Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

Trying to get a head-count on silkie lovers...

  • ME! - I like silkies!

    Votes: 823 96.1%
  • ^

    Votes: 98 11.4%

  • Total voters
    856
Hinotoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, lol.. I have a question for you. Assuming this guy is RED, and not partridge, what would be the probable outcomes for putting him with pure blacks? He's got a nice short back, stands very upright, loves to poof out his feather (Look! I'm so big.) 5 individual toes for sure, furry feets.. the only downfall is a not so big crest and his comb is too bright. My black girls have large poof like their great grandmother and black combs. And look at that nice tail would ya!
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his wings are down because he's showing off at me.. normally he's got them up and tight.
 
Hinotoriiiiiiiiiiiiiiii, lol.. I have a question for you. Assuming this guy is RED, and not partridge, what would be the probable outcomes for putting him with pure blacks? He's got a nice short back, stands very upright, loves to poof out his feather (Look! I'm so big.) 5 individual toes for sure, furry feets.. the only downfall is a not so big crest and his comb is too bright. My black girls have large poof like their great grandmother and black combs. And look at that nice tail would ya!View attachment 4085708View attachment 4085709
his wings are down because he's showing off at me.. normally he's got them up and tight.

Offspring should be muddy black if they are pure black. That's just what happens with black bred to most colors. Second gen bred to something else you get a glimpse at what could have been hiding under the black, usually partridge. Depending on color bred back to, gen 3 may be close to back to color. On partridge, half the 2nd gen just look partridge. I've used black to darken males before.

Paints don't count in that. The dominant white is weird. Dominant white had to be bred into silkies. White silkies are recessive white. It's the original silkie color.

I think it would be interesting to see his grandchildren with improved crests
 
Offspring should be muddy black if they are pure black. That's just what happens with black bred to most colors. Second gen bred to something else you get a glimpse at what could have been hiding under the black, usually partridge. Depending on color bred back to, gen 3 may be close to back to color. On partridge, half the 2nd gen just look partridge. I've used black to darken males before.

Paints don't count in that. The dominant white is weird. Dominant white had to be bred into silkies. White silkies are recessive white. It's the original silkie color.

I think it would be interesting to see his grandchildren with improved crests
Well those black gals have partridge in them from Gma, and dad.
 
Hatched yesterday. Mom is getting a leg band to designate her as good to move for chicks. Didn't care at all that I moved her to a new spot yesterday. Put the chicks in front of her this morning and she got up and moved to them. All bonded well this afternoon.

Put them on her for picture because she did get a bit upset when I grabbed them to where she didnt know where they were.

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They are both partridge. The lighter one is a throwback to the one hens I got 13 years ago who's chicks always hatched that color. Means the mother is her granddaughter who's 7.
 
Hatched yesterday. Mom is getting a leg band to designate her as good to move for chicks. Didn't care at all that I moved her to a new spot yesterday. Put the chicks in front of her this morning and she got up and moved to them. All bonded well this afternoon.

Put them on her for picture because she did get a bit upset when I grabbed them to where she didnt know where they were.

View attachment 4098909

They are both partridge. The lighter one is a throwback to the one hens I got 13 years ago who's chicks always hatched that color. Means the mother is her granddaughter who's 7.
I moved 6 chicks out to Blue Bonnet, who had been sitting for just over 3 weeks, this morning 1 chick was with her, and the other 5 were in the adjacent pen with two mommas who had been busy hatching their eggs. Oh, lord...we got us a chick snatching duo. One hen went back on the nest, while the second one tended the babes out of the nest.
Also moved 8 chicks out to another pen where 2 ladies had been broody for over a month.. All was well in that world this morning. And I have another duo that have been sitting for over a month, but no new hatchlings to give them.. Thought about giving them some 3 week olds. Would that work?
I like taking the chicks out at night and shoving them up under the hen, rather than in the daytime. Seems the hen is more likely to stay there with the babies. The two I moved chicks under had moved to a second nest where a 3rd hen had been laying her eggs. I snatched them and put them in the incubator so I could carefully monitor progress and any problems.
I've got a few chicks like the lighter one you have. I'm trying to think what color they turn out to be. And my one hen that was supposed to be silver partridge has a bit of brown in her wings and no crest at all. But she has a nice tight black comb and a body like a brick you know what.. her babies are turning out better than I expected.
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Sidenote: Anyone ever raise a bottle baby? Here's a LaMancha named Samson.. he's a week old and a treat.
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This old lady is my 8 year old F1. She's what you get when a blue partridge silkie crosses with a wheaten ameraucana.
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Here is her half sister of the same hatch. Blue partridge silkie x standard hatchery EE. She's a chunk and weighs about 4 pounds.
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They were the foundation of my blue egg project. They still lay but have slowed way down with age.
 

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