HatTrick Silkies Q & A

HatTrick Q & A
The inspiration for this page came from a message in a fortune cookie.
It read:
Dont' be discouraged, because every wrong attempt discarded is another step forward.

Page Updated 8/14/11

**Grant Brereton please email me at hattricksilkies@frontiernet.net I don't have an email address for you, thanks.

got questions?

Use the form below to send your Silkie/Breeding questions to us. We'll do our best to answer them.

Please do not use the form for sales inquiries. Any available Silkies are posted on our sales pages only.

**Just a note about the HatchCam**
Thank you to everyone who took the time to send feedback and good wishes for the kittens.
So glad to hear so many are enjoying Mama and her Babies!
UPDATE: Surgery day for Mama and her first litter went fine. They're all doing great and I am so happy to report Mama is Felv/FIV neg.
Mama is now adjusting to life as an inside cat. She's doing better than I thought she would be at this point.
Mama's second litter (last litter) were spayed/neutered in February and are all doing great :)

Thanks Everyone for the support!

hard feathers

Submitted by Fishman, NC
"Is it possible for a silkie to have small feathers instead of the usual hair.
it has very small feathers in place of the hair.?"

"Normal chicken feathers" or hard feathers can sometimes occur in Silkies.
Typically you see them in the tail of a male.
Sometimes you see them elsewhere in the body, usually in the back and cushion area.
Depending on the amount you're seeing, they can be groomed out prior to showing
They are however, genetic, and is best to select away from those birds if at all possible. Thanks

acceptable colors to cross

Submitted by Tanya S., MI
"Hello, I am thinking about getting started raising silkies,
but I want to learn as much as I can about the breed before I buy them.
My question is about the colors of silkies. I see on your website you can
mix blues and splash colors, but are there some colors you do not mix?

By the way your site as been very helpful.
I have been to many and you have a great amount of information.

Thank you"

Ideally the only colors you can cross, with predictable results,
are (Andalusian) blue, black, splash. (PURE Andalusian)
The results are as follows;
Black x Black = 100% Black
Black x Blue = 50% Black, 50% Blue
Blue x Blue = 50% Blue, 25% Black and 25% Splash
Splash x Black = 100% Blue
Splash x Blue = 50% Splash and 50% Blue
Splash x Splash = 100% Splash

There are other instances where varieties are crossed
for example to improve type or certain traits, or to develop a new variety.
Those instances are a huge undertaking and require dedication,
a solid game plan and a lot of culling, to reach the desired results.

But for someone new to Silkies, keeping one pen and raising blue,
black, splash together can be very rewarding and a lot of fun.

All the best.

female combs

Submitted by Gigi, Los Angeles
"Thanks for all the helpful information on your website.
Wondering if hens ever develop a very pronounced walnut comb?
I rehomed a Silkie the other week and I was pretty sure it was a he.
But I saw a pic on MyPetChicken with a big walnut and it said it was a pullet! Thoughts?"

Typically comb size in a female is small. Occasionally you may have a more
masculine looking female chick who during the growing phase will develop a more prominant comb,
but then 'grows into it'. But it is also very possible for comb size on a female or hen
to be larger than we think they should be. Genetics or traits within a line can determine this.

Thanks much Gigi!

number of toes

Submitted by Donna, KS
"We recently bought some silkies from the local feed store.
When we got home we noticed that some had 6 toes and one had
four toes on one foot, and 5 on the other. Is it typical for 6 toes
or is this from inbreeding?"

Feed store and/or hatchery Silkies are bred for quantity not quality.
Therefore they are usually lacking in the finer points
(proper toes, color, type, comb, etc.).
It doesn't necessarily mean they are inbred,
just produced in numbers to fill the need of the hatchery.
Hatchery silkies are usually very hardy due to the genetic
diversity in such large numbers, but again, finer points are overlooked.

Thank you

gray X partridge

Submitted by Emily, TX

"I have what I believe to be a grey hen bred to a partridge roo.
What would be the color possibilities in the chicks?
I think I have a splash chick...is that possible from this cross?
Thank you!

There's no way to determine what that cross would produce.
I would think the partridge/silver partridge pattern would pass down
strongly, but there are just so many variables involved there.
Good luck!

