Smooth Coated Silkies???

[Kbr42]

I need some help form the experts!

I order some Silkies eggs from a person in Hamilton. So, I hatched them out. Every single one of them is smooth coated with all the other silkie characteristics, black skin, 5 toes, etc. I'm stumped! Are these still considered silkies? And to add to this, aren't they all hens

My goal was to have a bunch of silkies for next year's breeding. I'm not sure what to do with them. They are very pretty.

Pictures

Thanks for any input.

Cheers Karen

[kenya]

Some people are breeding them because they like the smooth coat but according to the standard they should not have the smooth coat.
You could breed them to a regular silkie rooster to hopefully get back to the standard silkie feather. Lucky you hatched all hens.

[Happy]

I once watched a heated argument on a FB group about whether or not smooth silkies actually existed or if they should be termed mutts. From what I could gather the person arguing that they were mutts was a silkie breeder. It got pretty heated as many “discussions” do on FB lol

[ross]

Kinda simple I think if they ain’t according to the recognized SOP as far as being disqualified at show they are mutts or Heinz what ever yu prefer . As far as backyard birds they can be anything you want to call um . Years ago when I was in the Appaloosa horse business I had a guy try to sell me a Pintoossa . Half Pinto half Appy . Someone had even started a registry for it . Meant nothin cept yu got some paper work & the guy who started it got $100 of your money . Such a diverse world

[Kbr42]

I once watched a heated argument on a FB group about whether or not smooth silkies actually existed or if they should be termed mutts. From what I could gather the person arguing that they were mutts was a silkie breeder. It got pretty heated as many “discussions” do on FB lol

I've been looking on fb and I agree they get heated...lol so, they can live with my silkies, I just hope they lay different coloured eggs so I can tell them apart from the silkies....lol

I may breed them then hatch and see what I get...won't be until next March.

Cheers Karen

[Shnookie]

"21st Century Poultry Breeding" says about Silkies "It's a unique looking fowl in that it has a woolly appearance caused by the purity of a recessive gene which prevents the feather barbs from "hooking" together and thus the gene symbol 'h' was assigned standing for 'hookless'. Silkies have five toes and the woolly appearance extends to the shanks, which in the absence of the 'h' gene would be normally feathered."

So because the fluffy feather type is from a recessive gene, if she breeds these hens to a fluffy rooster, would the chicks all be smooth?

[kenya]

I once watched a heated argument on a FB group about whether or not smooth silkies actually existed or if they should be termed mutts. From what I could gather the person arguing that they were mutts was a silkie breeder. It got pretty heated as many “discussions” do on FB lol

Ha! Ha! According to the standard they are mutts but thats how new breeds and varieties are developed.
Personally I like the little paint pullet. Shes soooo cute!

[Kbr42]

She is a really nice little pullet. I'll probably keep her and see what happens when I breed her back to on of my sizzles or my red pile roosters...once they figure out what their job is...lol

[WLLady]

IF the smooth gene is dominant and she is carrying 2 copies then yes, all the kids would be smooth. HOWEVER, if she is a het (carrying one copy of smooth and one for h-which you won't know until you breed to ) then if bred back to a rooster with hh (two copies of h-the classic silkie "feathers" or fluff or whatever it's called, i'm not a silkie expert) then half the kids should be hh (fluffy silkie) and half smooth. problem being if you are a fluffy silkie person then you will keep popping up smooth ones off and on if the h is not fully recessive.....unless of course you don't mind, and then there's no problem at all! LOL. as with everything there are people that are totally inflexible to the SOPs and those that like to develop "new" breeds/types....we have room for all of you here on PTO!!!! you would get some crazy feathers if you breed back to sizzle i bet.

[Kbr42]

IF the smooth gene is dominant and she is carrying 2 copies then yes, all the kids would be smooth. HOWEVER, if she is a het (carrying one copy of smooth and one for h-which you won't know until you breed to ) then if bred back to a rooster with hh (two copies of h-the classic silkie "feathers" or fluff or whatever it's called, i'm not a silkie expert) then half the kids should be hh (fluffy silkie) and half smooth. problem being if you are a fluffy silkie person then you will keep popping up smooth ones off and on if the h is not fully recessive.....unless of course you don't mind, and then there's no problem at all! LOL. as with everything there are people that are totally inflexible to the SOPs and those that like to develop "new" breeds/types....we have room for all of you here on PTO!!!! you would get some crazy feathers if you breed back to sizzle i bet.

Well, I just happen to have 2 Sizzles growing out. I will definitely keep a couple of the pullets and see what happens. It just takes sooooo long...lol