Um, she’ll go white as she grows, like a connemara pony?
But really, who cares, they’re all beautiful.
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You’re pretty much on the money, JJ. The white coloration of a silkie is actually caused by the suppression of genes for pigmentation, so it appears that unless you cross two whites, you could end up with any colour that is in the genetic history.
What really surprised us is the evenness of Vicky’s plumage; the beautiful variegated grey covers the whole body—apart from the head (black) and one white feather sticking out to the side of each foot (KIKI WOZ ERE)
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Come to think of it, the same applies to Herdwick sheep - the lambs are almost black, going lighter as they get older.
These silkies are wonderful, aren’t they? So different-looking. Do they realise it?
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Ahem. If you REALLY need telling Joe …
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Oh, the mechanics—no problem. The genetics, on the other hand…
Of course, we’re just guessing that Kiki’s the father, but Vicky does have his particular gait.
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I luvvem all.
Soo xx
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My very point Joseph. My very point.
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Kiki’s responsibility is no longer in any doubt. Vicky as she is now:
Somehow, she’s contrived to be silkie from the neck up and pekin from the legs down. Where the middle came from is anyone’s guess!
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I was driving through Cambridgeshire on Saturday evening and passed four free-range roosters on the A505 just west of Duxford. (Pecking about in the long grass by the side of the road.)
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Have we mentioned the free-range hens (plus a rooster) at the service station? (not in this country)
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I’m in heaven
Henny heaven
Soo xx
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Dancing beak to beak?
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But it doesn’t thrill me half as much
As Hens
Soo xx
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No - do tell!
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We were very tired and didn’t make a note of the name or exact location of the service station, or indeed even in which country it was of Belgium or the Netherlands – we usually avoid them there because you have to pay for the loo, and they give you a little ticket in exchange which you can trade in for literally nothing in their shop so you have to buy something from them as well or lose the money. Anyhow… It was a fine day and we had some sammidges or something and were making our way to the ferry back to England, so rather than going into their flea-ridden pox-station we went to the far end of the car-park where there were some bushes and trees which offered shade, and wandered about a bit to stretch our legs. That was when we discovered that we were not the only people sheltering from the sun, because in the fairly openwork bushes there was a hen, minding her own business of pecking about for food and occasional scratching with her feet. We were unsure where she was meant to be, or whether we ought to try to find out before she got out into the traffic, and we were just wondering what to do when we realised that she was not alone; she had at least three other hens with her, one of them smaller than the others and someone’s chick judging by the protective way she was being hovered over.
By the time we’d caught our breaths a bit and realised that surely to God if they had been in danger of cars it would have happened by now, we had worked out that there must have been about ten of them, including a rooster who was now eyeing us in a hostile way and encouraging his wives and children to go further back into the bushes; they seemed to be living there on their own authority, though presumably they’d come into them from a farm of some sort on the other side. In any case they seemed to be safe and happy, so we watched them for a bit and then went on our way leaving them to get on with it undisturbed. We were there for about half an hour, I suppose.
I can’t imagine them being free-range in a British motorway services for any length of time without incident!
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Rather overdue (sorry Soo!) but a quick update…
First off, we’re now fairly sure young Vicky is a Victoria rather than a Victor. She’s now clucking rather than squeaking and there is no sign of any attempt to crow. She’s certainly coming along very nicely:
Meanwhile, Penny and Violet have (inevitably) decided to do what silkies do best:
No idea how many eggs are under there…
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Oh, wuffle and squee! and three cheers for Victoria being a bird ;- ) Three extra cheers for her general gorgeousness, which with the beady eye and dark plumage does seem rqather appropriate for a Victoria…
Also wot that Darksome Bovine said. Thank you.
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