# is this the orginal breed of silky fantail



## sangeethdass (Jul 30, 2012)

I want to know whether my silky fantail in the picture is pure or not.


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## tipllers rule (Aug 2, 2010)

um it looks a little ruogh and i have never heard of a silky fantail maybe a indian fantail


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## sangeethdass (Jul 30, 2012)

*yes*

Its indian fantail but its is a special bread you can watch it from their tails and feathers.


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## boneyrajan.k (Jul 15, 2010)

its just a variant of Indian fantail,silky fantail is not a separate breed !!!


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## sangeethdass (Jul 30, 2012)

*More pics of my silky*

Have a close look at the pic Have you seen this type of fantail. its name is silky fantail.


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## boneyrajan.k (Jul 15, 2010)

Yeah,its just a mutation in a fantail Its known as Silky Fantail Pigeon or Lace Fantail


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## sangeethdass (Jul 30, 2012)

I just want to know is this bread is orginal or not.


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## sangeethdass (Jul 30, 2012)

Thanks for the reply


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

I'm not really sure what you are asking. Yes, these are fantails. They look like Indians, if they are crested. If not, they are mixes. And yes, they have the silky mutation. Silky can occur in any breed. It is not a separate breed itself. That's like trying to say a blue bar fantail is a separate breed from a red bar fantail.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Also, do NOT breed two silkies together. Homozygous silky birds have very brittle feathers and they look like half bald porcupines.


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## birdofthegauntlet (Jul 10, 2012)

If the Silkie Fantail is not a breed then why do you not hear about it occuring in other breeds of pigeon? I know the Silkie Fantail is a genetic mutation of an indian, but we've always treated them as their own kind.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

It does occur in other breeds. Homers, Rollers, Kings, Indian Fantails, American Fantails...it can occur in any breed and can be introduced into any breed. Most people do not want it. I'm getting a silky homer soon to put with my flightless cockbird  Silky is basically the same thing as frizzle in chickens. Even though frizzles are usually bantam cochins, does not mean they are a separate breed or that it doesn't happen in others or that people are not introducing it. They still conform to the same standard that smooth feathered birds do. Silky doves as well.


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## birdofthegauntlet (Jul 10, 2012)

MaryOfExeter said:


> It does occur in other breeds. Homers, Rollers, Kings, Indian Fantails, American Fantails...it can occur in any breed and can be introduced into any breed. Most people do not want it. I'm getting a silky homer soon to put with my flightless cockbird  Silky is basically the same thing as frizzle in chickens. Even though frizzles are usually bantam cochins, does not mean they are a separate breed or that it doesn't happen in others or that people are not introducing it. They still conform to the same standard that smooth feathered birds do. Silky doves as well.


The frizzle feather pattern of chickens really doesn't associate with Silky pigeons. Their feathers are not deteriorated, they just curl backwards. If you meant the _Silkie_ chickens, whose feathers are deteriorated like the Silky fantails, those are an actual breed. If you cross a silkie with a silkie you will get a silkie. So it is not a randomly occuring mutation, the Silkie Chicken is an actual breed, developed in China. If you mix a silkie with a non-silkie you will not get a silkie(I've tried it with Americana x Silkie), so yes the pattern is a heterozygous mutation but it is one tempered into a breed.
I really don't see why a homozygous line of silky fantails could not be a breed. The mutation is not longer randomly occuring. 

As for the original question, yes, they look like the original breed of Silky fantail.


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## loftkeeper (Sep 21, 2010)

The Fantails You Pictured Are Of Indian Fantail Type . Silky Is A Mutation Of The Feather. So It Happens In Other Breeds Of Pigeons And Doves. The Black Bird Has What Is Called Splayed Wing Were The Wing Feathers Do Not Fit Normally Against The Body Do Not Breed Silky To Silky You Can Breed To Normal Feathered Bird And Get Silkies Carriers Of It And No Carries They Will Look Normal You Will Have To Know The Breeding Behind Them. Raised Both Fantails And Dove With The Mutation And They Are Easy To Raise Just Make Sure They Have Feed And Water They Can Reach . Best Way I Found Was Off The Ground And Seperate Breeding Compartments.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

birdofthegauntlet said:


> The frizzle feather pattern of chickens really doesn't associate with Silky pigeons. Their feathers are not deteriorated, they just curl backwards. If you meant the _Silkie_ chickens, whose feathers are deteriorated like the Silky fantails, those are an actual breed. If you cross a silkie with a silkie you will get a silkie. So it is not a randomly occuring mutation, the Silkie Chicken is an actual breed, developed in China. If you mix a silkie with a non-silkie you will not get a silkie(I've tried it with Americana x Silkie), so yes the pattern is a heterozygous mutation but it is one tempered into a breed.
> I really don't see why a homozygous line of silky fantails could not be a breed. The mutation is not longer randomly occuring.
> 
> As for the original question, yes, they look like the original breed of Silky fantail.


No, I meant Frizzle. Homozygous Frizzle chickens and homozygous Silky pigeons look very similar. They have very brittle feathers that often break off and leave the bird quite bald. They are flightless and may need extra heat in the winter. Both Silky and Frizzle are incomplete dominant genes. You must breed smooth to silky (or frizzle) to keep the same phenotype going. Otherwise, you get very ugly undesirable birds.
Silkie in chickens is a recessive mutation. Therefore, all silkie chickens are going to look the same basically. They do not develop the same severe feather problems in the homozygous form because it will only show to begin with in the homozygous form.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

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)


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## tipllers rule (Aug 2, 2010)

question why would you want a bird with torn apart feathers


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

....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.


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## birdofthegauntlet (Jul 10, 2012)

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?


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

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 **** roosters can be useful on many hens.


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