we get to write the standard for our "kids" & we all need to "be on the same page" for them. We do (as a group) get to add the things we want to our standard and we also have to live with the results of what we do. I have happily given 6 yrs of my life to this project & hope to keep working on it for a long time. I wish for everyone else involved or thinking about getting involved as much fun & fulfillment as I get from it.
Sincerely,
SarahsSizzles
