"White" Silkie Chicks?

[Three Cedars Silkies]

I'm not sure what "pure white" versus "dun white" is. Could you explain and provide photos of the differences? As far as I know, the silver gene is not necessary to produce a nice white bird. It is a pattern gene, not a color gene per se.

"The genes dominant white and recessive white cause the entire bird to be white. The silver gene only effects certain ares of the birds body- in males it effects the pyle zone and in females it effects the hackles and to some extent specific areas of the body. Silver and gold are at the same locus, dominant white is at another locus and recessive white is at a different locus than the other genes. the silver gene would help create the primary color pattern. The primary color pattern is produced by the silver and or gold genes in combination with the E locus gene. Silver is a pattern gene and does not create a white bird on it's own." Quote from poultry geneticist.

 

[austinhart123]

Quote:
i do not own the pics therefore i cannot copy/ paste the pics themselves but give you a link to where it is discussed on a different mesage board. SCNA is working towards standardizing whites and we are culling those dunn colored whites out because it is not what the ABA standard of white calls for

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
i didnt see the buff one in the pic before, odds are these are just poorly bred birds that appear to be white but truly carry resessive genes of other colors, which shows in their offspring

ALL whites carry both recessive and dominant versions of other colours. White is an OFF switch. Whatever other colours are genetically present in the bird DO NOT DISPLAY, and therefore canot be selected for or against.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Dun is a specific allele of the dominant white gene. It is not dominant white, but is one of the variations that can occupy the same locus.

I will disagree that silver is a pattern gene. It is actually a dilution gene. I haven't seen tadkerson on in quite awhile, but he might be able to explain how it works at a cellular level. An incompletely dominant sex-linked gene, one copy dilutes sex-linked red pigment to a cream colour; two copies remove it entirely. On a female one copy removes it entirely. However it does not work on autosomal red pigment.

Dominant white is I
Dun is I^D

Silver is S

Recessive white is c

 

[Chickenmaven]

I have never seen a day old silkie chick that was the color of white copier paper. All I have had started out yellow-ish & became white as they feathered.

 

[Bluegrass Bantams]

White x White that did not mature white. As chicks and as they mature. The more they mature, the smokier/silver they become.

 

[Three Cedars Silkies]

That is from the double silver gene.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

I have never but one white chick with yellow down; all others have had white down.

 

[blackclownfish16]

Bluegrass bantams those are neat looking!

oldtimegator I do not see how those could be double silver gene? I was under the impression that silver would only show in the hackles/tail/wings? And I have never seen a white silkie color out like that. I would be more likely to guess smoky or another dominant white affecter.

But I do not raise whites either haha

 

[Bluegrass Bantams]

Seems to be mixed opinions about this color from several breeders. I will keep you posted as I intend to work with it and see what I have here.
I've not seen silver gene color like this either. The males that I have, that are silver gene have a small amount of silver in the tail and the rest
of the body is bright white. I have pullets colored like this as well.