Critique request

[Mike Gilbert]

Still working on the Silver bantams.   I'm posting what may be the best cockerel I raised this year, and he still has a number of faults.   Since they can't all be cleaned up at once, what would you prioritize to work on first?   Second?

[John W Blehm]

His colors and pattern look nice. Continuing to try to get shorter center ridges of the combs on bantam silver males I feel is the top priority. Even though his comb doesn't appear overly tall in the photo it may be as he ages. I'd like to see much fuller muffs on bantam silvers and his are scant. I don't think we can get them as full as we see on buffs, but that is something to strive for and my #2 priority for him.
In the photo his wing carriage is too low, his chest is too small and his eye color appears too dark. How much is due to his pose and lighting I don't know and we all know how difficult it is to get the perfect pose.

I have a pair of silvers and a pair of lavender silvers to breed from next year. My silver male has some white on his belly, his muffs are also scant and I'm still working to reduce those combs. He became a bit aggressive about a month ago (started feeling his Wheaties), but without much else to choose from he'll be used as a breeder. The lavender silver male is smaller, so that is his biggest plus for me. I'll cross both males over both females hatch all I can for 8 to 10 weeks.

[Mike Gilbert]

Right, I believe his muffs are hetero, as he is out of a part-Dutch female.  That will be an easy fix.  I don't want to go as fluffy as the Buffs though.   The high comb (higher than I like) is also a carryover from the Dutch blood.  I do have a couple of females that should help fix that.   His eye color is fine - does not show up well in the photo.  I love the wing carriage on your Silver male, not so much on the Lavender Silver.  Mine definitely has wing carriage that is too low - the Dutch blood did not help with that.   On the plus side, he does have a nice temperament.   At some point maybe we can trade birds again.   

[John W Blehm]

The high center ridge of the pea combs had been a problem with bantam silver males before the Dutch cross.