# Silkie colour genetics...



## SilkieBoy

Hello!
So in my pen I currently have 1 red roo, 1 partridge pullet, 1 buff pullet and 2 white pullets. I was wondering what coloured offspring I can expect to get from them?

Red roo X partridge will produce?
Red roo X buff will produce?
Red roo X white pullet will produce?

All my birds are from pure lines! Hoping to get some nice colours!

I would love to hear from you experienced breeders!

Thanks!


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## fuzziebutt

Hi Silkieboy and if I haven't welcomed you, then welcome to the forum!! The colors which are recognized by both the American Poultry Association and the American Bantam Association are White, Black, Blue, Buff, Gray, Partridge and Splash. So if you have a red one, then it isn't a pure bloodline, and there's no telling what color it will throw. Here is a link to my info: http://www.americansilkiebantamclub.org/silkies.asp


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## SilkieBoy

You are right! My male is a dark buff! I would still love to know what colour chicks I can expect from these pairings...

I am assuming the dark buff roo to my light buff pullet I will get a mix of light and some dark buff chicks?

From the dark buff roo paired with the white pullets, maybe get some white chicks and some buff?

From the dark buff roo and the partridge? Possible to get partridge chicks? And I guess done buff?

Am I totally off? Somebody please give me your opinions!!

Thanks!!


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## SilkieBoy

Bump....where are all my silkie peeps???


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## kaufranc

My Silkies are to young yet to breed. I still have no idea if they are boys or girls!
I have 2 whites, 2 blues , 1 black and 1 calico. I can't wait to breed them!


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## fuzziebutt

Here is the best that I can do for ya, a thread that I was a part of that has some fantastic info from a guy that breeds for genetic traits, and knows more than most folks should...

I found another one that will make you hear voices:http://kippenjungle.nl/basisEN.htm

I could find no info on red or buff silkies in breeding charts.


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## SilkieBoy

Okay! I guess I am in fir a big surprise when the time comes!! I would love to get buff splashes! That would be soo cool!


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## fuzziebutt

The only colors in Splash are black, white, and blue. Of course, a mix can have all kinds of colors, but that would be more of a calico, wouldn't it?


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## SilkieBoy

Yup, pretty cool!


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## simplersjoy

Hi, I am interested in how you have gone with this lot as I have similar, with 'Red' cockeral, Partridge, Red Partridge and White pullets (too young to breed yet). Thanks


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## robin416

If you want standard colors, none of what he has can be bred together and get standard colors. If bred together there is no telling what will hatch, chances are they will look nothing like the parents.

His red roo and buff, depends on the genetics for the red in the male. Some buffs look red but there is a new variety out there that is a mahogany color. Totally different color genetics from buff.


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## expertnewbie

If your silkies truly are those colors than you should come out with this:
Red x partridge-red
Red x buff-buff
Red x white-red /white split


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## robin416

expertnewbie said:


> If your silkies truly are those colors than you should come out with this:
> Red x partridge-red
> Red x buff-buff
> Red x white-red /white split


Not even close. Color genetics is not as simple as mixing this color with that to get this outcome. Its not like mixing yellow and blue to get green. There are many hidden color genes that when joined with other hidden color genes can produce something totally different.

I bred Silkies for years so I do have a clue how it works.

Add in that white Silkies are recessive white and it becomes even more complicated to anticipate the color outcome.


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## SilkieBoy

Hey!! So my first chicks looked buff when they hatched and some developed into whites splashes with buff spots and others came out with totally buff bodies and a solid white puff!! Adorable! 10 percent came out either solid buff or solid white and I mean solid!! It is a gorgeous mixing and it produced a variety of different never before seen colours! I will definiatly hatch more eggs later this spring!!! 

I am so happy I did! And there is very little known about these crossings!! Dark Buff with white pullets!

I hope that helps!!


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## robin416

The next step is to breed those chicks to see what colors show up.

The white/buff is not a recognized color but if I remember right you were not really concerned about that.


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## kaufranc

Silkieboy, we need pictures!!!!!


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## minmin1258

Yes yes yes pictures....PLEEEEEASE


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## SilkieBoy

Lol, I want to make new colours! There's no fun in predictability, even though I can kinda now predict what all of the chicks from this pairing will produce!! Same parents.. Then they may one day become recognized!!! I will post pics soon!!!


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## robin416

SilkieBoy said:


> Lol, I want to make new colours! There's no fun in predictability, even though I can kinda now predict what all of the chicks from this pairing will produce!! Same parents.. Then they may one day become recognized!!! I will post pics soon!!!


If you keep the chicks you hatched there is a possibility for surprises with their chicks.


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## expertnewbie

robin416 said:


> Not even close. Color genetics is not as simple as mixing this color with that to get this outcome. Its not like mixing yellow and blue to get green. There are many hidden color genes that when joined with other hidden color genes can produce something totally different. I bred Silkies for years so I do have a clue how it works. Add in that white Silkies are recessive white and it becomes even more complicated to anticipate the color outcome.


Like I said. If Silkieboy's silkies truly are those colors. 100% pure. Anyway I used this: go to google and type in chicken calculator. Then click the top link choice


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## robin416

The chicken color calculator does not always work for Silkies. White Silkies are recessive with a ton of hidden color genetics, the only way to keep white is to breed white to white. Or to produce more black chicks, put a white with a true black. If it isn't a true black then chicks could be any mishmash of colors. 

Some have tried putting buff on white to alleviate the red combs. What they ended up with were very pale colored buffs, some with the white and buff that Silkieboy mentioned. 

A red Silkie is not the same color genetics as a buff Silkie. A red Silkie came from crossing a Rhode Island Red with another color Silkie. Totally different color genetics from the buff. The red is so new that I'm not even sure anyone knows at this point what happens when its bred to any other color.

Then if you decide to sell the progeny down the road and don't disclose the color heritage the new breeder could end up with nasty surprises when using those new birds to breed. A friend of mine bought a very expensive bird from a well known breeder. That breeder did not disclose the background of that bird, when she used it with her bird she ended up with chicks that were a non recognized color and were useless to her.


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## SilkieBoy

Yup, all very true! Time will tell what they produce!


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