how can I remove yellow from partridge?

[tina]

I'd like to make silver from my partridge birds. Think I read to breed them to a blue or black, is this correct?

[Kickingbird]

Tina,

Black and blue if they are solid most likely have a gene for the extention of black. If that is the case you would be trying to get rid of that gene also as well as the gold. What breed are we talking about here? If you can get something similar that is silver it will only take two to four generations to get your birds comming a nice silver color.

Mark

[tina]

Hi Mark,
I'd like to get some greys out of my silkies. I do have one young grey but I'd like to see what I can do with the other birds I have right now.......because I don't have enough to do already.
If the grey project doesn't work what would be the best color to breed my grey to?
Thanks, Tina

[Kickingbird]

Tina,

Can you post any pics of your birds? This would help me understand exactly what colors you are working with. I think we may be talking about different colors. Grey in poultry is usualy refered to as blue, but again, we may be talking about different colors. If your birds are indeed blue you have some special considerations to take into account. Go to the genetics forum and look up breeding of blues and you will see what I mean.

We'll get through this, just have to make sure we are on the same page

Mark

[tina]

My grey is young so the coloring isn't that good yet. Here's the link to a page of what I'd like to achieve-
www.windrift.homestead.com/gray.html

The same lady has a blue that's very similiar to mine
www.windrift.homestead.com/files/bluep.jpg

Here is different breeders partridge........of course mine don't look as good as any of these birds. I'm just using them as examples of the colors I have.
hattricksilkies.homestead.com/files/shncmp2.jpg
hattricksilkies.homestead.com/files/partridgecockerel.jpg

[tina]

If you need to see pictures of my actual birds for anything let me know & I'll post them in a day or two. Just let me know which ones you'd like to see.

Is the yellow gene turning the brown into black? Or am I totally off? What I want looks like a partridge with the yellow in the black or white part. Even when this grey was a baby the color pattern was the same as a partridge, it was just in black, white & grey.

[Kickingbird]

Tina,

It looks like the silvers have some barring in the feathers. Have you asked the breeder what they bred into them to get the color? If they won't answer you I have some ideas but to find out from the source would be the best idea. I think the grey is a black with silver stippling and with the silkie plumage you just can't see the stippling or barring that well. And the neck is defiently just a silver gene bred into them. Hope this helps.

Mark