silver cockerel color??

[Stan Alder]

When can you cull for color, or lack of..lol....is there a chance that this guy will fill in with silver primaries after he molts???

[Mike Gilbert]

Could you show a pic of one of the wings spread out so both the primaries and secondaries can be seen?

[Stan Alder]

That isn't easy to do by yourself!

[Mike Gilbert]

I'm not sure I've seen one colored like that.   It would be interesting to mate him with nicely colored silver hens and see what he throws.   Then if you share results we could all learn something.   If you have better colored males of good type it may not be worth your time.

[Russ Blair]

His color is probably as good as it is going to get. I don't see him getting more white in his wings. He does have nice type though, I especially like his tail set and comb shape. I always prefer type and size over color. I was told you have to build the barn before you paint it. I would try him and see what happens?? He may throw Pullets with little shafting I bet if he is out of my line he came from the pullet pen. Remember Show Birds don't always make the best breeders. Keep us posted because I am curious myself. If he throws Pullets with no shafting I am rethinking my choices for breeders.

[John W Blehm]

I agree with Russ that he has some positives and maybe worth working with.  The comb appears small and close to the skull in the photo.  It does look like he has white in his breast, muffs and other areas that should be black though.  As Mike said, if you have better than using him may not be worth the time.  Do the negatives outweigh the positives?

[Stan Alder]

Thanks guys...I'm going to grow him out and give him a trial with some pure silvers. I do like his type..he might be the best type I have...I have better size and color, so maybe I'll be able to put them all together in a few years...lol....I'll post updates...

[John W Blehm]

Stan,

If he is from me and has a slit in the outboard web of his right foot, he should be descended from a silver/black outcross.  I have one or two that are similar with black in the extremities of their hackle feathers also.  I believe that some melanizers are so powerful that there cover or leak thru some areas that should be silvery white on wildtype (e+).  These same cockerels may have the best pea combs and other traits that make them worth breeding from.  Mine have nice black breasts and I plan to use the best one as part of a pair mating. 

[Stan Alder]

Nope, this one is not from you, not direct from you...lol..It seems all are from you no more than a couple generations back...thanks for the note on the slit in the right outer web...didn't know those were from a black outcross, I thought all with the web split were buff outcross...were the pure silver's webs left uncut, buff cut on the left and black on the right??...I am going to use this guy with a couple of select pullets to try and stabilize the nice comb and a little better tail set..if I put him back to pure silver pullets that should improve the cockerel chick coloring???

[John W Blehm]

Nope, this one is not from you, not direct from you...lol..It seems all are from you no more than a couple generations back...thanks for the note on the slit in the right outer web...didn't know those were from a black outcross, I thought all with the web split were buff outcross...were the pure silver's webs left uncut, buff cut on the left and black on the right??...I am going to use this guy with a couple of select pullets to try and stabilize the nice comb and a little better tail set..if I put him back to pure silver pullets that should improve the cockerel chick coloring???

The location of the web slits may change from year to year.  The outcross wasn't this year, but it wasn't that long ago and some undesired traits will still show up.  The LF silver from no recent outcrosses ("purer") have no web slits.  Those with slits in their left foot are from a recent silver/buff (or was it wheaten) outcross. 
I'm seeing improvements every year (at least in recent years) with these and my other varieties.  I believe that has to do with devoting more time by being semiretired, breeding fewer varieties, having better facilities and experience.

[Christina King]

All the Silver chicks you sent me, whether pure or outcrossed, have had amazing temperament. The Blacks were a little more stand offish. I saved one Black male cockerel and one pullet. She is in a friends pen. He was the "middle child" in size, and is turning into an amazing bird. We've had to have a couple "chats" recently about pecking inappropriately... But he let me carry him around a while today.

[Suki]

Stan,If he is from me and has a slit in the outboard web of his right foot, he should be descended from a silver/black outcross.   

What's a web slit?

thanks Brownie.

[Stan Alder]

A web slit is very much like a toe punch, except the skin between the toe is slit rather than a hole punched in it...with the punch, sometimes the skin will grow back, but that doesn't happen when it's slit.

[Suki]

Thanks Stan.  I'll have to look for that in the future.

Brownie