would you breed them?

[joe17]

Would you breed a silkie that doesnt have feathers up to her middle toe??? If I would breed it to a rooster that has a lot of feathering, would the offspring have nice toe feathering? Ohh and what is considered good toe spacing? Can the toes touch? Or can the spacing be different on each foot?

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

I'm no expert by no means, in fact I'm just a hobby keeper but I have been shown what to look for in good silkies...

you CAN breed a silkie with no middle toe feathering if she has good standards elsewhere to another silkie that has great feet and toe feathering but may lack something the other has. You want to breed two birds with different faults/short comings to counter act each other.

Toe spacing = I dont know how to explain the standard - i'm not 100% clear on it or how important spacing / lengths of toes are...

5 toes, no fused toes, no double toe/toenailed, generally good spacing. are all I know to look for in a good silkie foot. lol -


hope this helped some. If not its a bump for an expert

 

[SundownWaterfowl]

I wouldnt breed it, because I have lots of others to choose from. But if you dont have another choice, breed it with a bird that has massive foot feathering and see what you get with the chicks. You may find the foot feathering is still bad, better, or great.


Read this thread on the toe issue. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=333742


Are you a member of the ASBC? If not, you should join. The yearbook has 4 breeders listed in there from LA.

Why not try hatching eggs again? Here are some nice ones b/b/s listed in the hatching section. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=359953

 

[joe17]

I dont want shipped eggs. I have tried and had bad results! lol