We are too. We were just talking about that somewhere else as another person from Wisconsin has the issue too. Ooodles of feathers in the snow looks cool, but it's weird to be molting this late.
I did have that explained to me by a Hmong lady that came out to get some perennial plants. A couple of years prior, I posted 5 roosters on Craig's List. A pair of Asian guys came to get them, saying they needed pretty ones, which they were. Uh-huh!
She explained though that there are...
8/6/24 I hatched a couple of paints. I even took pictures of their feet, which were both equally mottled black/white.
The one on the right had fainter dots than the other, but clearly three paint spots when it was hatched.
The one on the left.
The one on the right, turned completely...
Here's what it is now.
Yup, partridge of some kind. Its front is solid, that creme color. I should have gotten more pictures but had it up there for two minutes and I was freezing my tush off lol. Pretty sure a pullet but too early to be sure.
@CrazyForMyPeeps802 pretty darn close...
His dad is a white satin rooster. I should have mentioned the satin part. I have this small flock (8) from the first silkies we started with, which were hatchery or pet quality. We were donated the first 3 eight years ago.
About two years ago, I stopped hatching those and paid dearly for...
We were so disappointed. It's hard to imagine this was what that rooster looked like as a chick. He was a beautiful little chipmunk we thought would look like his mother maybe or be lighter.
His mother. (Pet quality.) White silkie rooster was dad.
Mine lay all winter, just a tish slower though.
We're in Wisconsin where temps can be -30F for a couple of weeks, and 20F is the coldest I will let them out unless it's windy. We have an oil filled radiant heater that keeps the coop to 40F so the water and eggs don't freeze. That could have...
I do not want any satins here in my breeding flock, nor do I want naked necks, but in a batch of hatching eggs from an exhibition breeder came a whole bunch of cuckoos and mottleds, and Pearl. I've got some younger paints about 3 months old, so in several months when they can be sexed and bred...
From my view, I'd look at him as a blue partridge. The partridge I get are from recessive genes that show up every so often in my older bunch of silkies so no idea how I get them. The one I posted was from purchased eggs.
I think I'd breed him to a black hen just to see what he has in him...
Yes, pretty much.
Now it's a week old. Here it is with a picture I just took of him and the two paints I'm keeping of the 35. It lightened up already. I may not keep the one paint that's not vaulted, but it came from SOP parents so maybe it'll be okay to breed. I have a week to decide as...
I've ordered hatching eggs from exhibition breeders four or five times this year and if I got 33% I had to be happy. It's been a horrible year. I couldn't even dare to figure out the cost per chick or I'd faint.
I used to get 75% hatch rate on shipped eggs. At least I have several quality...
Very pretty! I have an inkling it may wind up being a slightly chocolate partridge. I just thought all silkie partridges had to start out with the stripe on the back, but I guess not! That mottled head both of ours had/have must also be a sign. ❤️
Yesterday I hatched 35 mostly my silkies, and half were from a breeder. I wasn't planning to keep any as they would be what I already have, except 2 paints and this one.
It looks partridgish, but isn't the typical chipmunk silkies are when hatched.
Whatcha think?
I have a little bit of everything here and have had for many years. I can't say any are weaker than the other. There aren't many differences in their robustness to me and IMO, it's just their feather types, mottled, frizzled, satin, cuckoo, etc., and regular including a few showgirls, nothing...