Thank you

single combs

Submitted by Donna M., CA
"Hello, I am breeding Buff silkies, and out of this year's crop, my best rooster has a single comb.
I have read it is easy to breed this out, is that true? Regards"

"Covering Up" a single comb is easy enough to do, yes,"Breeding Out" a single comb is not.

The fact is if you're seeing as single comb on a bird
then you are sure he is passing that gene along to ALL of his offspring.
The covering up comes into play because this is a recessive gene,
so the hen (assuming has a correct comb), that you are breeding
the single comb rooster to, would have to be a carrier for the single comb
gene as well for it to pop up in some of the offspring.
When both mom and dad both contribute a "single comb gene" to an egg
during fertilization, then that chick hatches with a a single comb.
If mom contributes her "correct comb gene" and dad his "single comb gene",
that chick is a correct combed chick who carries a recessive single comb gene.

We are not big on genetic spin so let me share our own experience.
In 2000 we had our first buff chicks on the ground, all from properly combed parents.
By 2001 we were started on line breeding those chicks and we saw our first single combs.
I can't tell you the percentages. At that point we knew our starter rooster was a carrier
and some of our starter hens had to be carriers as well. We moved forward and bred only from
birds with proper combs. But we still saw single combs pop up. We continued to move
forward and of course not breed from single combs and not breed from birds
we suspected may be carriers. We continue to do that to this day. And we still
have single combs pop up in our hatches. Although it's not as much as before, given how hard
we worked to breed this out and having it still pop up from time to time, is extremely frustrating.
A single combed bird is of no benefit to the breed and we certainly don't want to produce them.
So, in ten years of working to breed it out, we have still not been able to completely.

If there is anything we can share is please be careful of what you work into your lines.
Once you set a gene in your line it can be almost impossible to breed out.

Thank you for your question.

chick size

Submitted by Hatsy Moore, RI
"How small are newly hatched silkies?"

Here is a newly hatched splash chick, right
out of the incubator (and still a little wet).
12oz soda can and standard size business card for reference.

Thanks for your question

hatchability

Submitted by Ollie, Jersey Channel
"Hiya, I keep many breeds of poultry and i have 50 eggs too 100 every
6 weeks but i have only managed to hatch 5 silkie eggs this year,
but i've had loads and loads of eggs in the incubator,
are they really hard to hatch?"

Let's see...no, not really hard to hatch but
a bit harder than say, standard layers, for example.
Some things we've noticed are; Silkies hatch better when hatched alone
or with other bantam eggs. Standard size hatchlings tend to
bump the humidity too high for Silkies.
Also, check the health and vitality of your breeder flock;
Are they getting proper nutrition? sunshine? are they too closely linebred?
Those are just some of the factors that can affect hatchability of Silkie eggs.
This is of course assuming fertility is there.

All the best to you.

crests, aka puffs

Submitted by Candace, CA
"Some silkies have 'puff' heads. Others have crests.
Why is that and how is this referred to?
We'd like a few puff hearsay to add to our crested silkies.
We'd also love a black puffy rooster!

Great site. Happy, clean birds. All the best from California!"

The puff of feathers on the top of a Silkie's head is called a crest.
The following is taken from the APA Silkie Standard of Perfection
as it pertains to crests;
"Male ~ medium size, soft and full, as upright as comb will permit,
having a few silky feathers streaming gracefully backwards from
lower and back part of crest.
Female ~ medium size, soft and full, globular, upright, well balanced."

Take Care

nesting

Submitted by Duncan, B.C. CANADA
"I have two white silkie hens sharing the same nest. They have hatched out 7
beautiful black babies. There are approx.another 7 eggs that haven't
hatched out. It's been about 3 days since the first hatch. Any suggestions what
to do? Should I seperate the chicks from the hens and raise them myself?
Was there to many eggs for the hens to hatch out? How long should I
keep the remaining eggs? Thanks for any info.

The best thing to do is candle the remaining eggs to see if they are still viable.
You can do that with a candler, or a strong flashlight.
You can even candle with the bulbs on the back of an android phone.
The darker it is at the time you candle, the better.
If the eggs are close to hatching it is best to leave the hens finish the job.
If they are not or don't look viable, then pull the eggs right away
and let the hens focus on raising their youngsters.

