our first hatch of cuckoo silkies

[glendaandrob]

Henny Penny and Barny are mum and dad

[Marina]

Hi GlendaandRob,

congratulations - they look like very happy chicks. I assume you realize that they are still a work in progress as the parents don't have the mulberry coloured faces and combs and a few other 'bibs and bob's' are not quite right yet but it looks to me that the lighter coloured chick has the dark skin colour which is a nice step forward. Will be interesting to see how the youngsters turn out once they are adults.

I didn't think the cuckoo would look so nice on the Silkie feathering but it does.

[glendaandrob]

Thankyou for your comments very helpful


This one came from a White Polish dad and cuckoo silkie mother

[glendaandrob]

I am pretty sure at the time of henny pennies photo she was recovering from quite a heavy moult after hatching some other chicks

[glendaandrob]

I was thinking of putting the polish/silkie cross back over my polish, any ideas on the outcome of the chicks?

[Marina]

If you put your Polish x Silkie back over a Polish, half of the chicks should have barring. This is assuming that not both parents of your crossbred girl were barred.

Silkies have 5 toes and dark skin so among the offspring you could select for the Polish traits and after a few generations you might get cuckoo Polish.

[Louise]

Very nice barring on the silkies. Is the mother a sizzle/frizzle what-you-may-call-it? LOL Hopefully you know what I mean. Be sure to update us with photos as your chicks get older. I'd love to see how their colour turns out

[glendaandrob]

Thanks Marina he or she has only four toes so I suppose thats a good start for breeding for Polish

[glendaandrob]

Hi Louise yes the mother is a sizzle

[Marina]

Yes, good start. I forgot to mention that Silkies have feathered legs, Polish don't. You have to breed a few and select the one(s) that have most of the Polish features to go on with. Just as with the cuckoo Silkies. You need the mulberry coloured skin and comb for a Silkie and over time you'll get some if you breed back to a Silkie with a mulberry coloured comb. Also no white ear lobes - they should be turquoise blue or mulberry so still some way to go.

[glendaandrob]

thanks so much you have been a great help