What constitutes a desirable silkie, satin, or naked neck?

[Hickory_Hollow_RanchAL]

I'm completely new to silkies (not chickens or poultry, just silkies). I bought a small flock of young birds just about to start laying. My question is what makes them desirable? What colors or feather types are most popular or sought after? How can you tell a well bred one from a non breeder quality one?
The ones I have include a chocolate, a paint, a splash, several white, black, blues, two naked neck, one frizzle, and a few satins.
I breed mostly English orpingtons, so these little fuzzy guys are foreign to me. What would chick prices or eggs prices look like for these guys?

 

[Debbie292d]

Hiya, and welcome to BYC!

I raise silkies so will try answer your questions.

My most sought out silkies are paints, buffs, and cuckoos. I have younger ones of these so this coming spring I'll be breeding those.

Chocolates and splashes are two others I wanted, and have now.

Frizzles are beautiful, but do not breed two of those together as they stand a good chance to be defective -- bad hearts, short lives, ugly feathers.

Satin silkies I try stay away from, and the same goes with the naked necks. I have a couple of each, but won't breed them.

Chicks and egg prices will be relative to your area, but here I get $10/chick or 6 for $50. Hatching eggs are $20 dozen for hatchery quality, $50 dozen for the show quality ones, but I always send 18.

They are lovable birds, and all I raise/breed.

Silkies can be prone to vitamin deficiencies so I feed all of ours Kalmbach's Flock Maker then supplement that with Rooster Booster vitamin granules mixed in, and oyster shell on the side.

As for better bred silkies, they will mostly be very fluffy with fluffy or vaulted crests, and bearded. Roosters combs will be like a walnut. They will have black skin (some variations don't), five toes, and blue or lavender earlobes.