1/22/2024 0 Comments Male silkie chicken![]() If you love silkies, go check them out for incredible information. The Silkie appears off colored due to dust bathing and grass stains as he has access to pasture at all times.Update: A special thanks to the team over at Silkie Chicken Experts who helped us write this article. The original parent Rhode Island Red (hen) and Silkie (cock). I am going to continue to look into and refine these genetics focusing on the health of well being of the bird on pasture as well as suitability for the homestead. I believe the Rhode Island Red and the Silkie crossed can create a great chicken for the homesteader as a dark skinned, high producing bird could cater to specialty markets. Other female resembles RIR but has Crest from Silkie.į2 and backcrosses have been made however, right now this chicken is not ready for production. 1 pullet has crest, feathered feet, and Silkie skin. My thoughts F1 backcrossed to Rhode Island Red (Male F1 X Female RIR). The Silkie temperament and crest of the birds may need to be selectively bred out if I want to continue to raise these birds on open pasture instead of a closed solution such as a range coop the crest appears to hinder the bird’s ability to see aerial predators. Unfortunately, no long term egg data was able to be collected as predation problems resulted in the loss of both pullets. Eggs were medium/large brown on a regular basis like the Rhode Island Red. I will need to look into if males ever result in dark skin with this cross.īoth females had RIR feathers and size along with silkie skin, crest, and temperament. Thus far I have a small sample size <10 but all females have had dark skin and all males light skinned. F1 Rhode Island Red (Hen) x Silkie.(cock) A young cockerel in front with 2 pullets in the rear. One a cockerel, with typical RIR (Rhode Island Red) plumage, skin, and size and silkie temperament, slight crest, and comb. The rooster (White Silkie) and hen (Rhode Island Red).ģ F1 offspring hatched. He had a calm temperament, small-medium comb, and was a standard Silkie by all accounts. The rooster was a White Silkie raised in New York until I bought him at Root’s Country Market Auction in Lancaster PA. I chose a very high egg producing female Rhode Island Red (2018 – 305 eggs, 2019 – 298 eggs) with a nice form and high survivability (she was the only chicken that escaped no matter what, I swear she would escape from Alcatraz). These 2 pullets prominently exhibited black skin, feathered legs, and a crest from their Silkie father and size. 2 Female Silkie x Rhode Island Red F1 Hybrids on baby greens (6 weeks old). F1 crosses of this breed showed a lot of potential for the market and homestead. ![]() The two breeds are almost polar opposites a skittish, dual purpose chicken and a friendly ornamental chicken. The Rhode Island Red’s temperament is typically very skittish at first but you can gain their trust over time. They are notorious for their large size and good egg production making them a great choice for small farms. ![]() ![]() The Rhode Island Red is a popular dual purpose breed with a very strong ability to avoid/survive predators on small farms, thus making it an excellent choice for a backyard chicken. Silkie chickens have long broken my heart as they have a very ‘pet’ like temperament yet are not great at avoiding predators with their temperament and crest obscuring their vision to blame. Despite it’s fluffiness, the Silkie has a surprisingly good egg production while also being an excellent mother. A breed native to China, the Silkie is prized for its fluffy feathers and unique soft, fluffy hair-like plumage. The Silkie chicken is prized for it’s unique temperament and black skin/bones.
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