is this the orginal breed of silky fantail

[MaryOfExeter]

Here is a heterozygous silky racer and a homozygous silky. I've seen them look much worse. At least that one is only bald on the head.




This chicken nor the picture is mine but here is a homozygous frizzle ("frazzle" as some call them)

[tipllers rule]

question why would you want a bird with torn apart feathers

[MaryOfExeter]

....And that is why silky pigeons are not very common. They are mostly found in fantails because that is one of the very first breeds it popped up in and caught enough popularity to stay afloat. It is quite rare in flying breeds because people quickly cull poor flying or flightless birds from their breeding program. Except me. I'm getting a brown silky racer hen soon She'll make a nice mate for my flightless cockbird. The other related mutations are also not desireable, like porcupine, in which the quills do not open up. Have a friend with a porcupine roller that randomly popped up. Quite cute as a baby with it's gotten some age on it and it's looking kinda scrappy LOL. Will also be mine if he ever decides to get rid of it. Porcupine is recessive. There is also frayed, which is similar to silky but not as extreme in the homozygous form. I think it stays more uniform. It is also dominant like Silky/Lace. I'm not certain what Scraggly looks like, but it is a recessive allele of Frayed, Porcupine, and Silky/Lace. Featherless is another one, also recessive, and you can guess what they look like haha

I have seen some pictures of silky Jacobins and they are quite attractive. I really want some Silky doves as well. I wouldn't mind having Silky Indian Fantails too.

[birdofthegauntlet]

A frizzle's (chicken) feathers are curled backwards, I have never seen one with deteriorated feathers like a silky pigeon, I don't know what you are talking about?

[MaryOfExeter]

You are missing what I'm saying. Yes, frizzle chickens have curled backwards feathers, while silky pigeons have frayed feathers. They do two different things, but I was saying they are inherited the exact same way and they look similar with poor, brittle feathers in the homozygous form. I was simply using the chickens as an example. Easier for chicken people to identify with, at least. You never want to mate two silky pigeons or doves together, in the same way you never want to make two frizzles together. People do it though, occasionally, as the homozygous birds will create 100% frizzle (or silky) offspring. More common in chickens than pigeons though, as the homo roosters can be useful on many hens.