Silkie hens make wonderful mothers and enjoy raising families.
They can and do successfully share mothering duties, but not always.
I would recommend paying close attention to them for the first
couple weeks and make sure there is no fighting between them.

If you are going to let the chicks be hen raised, realize that during this time
they need a more protection than older birds.
They can squeeze through fences easily, get picked off by hawks and other day time predators.
Just like you would baby-proof or puppy-proof your home, you need to take a few extra
steps to ensure their safety. The reward for that is, watching a
mother hen or hens care for their babies is really something special :)

Good luck with your new babies.

excess males

Submitted by Diana, CA
"What is the most humane way to find a good home for a silky cockerel?
I am thinking about finding a local 4H family who can adopt the cockerel.
Are there other options?"

Unfortunately, the "what to do with" excess males can be quite discouraging.
There isn't an ideal answer but we do have some suggestions;

There are poultry forums and silkie specific forums on-line.
It's worth a try to put out there your general location and what you're
offering. BackYard Chickens Forum (www.backyardchickens.com)
is probably the largest. Sometimes people even network to help you
locate or place a bird.

Your local newspaper and Craigslist.org are also two options to consider.
Our advice is keep it simple, specific and as private as possible and
always always meet at a public location!

Local 4H, like you mentioned, is also a good option.

It's never easy placing males and for some reason Murphy's Law
sees to it that we have more than we want from time to time.
The bright side is Silkie males are probably the easiest
of all breed males to place, because they're so unique.
Of course, we could be a little bias? ;)

All the best.

white x black

Submitted by Rose, WI
"i have a white bearded roo ana a black bearded pullet.
what would i get in chicks,color?"

Any time you breed white with a color the results are unpredictable.
Think in terms of the white being a wildcard.
With that said, I would venture a guess and say you will see
blacks with off-color, and/or partridge patterned birds from that cross.

Best of Luck

sexing silkies

Submitted by Lauren, CO
"I hatched out 6 white silkies. I need help sexing them.
I am very comfortable with livestock animals but am new to chickens.
Gonna need some help as I understand this can be a difficult feat.
Thanks in advance."

Silkies are the most difficult breed to sex early on. It is virtually
impossible to tell at hatch and sometimes you can not be sure
until [as they say] you hear a crow or see an egg.

Typically we can tell gender in the 4-5 month range.
Just as all lines of Silkies are different,
we've found our varieties to be a bit different in development as well.

Some general points of reference are;
Males develop streamers (longer feathers flowing from the back and
sides of the crest). Females should retain a rounder crest and
do not develop streamers. Males are different in body type,
you can tell this both by sight and by feel.

These are just a few reference points. It's key to remember all lines are
different. Watch and observe the changes your chicks go through and make
mental notes of what you see. As you progress in breeding or hatching
your own Silkies, you'll take notice of the subtle difference between
the sexes earlier on.

Good Luck with your new babies Lauren, and thanks for contributing.

crossing with white

Submitted by kochukoshy, kerala.cochin,INDIA
" hi, i would like the to sm outcomes of the following crosses
-white silkie X buff
-splash x white
-blue x white"

It is not possible to determine the outcome of those crosses.
A White bird can be carrying any number of genes and is impossible
to know what it might throw, unless of course bred to another white.

We have crossed Whites to improve type on Grays.
The majority of chicks were "multi-colored" and showed
a partridge pattern and about 10% were decently colored Grays.
So far those Grays have bred true to the Gray variety.

We do know that White was crossed into a pair of Buffs
that we acquired 10+ years ago. The type on this pair was
outstanding and was integral in developing type in our Buff line.
However, there were throwbacks from the White cross for
the first few years of breeding.
Occasionally we would get a White chick. We would also
see the development of a white crest on seemingly buff birds.
We called them "white-crested-whatevers", for lack of a better term,
and they all developed the same way - as a buff chick and after
about 8+ weeks would develop white crests, maintain a buff body
and develop dark wing and tail feathers.

Thank you for your question K.

