It would be good to have comparative chick photos -- I have to say that my flock is usually very vivid in dorsal stripes - Here's a baby pict from last December:I know there is an allowed variance in down coloration but I would still love to hear more. Are your male chicks always that dark? Do you have pics as they age like maybe juvenile pics as well as adult? Just curious because my chicks as of current are colored differently so I would love to hear more feed back on chick coloration. My males are mostly very pale so I was curious. Also another thing I noted from your chicks is the whitish faces, does that play a part at all later in adult color?
I think he is fairly light -- my first hatch has some a tiny bit lighter....(but he is in a lot of reflected light there too---)
Here are some grow-out pictures...
female in that photo is on the feeder....
switching from down to feathers....
ready to move out doors
another hatch -- in the 'brooder' (on the washer lol)
The washer bunch moved out doors (a little early I think that there was another group of chicks that pushed htem out of the brooder).
I do see what you are saying....that they are darker than a lot of chix pix - I really focus in on the Wild Type and the match to Punnett's plate from that magazine -- I think that picture makes their faces look whiter than they were -- but it is pretty accurate for their baby plumage....All my males do have dorsal stripes at hatch - but not as definite as the females.
The really dark ones I had were broody raised..and I just have a couple of pictures from the 'olden days' before I had a hdd crash
very dark female beside broody
And of course the boy there is back lit - so it is going to look exceptionally dark...lol -
What a fun trip through the past. It's a good thing I have a full brooder right now-- or I would want to rush out and set some eggs -- (then they would be ready to go outdoors just when the weather is due to be the coldest...not the brightest idea....)
Like Chicken Pickin - I would be really interested to see peoples chicks and grow out pictures for the variations in down that we are seeing....
ETA another one
a video .
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