Introduction - The Silkie Lab (Danielle)

[loulusea]

It does not mean that they are mutts/mixes The gene that causes the extra toes in silkies presents in many ways, and when breeding silkies you will always end up with some that don't have the right amount of toes or spacing. Regarding the color, paint is known to have pigment issues at hatch. Usually the skin will darken as they get older

 

[Debbie292d]

Very pretty! I'm guessing that's a pullet yet the next couple of weeks should be definitive.

I've been raising silkies for over eight years, and when we started, ours were donated to us. I learned later that those although pure silkies, were what we call "pet quality" or "hatchery quality." I've since stopped hatching their eggs, purchased show-quality chicks, and ordered hatching eggs from exhibition breeders.

It's all what you want for chickens. The ones you have are beautiful, no matter if they aren't considered high-quality or are mixes, so if they're missing a toe, don't have a beard or vaulted skull, have pink skin, etc., it may not matter. They are still a sweet and beautiful bird.

I have a few paints and they started out with white beaks and mottled feet. They are a few months old now, and the white almost has changed to black.