Good luck on silkies. I've raised cuckoo and as usual a gangly big combed cockerel grew up to be a lovely round nice crested pullet and a nice large crested pullet grew sex feathers and crowed. Obviously I was not correct on some of my sexing of my silkies.
Did you know that white silkie chicks can hatch in various colors? Chicks that hatch with a soft silver gray color are called silver gene whites and very desirable to my breeding programs. Often the adults of silver gene chicks will have a black feather or two in their white down that has to be pulled if they are to be shown. Chicks that hatch with a yellowish cast to them carry the golden gene. These silkies will yellow in the sun but are very desirable to cross to partridge if your partridge need improving. Ex: Your yellow gene whites have large crests and beards and you want that trait added to your partridge. Just remember that the whites that result from the mixed breeding carry the partridge gene. I'd hatch separately and keep them separate. Chicks that hatch white, snow white, are called Christmas whites and are a very special bloodline called Massoni for the man who bred them. GM in NM taught me this and showed me the difference. The resulting silkies are snow white too and often will have a distinctive crest shape.
I've had white silkies hatch with soft gray stripes with pink stripes in the middle and have not figured this one out yet. I do know they all grow up snow white.
From: Jordsvin <Jordsvin@earthlink.net>
To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 1:25 AM
Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Sexing barred/cuckoo chicks at hatching
Did you know that white silkie chicks can hatch in various colors? Chicks that hatch with a soft silver gray color are called silver gene whites and very desirable to my breeding programs. Often the adults of silver gene chicks will have a black feather or two in their white down that has to be pulled if they are to be shown. Chicks that hatch with a yellowish cast to them carry the golden gene. These silkies will yellow in the sun but are very desirable to cross to partridge if your partridge need improving. Ex: Your yellow gene whites have large crests and beards and you want that trait added to your partridge. Just remember that the whites that result from the mixed breeding carry the partridge gene. I'd hatch separately and keep them separate. Chicks that hatch white, snow white, are called Christmas whites and are a very special bloodline called Massoni for the man who bred them. GM in NM taught me this and showed me the difference. The resulting silkies are snow white too and often will have a distinctive crest shape.
I've had white silkies hatch with soft gray stripes with pink stripes in the middle and have not figured this one out yet. I do know they all grow up snow white.
Cathryn rainbowsilkiesTM in Michigan
From: Jordsvin <Jordsvin@earthlink.net>
To: CHICKENS-101@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sunday, August 11, 2013 1:25 AM
Subject: [CHICKENS-101] Sexing barred/cuckoo chicks at hatching
Hello all! I am getting some barred rocks so I can sex my chicks at hatching. This seems to work for most if not all barred or cuckoo patterned breeds. Males have a larger, less distinct head spot and less color in the leg shanks. Females have a smaller, more distinct head spot and more color on the front of the shanks. I've heard one sex tends to have darker down in these chicks. Is it the males or females? I've heard conflicting stories on that. Also, cuckoo silkies are under development. Would that work with them? Autosexing silkies for broodies would be a great thing. Thanks, Patrick in Lexington Kentucky
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