White Eyes

[thndrdancr]

Maybe he is like Benjamin Button???

 

[Garden Peas]

How a feather follicle programmed to produce feathered white eyes produce normal feathers?
Climate change?

I have always heard that white eye birds can have variable amounts of white eye feathers from year to year. The amount of dappling in a horse's coat can vary from year to year also. These are not totally simple processes, as much as we would like them to be simple.

 

[Garden Peas]

@KsKingBee , can you tell us what pairings you have (or had) planned for him? Do you have any photos from last year when you bought him?

I am thinking that changes in food and even worming (remember the safeguard thread) could affect it, if there were only a very few to start with.

I am wondering if the white eye gene operates differently... if it acts to interfere with pigment deposition at the time the feather is forming. That would explain the variability from year to year, unlike the pied gene which changes the color of the feather permanently, and the patches don't move around the bird's body. Here we have a follicle which lays down pigment except for in the eye of the train feather. And remember, this also causes silvering, which affects deposition of pigment on the entire feather.

I think you ought to breed him to a WE hen and see what hatches.... but what do I know

 

[KsKingBee]

@KsKingBee , can you tell us what pairings you have (or had) planned for him? Do you have any photos from last year when you bought him?

I am thinking that changes in food and even worming (remember the safeguard thread) could affect it, if there were only a very few to start with.

I am wondering if the white eye gene operates differently... if it acts to interfere with pigment deposition at the time the feather is forming. That would explain the variability from year to year, unlike the pied gene which changes the color of the feather permanently, and the patches don't move around the bird's body. Here we have a follicle which lays down pigment except for in the eye of the train feather. And remember, this also causes silvering, which affects deposition of pigment on the entire feather.

I think you ought to breed him to a WE hen and see what hatches.... but what do I know

It took a bit, but we finally found a couple on DWs I-Pad.

His train is pretty busted up but you can see on the left side there is at least six white eyes and a lot of white splotches, none of which are present now.

The pairings plan for him is (was?);
IB Pied (maybe we, unknown)
Cameo Pied WE
Cameo Silver Pied
IB Silver Pied (my avitar)

 

[Garden Peas]

It took a bit, but we finally found a couple on DWs I-Pad.

His train is pretty busted up but you can see on the left side there is at least six white eyes and a lot of white splotches, none of which are present now.

The pairings plan for him is (was?);
IB Pied (maybe we, unknown)
Cameo Pied WE
Cameo Silver Pied
IB Silver Pied (my avitar)

Interesting... did you happen to take a photo of his current condition? Also, does he already have his whole train, or is it still coming in?

That train looks weird to me somehow... what is the silvery looking stuff in the middle? Are there weird colors out on the ends of the feathers? It almost looks like on some of the eye feathers, the fringe ABOVE the eye is white, while the eye itself is colored... almost a reverse white eye effect. I expanded the photo to look at it and it really looks like it. That's very strange to me... the white eyes on my opal SP have color in that location (on the few feathers that have color) and are white in the middle. I don't see any feathers at all like that, but there may be a couple that have a small irregular spot or blotch of white in the eye area.

Any idea what the previous owner was feeding him? I don't suppose he had a close encounter with a bottle of bleach

Any chance of a nutritional deficiency? Can you get any useful information from the previous owner?

Didn't you say this bird is at least four years old? I'd love to hear what @AugeredIn and some of the other experienced breeders have to say. To me, this bird's train seems rather strange, but I am still pretty new at this. I would love to see a photo of what he looks like so far this year, though.... I'm waiting with bated breath, fascinated how this comes out.... He's a bird of a different feather

 

[KsKingBee]

The last time I have seen him display was the day I posted this thread. I would love to tell you I will run out and snap one tomorrow, maybe I will, but today NOONE was displaying in the 50 mph gusts we were having. It should be nice for the next three days so we will get one soon. He was hitting it pretty hard that day, I was feeding and had to push him aside from the bowl, didn't bother him at all, he just kept displaying.

His tail got beat up in transit when I bought him, the old guy that had a lot of the birds I have now was getting out of peafowl. I don't trust anything he has to say and knowing how much he had to take care of and how cheap he is I wonder if the nutrition was where it should have been.

Looking at that train I am inclined to say that was a three year old and this should be his fourth year, but I really lack the experience to say with any authority. I can say that train was all busted up before molt.

 

[Garden Peas]

Well he's clearly better off at your place now.

P.S. don't tell @DylansMom that you are going to have nice weather.... It sounds like some folks are going to get a blizzard

 

[KsKingBee]

I think we will be near 70* for the next three days. I may even get the new run done!

Just shot another coyote a few minutes ago! I guess a dog is in my future....

 

[KsKingBee]

Finally got the other picture to download.

Another of last years pics just after he came here.

 

[AugeredIn]

I see no white eyes in the photo only pied markings.