For instance, a mating of Black with Blue Silkie results in half-blue colored and half-black colored chicks.Īnother possibility is to breed blue with a splash in which you’ll get more splash and fewer blue silkies. According to the inheritance law, crossing between two parents with homozygous genes will produce all the offspring with the heterozygous blue gene.Īpart from black and splash breeding, a Blue color gene can also be achieved through breeding any of them with Blue Silkies. If you want your Silkies’ progeny to be Blue, you need to cross a black silkie with a splash silkie. ![]() The blue color gene is not a homozygous gene, unlike white and splash. The Blue Silkie chickens are produced as a specific crossbreeding between the other color variations. Usually, you found white and splash silkies more often. The Genetics of Blue Color in Blue Silkie This is what happens with the feather of Blue Silkie chickens thus the feathers are untidier and fluffier in appearance. You guessed it, right? All the individual hairs fall apart in the form of a big fluff. Now imagine if there are no barbicels between the feathers. Barbicels hold the individual hair together on a feather and give a very sleek and arranged look. The usual pattern of chicken feathers is a combination of hair joined with hooks called barbicels. Let’s compare a normal feather with the feather of Blue Silkie on a microscopic level. If you’re wondering why their feathers show such texture, the answer is hidden in the feather anatomy. What’s Special About Blue Silkie’s Feathers?īelieve me! Seeing that fluff of Blue Silkies is an eye-catching moment. On the other hand, female Blue Silkie chicken reaches a maximum weight of around 1.7 kg. These are not meat-purpose birds and therefore, mostly kept for ornamental purposes. Blue Silkie chickens possess genetics that is not found in any other chicken breed.Īn adult Blue Silkie male achieves a body weight of around 2.1 kg. The exquisite plumage with rare blue feathering made them everyone’s backyard pet. In the 1900s, efforts were made by the breeders in introducing Blue Silkies in the US. By the end of the 17th century, the silkie breed has made its way to Europe where it is equally liked and loved by chicken farmers. This breed got popularity and attention quickly when Marco Polo described this unique breed.īlue Silkie chickens are not purebred and are formed after the initial cross-breeding of different chicken breeds. Their plumage characteristics differentiate them from other chickens. Silkies are known for their truly beautiful and fluffy feathers. Some historical folks say the silkie breed is a heritage one and has been in China for more than 100 years. The development of Blue Silkie chickens takes us back to China in the 13th century. The Genetics of Blue Color in Blue Silkieīrief Summary of Blue Silkie Chickens Country of Origin.What’s Special About Blue Silkie’s Feathers?.Physical Features of Blue Silkie Chicken.Origin & History of Blue Silkie Chicken.
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