Blue Silver LF

[Mike Gilbert]

I also just purchased a Silver flock and they came with a blue silver hen, 2 blue silver pullets and a blue silver cockrel.  They are still in quarentine and no one is laying yet, but I\'m sure I\'ll be having lots of questions for you all.  I\'ve always loved the silver color but the genetics of it are still abit intimidating to me.

Interesting, I didn\'t know anyone made blue silvers except yours truly, and they went to very few homes from here.  Did someone get tired of playing with them?

[FLFAmeraucanas]

Actually, the gentleman said that 2 silver hens, the blue silver hen, and 2 silver roosters came directly from you.  I always take that sort of thing with a grain of salt, and try to just judge the birds by what you can physically see.  But I know you are one of the few who work with the blue silvers.  I was thrilled to be able to snap them up, and figured if they were your lines, then that was just a bonus!  I can PM you the man\'s name if you would like...

[Mike Gilbert]

Well, I don\'t get private messages on this site, but you can email me.   I would appreciate it!  I have not had any silvers or blue silvers for years, so some of those birds must be getting quite old.

[crystalcreek]

I hope you post pictures of those; I bet they are beautiful.

[Jean]

Are they bantams or LF?

[FLFAmeraucanas]

Email sent!

I\'ll get some pics, right now they are in quarentine, so I\'m trying not to handle them too much (hard to keep my paws off them but...).  They are large fowl. I need to get photos of everybody, this weather stinks and I hate cooped pictures. Never does justice of thier coloring/ conformation.  I\'ll get some pics and start a new threadt to unhijack this one.

[dak]

I don\'t know if they are laying for you or if the seller said, but how is the eggs color and how flighty are they?

[crystalcreek]

Email sent!

I\'ll get some pics, right now they are in quarentine, so I\'m trying not to handle them too much (hard to keep my paws off them but...).  They are large fowl. I need to get photos of everybody, this weather stinks and I hate cooped pictures. Never does justice of thier coloring/ conformation.  I\'ll get some pics and start a new threadt to unhijack this one.

ok looking forward to it

[Guest]

Can\'t wait to see pictures.

[Jean]

How did you make them Mike?

[Mike Gilbert]

Silver male over blue pullet, then those carrying blue back to straight silver for several generations.   Pretty much the same way the first blue wheaten bantams were made back in the late \'70\'s and early \'80\'s.  Piece of cake.

[FLFAmeraucanas]

Okay, never posted photos on here so not sure if this worked!  Also these pictures do not do them any justice at all, they don\'t look this miserable in person.  But it gives an idea of color.   I LOVE the blue silver coloring on the roo, though he has a bit of red leaking (you can pretty much see the extent of it in the photos).  The one Silver rooster has comb issues, as does two of his sons, so that will be something for me to think about.  Hopefully they are correct in thier coloring, I\'ve never seen a blue silver in person and couldn\'t find any photos to compare them to!

As for egg color, he didn\'t have any photos, and they\'ve only been here a week (that is why they are still in my quarantine pens), so I\'ll get to be surprised when they lay...

Blue Silver Hen (She was pretty POed with me)


Two Silver Hens with Blue Silver Hen on Left and Silver Roo with poor comb


Blue Silver Cockerel




Blue Silver Pullet



Two Silver Hens in Back with better Silver Roo and two blue pullets in front

[dixieland]

They are a really neat color!!!

In theory, could the silver blue birds be used to increase size  in our silvers? About how many generations before we are back to the pure silver gene?

Before I get into trouble, let me say that I am not planning on trying this here in my silver pens!!!  :p

[Jean]

These birds are probably already bigger than most other silvers out there.

I hope to take some pictures in the next couple days of what a typical silver pullet looks like and how my outcrosses have turned out.

It\'s a big difference.

[Mike Gilbert]

I don\'t know if they are laying for you or if the seller said, but how is the eggs color and how flighty are they?

When I had them, the eggs were a light blue, a shade I would call ice blue.  No trace of green, but not the darker shade of blue many people prefer.   Compared with my brown reds, they were a little more nervous type of bird, although some were OK.   I think they could be improved over time in that respect through selection pressure.