Submitted by Melanie, NY
"Hello Ladies, I have not been online in over 2 years
but was glad to see your still among the best in silkie lovers.
It shows in your pictures, "PICTURES DON'T LIE" "

Very nice to hear from you Mel! Thanks for the kind words :)

All Our Best!

nemzetk�zi haj�z�si

Submitted by Kriszti�n, Hungary
"szeretn�m megk�rdezni h magyarorsz�gra esetleg
adna e el silkiet �s mennyi p�nz�rt !!
A sz�ll�t�s megoldhat� -e !!!???"

Sajn�lom, nem vagyunk k�pesek a haj� Magyarorsz�gnak.
Haj�z�si ki az Amerikai Egyes�lt �llamok ter�let�re
�s egy m�sik orsz�gban sz�mos jogi k�vetelm�nyeknek.
Nem lehet mindk�t k�lts�ges �s id� fogyaszt�sa, s minden
bizonnyal megf�leml�t�. Szeretn�nk itt minden a legjobb
eredm�ny silkies k�zelebb haza.
K�sz�nj�k, hogy az �n �rdeke a mi silkies.
Babylon Translation

trimming around the eyes

Submitted by Pennie, WI
"I am new to Silkies (and absolutely love each one)
and found that 2 of my birds had eye problems because of
their (hair - lol) getting in their eyes.
It cleared up after about a week of cleaning 3x's a day
with just a steril saline solution. I also gave them a (hair cut :))
just around the eyes. Is this kind of a common problem with them?
Of course now that I have experienced this I check each one
every other day or so."

Yes, it can be a very common problem in Silkies
and in other bearded, muffed and/or crested breeds.
We have found that more so than it is the crest coming
down into the eye, it is the muffs just under the eyes
coming up and sticking. Ideally you want to gently pluck
those problem feathers. You can also carefully trim them
but it's not a clean look for exhibition purposes.

The same feathers can also hinder the bird's ability to see well.
On a heavily crested bird, it is ideal to pluck above and in
front of the eye. Look at the bird head on, as well as sideways,
and pluck based upon the bird's point of view.

Thank you for your question.

available silkies

Submitted by Michelle, PA
"was wondering if you will have any more eggs or hens for sale soon?

It is difficult for us to determine when we will
have stock available. We typically hatch year round
for our exhibition purposes and make birds available
as we go through the growing out process.

We do maintain current sales pages and if we offer
Silkies on an on-line auction, those links can be
found on our sales pages as well.
We also offer
a contact list and will notify you if we are going
to be offering a 'more than usual' amount of stock
at one time. Feel free to join our contact list
and/or keep an eye on our sales pages. ~ Thanks

webcam ~ kittens

Submitted by Sami, Canada
"Hello I just wanted to say bless you for taking care of this feral
pregnant mom so she and her kittens would have a safe place to live.
I think its just wonderful that you have not only taken them into
your home but will make sure they will not be able to reproduce
and you will find loving homes for them.
The world needs more people like you.
God Bless and thanks for all you have done for these beautiful cats.

Sami, thank you very much for your support and encouragement :)

webcam ~ kittens

Submitted by Cheryl, TX
"I just happened upon your website by accident
but have truly enjoyed watching your cat have kittens.
I have the same situation at my house.
We caught a feral cat at my house after she had
given birth to 6 kittens. They have been in our spare
bedroom for the past month and now I am trying to find
good homes for them and then will get the mother spayed.
Do you plan on keeping all your kittens?

Mama Cat showed up around April and was extremely feral.
Of course I started feeding her and noticed in May
that her ever-growing belly was gone.
Long story short, we found her first litter at about
four weeks of age and were able to catch two.
We caught Mama Cat four weeks ago and the third kitten
from the first litter three weeks ago.
The three older kittens are doing great, very well adjusted,
socialized and very much indoor kitties.
Our plan is to spay Mama Cat and try to find excellent
indoor homes for the kittens with people we know and trust.
Since that's not always possible, we will keep and spay/neuter
any that stay with us. We are committed to do right by them.

It is amazing how one cat quickly turned into "ten"
so I am certain we did the right thing by catching Mama.
I also believe God brought her here for a reason :)

Thank you so much for your question and support Cheryl.
I wish you all the best with your Mama cat and her kittens.
I know it can be difficult emotionally and financially.
I think you're a very special person to do what you did.
All the best to you :)