Silkie Questions

So I think I figured out there are Bearded & Unbearded and Showgirl Silkies

I understand a Showgirl is a turken/silkie cross.. I also think I did read that the turken is the domnent gene so it would ultimitly revert .. so I read... (I forgot to read the book on spelling)

Is Showgirl a breed name or a "brand" name?

What is the difference between bearded & unbearded? Pictures to compare please?
Difference between an unbearded & Showgirl?

PLEASE, don't anyone be offended.. I am really asking a question.. I do want to know.
I really am beginning to dislike having to know it all! ;-)

silkies come in both bearded and non bearded as do showgirls.

silkie is the purebreed

turken is the naked neck pure breed aka transyvanian naked neck

showgirl is a new breed of a silkie who carries the nacked neck gene which origionated as a cross breed of the 2 breeds.

silkie x turken = F1(first generation) turken/silkie untill about 3 more crosses with another silkie, silkie feathering and black neck do not show it is split and hidden. once u hit about F4-5 they start to look like showgirls with turken features starting to disapear. i call F1-about F4's "wannabe's" they are not full showgirl but resemble them usually very poorly with big red necks, lrg combs, large sized birds and sometimes turken feathering, 4 toes and will not breed true and look very pet quality.

once u cross a wannabe to a silkie enough eventually u evolve to a showgirl by breeding out the turken genes as much as possible. this will give u all black skin includeing black neck, 5 toes and naked neck with or without bowties who fit the silkie aba/apa standards. once a showgirl if u cross it to another showgirl or to another silkie u can deturman by the mix a pecentage of how many babies in the hatch will be showgirls or silkies that hatch because they breed true enough to go by genetics but noone has mastered full showgirl hatches yet to my knowledge due to genetic makeup.

a non bearded has 2 little skin pieces that hang down called a waddle, bearded these waddles r very small or do not show and inplace of the waddles is feathers that open to look like a beard or goate(sp) look.

hey, asking is how we learn ya don't know till ya ask. i can do pics to show ya also.

bearded silkie hen pictured.

non bearded showgirl roo

the white showgirl in the brooder is a bearded.

i don't have but 1 nonbearded silkie roo and the rest of the silkie flock is bearded and i don't have pics of him yet to show u. but his chin looks like the non bearded showgirl roo above he has waddles also.

hope i answered all u questions if not ask away,
silkie

All very interesting... 2 more questions

Is there feathering on the beard of a bearded showgirl? (don't even know if I worded that right)

What on earth possesed breeders to keep going? Now mind you, what the end result is, is beautiful.. but why didn't they think about giving up at about F5.. Did you know you could ultimitly breed out those neck feathers?

I hope I don't offend anyone, but I think that's the funniest chicken I have ever seen. It looks like a turken that got caught in a blow dryer.

Now a frizzled (don't know if I am using that term right) would be wild looking!

ooooh, I think they are gorgeous!!!!

yes instead of the waddles they have feathers kinda look like a santa beard up around under the beak. breeders like me and prancingpony do it for the fun, to get them recognized as a standard breed, for showing, ect. and we both love turkens and silkies so we get the both of best worlds with them all in one.

mine are F11-14 hers i think are up to F15-16 now. yes i have 2 withoout neck feathers or as i call them bowties. there is 2 types of NN gene, long words i can't spell,lol so to put it mildly ya have a bowtie or ya don't but in lower generations they can throw what i call fuzzy necks. they have too much bowtie and is halfway between bowtie and full neck covered. i usually don't keep them if they don't but those 2 roos have good qualities i'd like to see in my line so they are used to breed those traits into the line.

yes, they r funny looking and at about 4 weeks old they start to look like baby teradactals(sp), i think when older the pullets look like little old ladies in fur coats,rotfl. i'm hopeing to add frizzled to them this year along with some other projects to see what else i can do with them and so is teri so we will have lots of fun breeding this year!! thank you!!
silkie

Your so right about the baby teradactals, the first picture I saw.. the feathered body reminded me of a fluffy egg the teradactal popped it's head out and a part of the egg stayed on top of it's head... you could push it back in .. kind of like a spring loaded toy... but sooner or later it would bong back out again... lol just my imagination running away again..

And sooner or later I was going to ask about the term "bowtie" and lookie there.. you must have known..

Non bearded Silkie

cuckoogirl,
That silver colored little chick in that pic.... Is that a silkie chick?? Or what is it??
Reason im asking is because I bought an assortment of bantams from the feed store,
I have a couple that look just like it and would love to know what they are.

That is one serious Mom.. wouldn't want to cross her... nice lookin babes too!

might not be a very good pic, but look....

The only chick there that is a silkie is the dark one in the far back with the tiny bump on top of its head. All
the rest are Ameraucana/ee bantams. The one in your pic has the dark legs like some of them have......so it might be ameraucana.
You will know for sure if it lays green eggs. And YES she is a VERY serious mom. Since the chicks hatched, I have at least 5 birds that want their own now and want to hatch eggs so bad. I feel so bad taking them away.....but we dont live on a farm yet and i am way over the towns limit for me keeping chickens. If it wasn't for me thinking i can make up 'my own rules' .... these chicks wouldn't even be here hehe :)

That picture of the naked neck silkie is the best thing I have seen all day. I want one!