They are so small and cute. I love that soft gray and yellow color too. Love the doily. You're lucky they didn't poop on it...LOL.
New Hatch
Fully grown they are similiar to yet a little small than a japanese banty. They are extremely slow growers, at a month they are barely larger than a day old standard chick. The mother and daughter that I just showed!! Well the daughter is going on her fourth month and is less than half the size of her mom and does not like being with her as she feels intimidated. That is of course become they were not raised together.
Your so right beclu, I did luck out with the doily pic. I just love that soft gray and yellow, she is so fuzzy at the back of the head due to the silkie in her, her colors almost make her look like a penguin...LOL. Two of my Serama converts live next to me and both wanted to buy her immed but I said no, cause I want to raise my silkie seramas so I can study their characteristics as well as see how they look at maturity and the like. That way I can determine if I want to cross any more or not. Some I have seen I didn't like so I'll have to wait and see. Glad you enjoyed the pic's...Hay.
Miss Jester: I will have some eggs in about three-four weeks that (Billy Boy) Billy's namesake will be the pappa of. I will send these eggs to Billy in hopes that some will hatch, Just know in advance that these little buggers are very frail with heat conditions and I don't advise that they be held or handled much for the first two weeks. They grow very slow and will still be dinky in two weeks, but are not nearly as frail as the first two weeks. Heat loss happens very quickly for them so sustained handling should wait til about four week. You can handle them often if you keep them around the heat source. After one month I try to handly them daily ie the ones I am going to keep. I'm sure your climate will be great for them, as will you and Billy. Hay.
Haystack, do crosses like your silkie-seramas tend to produce uniform offspring? Or do some chicks inherit more of one parent's characteristics and some more of the other's?
My Silkie/Nankin crosses both look very much alike--although they have totally different parents. Basically they are short and squat like a Silkie, with a little pointed crest, big dark eyes, feathered legs, dark skin and a partially developed extra toe on just one foot. Both are pullets.
Very nice.
Now for a mess of genetics....
As Moxon disclosed, the silkie feather gene is recessive....so all of Hay's crosses between a Serama and a Silkie should be normal feathered, but carrying a gene for silkie. If you then crossed them, you would get a ratio of one normal feathered homozygous, two normal feathered heterozygous (carrying the silkie gene) and one silkie feathered homozygous.
Unless, the Serama was already carrying an unexpressed silkie gene (which is what happened with mine). Then if you crossed the Ss Serama to an ss Silkie you should get a ratio of 50% silkie feathered ss and 50% normal feathered heterozygous Ss.
But that doesn't address the other Silkie breed traits, like skin colour, extra toes or comb type.
This message was edited Feb 19, 2010 3:10 PM
I love the pics! Especially the one on the doily. (you can bleach them & the poo comes out.) They are so tiny & adorable.
Quote from Haystack :
Miss Jester: I will have some eggs in about three-four weeks that (Billy Boy) Billy's namesake will be the pappa of. I will send these eggs to Billy in hopes that some will hatch, Just know in advance that these little buggers are very frail with heat conditions and I don't advise that they be held or handled much for the first two weeks. They grow very slow and will still be dinky in two weeks, but are not nearly as frail as the first two weeks. Heat loss happens very quickly for them so sustained handling should wait til about four week. You can handle them often if you keep them around the heat source. After one month I try to handly them daily ie the ones I am going to keep. I'm sure your climate will be great for them, as will you and Billy. Hay.
We are ready.... Oh I have started a list of questions on a notebook that hangs on the fridge, and when the time comes, I will send them to you. So if I read this right, the heat for the first two weeks are important? then I shall look for an old aquarium to use instead of the tote that is normally used.... That way we can watch them without handling them...
Oh Miss J, I wish you lived closer. I have 4 used aquariums of various sizes I would love to get rid of. I am enjoying watching my easter eggers in the one I'm using. They will grow out of it in about a week I'm sure. They are huge compared to Hay's seramas.
Promised some pics of Little Billy (Billy's namesake) He is so beautiful and such a little man just like Billy is.
I love this bird.
OK just one more of Billy Boy.
Heres what I spent most of my day on. I'm building five individual small 4x8 coops. Each coop will have pure breds of a different kind and each coop will have seven hens and one Rooster and will have a 6x60 foot run. Lots of work but keeps me out of trouble and my dear wife knows where I am...LOL.Hay.
Thanks for your friendship and letting me share my love for the girls with you...Hay
OH Haystack, he is beautiful!!!!!! Is that Dot's son?? I am really impressed with him. Love the pics.. Just love em!!
Hi Porkpal, about your question. I have five silkie seramas and I will send you pic's of all five so you can see for yourself. All five have the same two parents, all five are different colors, all five except colors including leg colors and feathers on legs look very much alike. When they mature I'm sure they will look very different. Your correct in assuming that some will take on totally different attrubutes of the mom and papa. Here is two of them together and I'll get pic of others probably tomorrown for you so you can see for yourself...Hay Porkpal I don't know if you can see it here? But the little grey and yellow one has feathers on leggs, and dark legs like the silkies, the little yellow one has no feathers on leggs and legs are yellow, ivory. So at least I hope this info helps a little. Come on over PorkPal and I'll send a couple home with you...Hay
This message was edited Feb 20, 2010 4:27 PM
No ZZ's I bought a Black Copper rooster from a lady in Town and she said she wanted to get rid of another rooster because she's in town and can't have roos. When I saw him I inquired about whether he was a serama or not and she said yes but didn't like him. So I took him for free and I just love him. He is the father of all of my silkie seramas. He is a class C, but he is a wonderful bird and I love all of my serama roosters and the girls. He does have the same colors as Dot but totally different pattern. I know have four roo's and eight girls, I want four more girls and then I'll be happy.
Oh Haystack, he is so awesome... It brought tears to my eyes as he looks like Billy's favorite Roo Spiderman that is no longer with us..
Billy has a huge smile on his face even though he just woke up. He says Billy is cool and is very pretty. He wants to know if you and him can come visit?? LOL he is still smiling..
I got him out of bed by saying I had Rooster pictures to show him, he shot out of bed...
Thank you so much for sharing...
Billy and Roseane
Your more than welcome, and inspite of bator problems, I hope you have a great day. I'm Billy's letter off today. Hay.