Silkies - They’re simply SPECTACULAR!

[Hinotori]

Ok I can guess and that is that the d'uccle has other breeds in background. Probably some silkie and maybe another breed that has willow or yellow legs. Could be that the silkie mother has the leg issue in the background.

That hen has light leg feathering coming from 2 heavy feather legged breeds. Makes me think that hatchery birds in the ancestry is possible. Hatcheries suck on keeping birds pure.

 

[yakitori]

I cant even guess.

Im not sure where the other black color genes are located. The swedish black and ayam cemani have a different black than silkies and I'm not sure if they even have the same one as each other.

There is the issue with paint that is uses dominant white which was bred in from elsewhere. True white silkies are recessive white.

Silkies should have white leg skin gene under the black, not yellow. D’uccle should have slate legs. I'm not even sure where willow colored legs came from. So there is some mixing somewhere.

I believe the stock came from Ideal poultry, so that totally makes sense

 

[Hinotori]

People mixing breeds without understanding anything about genetics or how to breed for traits has caused a lot of issues. A decade ago getting decent showgirls was a problem because every Joe Smoe was crossing naked necks with silkies and calling them showgirls. Lots of hatchery stock used.

Then there is the issue of people coming up with fancy color names. The accepted APA colors have names. It's why the silkie 'porcelain' had to do a name change to blue cream. Porcelain is the lavender diluted mille fleur.

Calico is going to have an issue as it's been well established in a few breeds as mottled mille fleur. It's not an accepted APA color yet but those breeds are more likely to get it accepted with the breed club.

Heck even though splash is a double dilute of blue, it's only an accepted color in silkies. Even the Andalusians where the color came from don't accept it. Probably because blue is supposed to have a darker blue lacing around each feather.

Showing a partridge silkie you'll get a fault or disqualification for a black headed hen depending on the judge. Partridge is supposed to have a red head. So many have bred for the moorhead coloring its more common than the proper color. I think there is a breed that does call for it but not silkies.

The issue of split wing in silkies is what drives me nuts as it's inherited. Don't breed birds with that fault. Many who are just trying to make the biggest and fastest buck from chicks don't even check for disqualification like split wing before breeding. I always show wing pictures before selling birds along with foot and hock pictures.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

People mixing breeds without understanding anything about genetics or how to breed for traits has caused a lot of issues. A decade ago getting decent showgirls was a problem because every Joe Smoe was crossing naked necks with silkies and calling them showgirls. Lots of hatchery stock used.

I've been trying to find showgirls again but there's seems to be so few proper breeders.

 

[Hinotori]

I've been trying to find showgirls again but there's seems to be so few proper breeders.

I havent looked for any. Hubby put his foot down about anything with a naked neck. He feels they all need dotted line tattoos with "cut here" on them.

 

[Somewhere_In_The_Clouds]

I havent looked for any. Hubby put his foot down about anything with a naked neck. He feels they all need dotted line tattoos with "cut here" on them.

They grew on me My original the breeder just threw a couple into the group of chicks we bought, I'd never even heard of them before.
When I wanted transylvanians I was told no, even the bonus of blue eggs didn't help Showgirls I am allowed though and I prefer them to other naked necks, only bibbed too please!
These were my previous ones.

 

[chickengr]

I cant even guess.

Im not sure where the other black color genes are located. The swedish black and ayam cemani have a different black than silkies and I'm not sure if they even have the same one as each other.

There is the issue with paint that is uses dominant white which was bred in from elsewhere. True white silkies are recessive white.

Silkies should have white leg skin gene under the black, not yellow. D’uccle should have slate legs. I'm not even sure where willow colored legs came from. So there is some mixing somewhere.

I hatched a few ayam chemani chicks. now I have got 2 mistery chicks. they have dark red skin and bottom of their feet is yellowish. there is a tiny chance they are not ayam chemani. the other breed I hatched is dutch bantam. but they don't have dark red skin and their legs are slate.

 

[Hinotori]

Three of my hens. They weren't happy with me because it was close to bedtime.

the middle hen is a cross from a rooster from the ordered eggs and some of the other hens. She was one of the few red heads.

 

[Elliemae1984]

People mixing breeds without understanding anything about genetics or how to breed for traits has caused a lot of issues. A decade ago getting decent showgirls was a problem because every Joe Smoe was crossing naked necks with silkies and calling them showgirls. Lots of hatchery stock used.

Then there is the issue of people coming up with fancy color names. The accepted APA colors have names. It's why the silkie 'porcelain' had to do a name change to blue cream. Porcelain is the lavender diluted mille fleur.

Calico is going to have an issue as it's been well established in a few breeds as mottled mille fleur. It's not an accepted APA color yet but those breeds are more likely to get it accepted with the breed club.

Heck even though splash is a double dilute of blue, it's only an accepted color in silkies. Even the Andalusians where the color came from don't accept it. Probably because blue is supposed to have a darker blue lacing around each feather.

Showing a partridge silkie you'll get a fault or disqualification for a black headed hen depending on the judge. Partridge is supposed to have a red head. So many have bred for the moorhead coloring its more common than the proper color. I think there is a breed that does call for it but not silkies.

The issue of split wing in silkies is what drives me nuts as it's inherited. Don't breed birds with that fault. Many who are just trying to make the biggest and fastest buck from chicks don't even check for disqualification like split wing before breeding. I always show wing pictures before selling birds along with foot and hock pictures.

I love your posts - always so informative!!!

Question about split wing. How early can you see it in a chick? A couple of the chicks I have now *might sorta* look like they have it, but it’s hard for me to tell since I’m relatively new to the silkie game, and the only reference I have is the book by Duguay et all (which is great, but I don’t trust my interpretation of all the pics). Also not sure if I should wait until they’re fully feathered out to make judgement calls.

I’m also worried about slipped wing after reading the book…but that’s a whole other thing.

 

[Elliemae1984]

I gotta say….nothing cuter than seeing mom bring her babies outside for the first time!! And watching these 12 days olds master the ramp that my adults didn’t attempt until they were 6+ months . So glad I decided to get babies for my broody. Best decision ever.