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I define silkies qualities into 3 main catagories , Show quality , breeder quality
& pet quality.
I am VERY particular when deciding what quality each
silkie is. Certain things that are allowed in showing i still find unacceptable.
One of my biggest issues is with toe placement/separation.
The silkie standard calls for "Toes: five, the three
front straight, well and evenly spread, the hind toe double, the normal toe in natural position and the extra toe placed above,
starting from close to the other toe, but well formed, longer than the other toes and curving upwards and backwards" ..I will
not settle for anything less, and will not sell a bird as show or breeder quality unless it has perfect toes. if i were judging,
I would DQ over bad toe placement & big bumpy combs.
Combs on roosters should be small, not big uneven blobs with spikes all over them.
Pet quality would be the lowest quality there is , although there are really great
looking PQ silkies that have 1 flaw that puts them in this catagory.These have nothing to offer in the breeding pens
since they usually have major faults , however I have seen PQ silkies produce some nice babies when bred to a nice mate.
Show quality is a bird that can show & have a good chance of winning in a sanctioned
show. Most people dont use their show quality birds as breeders since they want to keep them in top condition for show. Once
a silkie , especially a pullet hits the breeding pen ..her crest is the first to go.
Breeder quality is the best to me , I dont rate birds breeder quality that have major
faults such as single combs or missing toes. These are the foundation of a good flock .
Some people get confused about this with all the birds we see listed as breeder or
show quality, when a good amount of them are actually pet quality.
I have never shown personally, but many of my silkies have been shown, cuckoos included & they have
placed very well.
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This splash pair are still at the awkward stage , the male is a couple of weeks older than
the female , both born in 2006.
Over the past couple of weeks these 2 have started to fill in , the female is just adorable . As
with males , he will take longer to look his best , but is off to a good start.
Judging by their looks today , Im going to rate them as breeder to show quality . These will
be offered as a pair or I can male it a trio with a silkie pullet of any other color I have available. the colors Im expecting
to be ready are black, blue or white.
| 2006 hatch buffs - pullets? |
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| Photo of their mom on my front page |
2 buff silkies
These are still small & have just started filling out, right now their legs look
almost bald & foot feathers are just starting to grow in. The crests just seemed to pop up one day. Im not yet 100% sure
if they are females..but they do look it. Theyre mom has an enormous crest & is very clear, i think these also will have
a huge crest judging by the way theyre filling in.
These could be bred with a nice clear buff or ginger red for an assortment of buffs
& reds , they are a beautiful shade of apricot. I also have "special" males available that these could be bred to , to
hatch out "real" white, black & orange calico's .
these 2 will be for sale together , I will have updated pics as they grow.
Their middle toes will most likely be sparse, but can be fixed with 1 breeding to a
good mate.
| 2006 High quality blue pullet |
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This little pullet ( above and below) was hatched from a black x splash mating.
Although she looks brownish in the photos, the sun was bright & made her appear brownish , she
has no brown at all.
Shes got an excellent shape , her crest is going to be huge & foot feathering is coming in nicely
, although the middle toes are a bit sparse. Id rate this girl to be a nice breeder quality , she has some excellent
features that would work well in a breeding program.
This NB black pullet is adorable, she has a nice crest coming in & her body is starting to take
shape. She has really nice toe placement , the foot feathers are just starting to come in , although the middle toes
are sparse. This pullet would make an excellent breeder.
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| Partridge pullet 2006 hatch $40 |
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| This pullet is awesome , however she does have a tiny single comb |
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| SOLD |
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| Trio includes tri-color cockeral , tri-color pullet & 2nd cuckoo pullet |
This tri-color cuckoo started out homely looking , he was lanky, straggely & looked as if he would be a major
cull. Then , as if it happened overnite he blossomed into a gorgeous rooster. His chest is wide , he is very round in shape
& has really surprised me. He has rich ginger red symetrical markings throughout him , along with the classic cuckoo
pattern. This goes to show , male cuckoos go through a longer puberty stage & its well worth it to hang onto them to see
how they will look at maturity. This guy still hasnt reached full maturity , but i do know he is only going to get better.
he is not from an accidental mating , but rather a start of a totally new variety of cuckoos.
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| 2006 hatch cuckoo pullet she is on the right side |
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| she does come from a trio-color mating , but didnt pick up the buff |
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| 2006 hatch white pullet , huge vaulted skull |
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| she is still small , but looks as if she may be show quality |
| she is a mess from eating watermelon |
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| this pullet is going to have a huge crest |
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