How to raise Backyard Chickens: Re: [CHICKENS-101] Silkies [1 Attachment]

Sunday, July 1, 2012

Re: [CHICKENS-101] Silkies [1 Attachment]

[Attachment(s) from CathrynTherese Fitch Walden included below]

Marla, I would keep the silkie with the nice crest and pale skin and breed it to a blue, black, or splash silkie with dark skin. 
Cockerels have stringers above their crest called sex feathers. Pullets have rounder crests with no sex feathers, (unless they have feathers still growing, then it could look like sex feathers in young silkies). 
Do you have pictures I could help you out by looking at?  I'll be more than happy to help out. 
Cathryn rainbowsilkiesTM Michigan

    From: Marla <marlajulich@yahoo.com>
 To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com 
 Sent: Sunday, July 1, 2012 8:38 AM
 Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Silkies

 Ok so fair will be here at the end of the month. As the poultry leader I always get to do the guessing game of what is it on breed with certain kids' entries. The other guessing game is- Is that a pullet or cockeral silkie. I know we just won't know for sure until it crows or lays an egg. So does everyone else just assume it's a cockeral if it has a large crest and a pullet if a small one?
  On another note but still a silkie subject. I got a self blue hatchery chick with a huge crest, pink facial skin, and not black eyes like the rest. I plan on culling that chick plus another that is darker but still too pale in skin/eye color. I swear the big crested one looks like it's part polish. Is that something someone would do on purpose to get a bigger crest? The other silkie chicks won't hang out with them, it's like they know they're different. 
  Marla
  Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry