Silkie people: bleaching yellow feathers white?

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suburbanminifarm

suburbanminifarm

Songster
10 Years
Jul 29, 2009
537
20
131
N.San Diego County
Hi all,
I showed some of my silkies last week, and one of my hens really impressed the judge. He gave her Champion of breed, but did not give her best bantam because she had some slight yellowing of the feathers in her neck and chest area. (He told me this when I asked.)
I'm wondering what to do for next time. I washed her in Tide with bleach alternative and I did notice the yellowing, but I couldn't get it out. What do you do to "bleach" a white silkie?
(I snapped these pix just now in the shade; they make her look darker than she is-- hope you can see the yellow on her chest and around neck area)
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Use a horse shampoo called - Quik Silver - works great just massage in leave a minute or two and rinse...don't leave it in too long or you will have a blue/purple tinged bird. This really works well! Good Luck.
 
It looks like brassiness caused by sunlight on certain white birds that carry the yellow or red gene. Brassiness never bleaches, in fact it can make it worse. The only way I know of to prevent it is to pen her indoors.
 
Thanks for replying.... I bet it IS brassiness, since none of my other whites have this. Fantastic. And she's got such great type otherwise. So do I have to worry about a red gene if I use her for breeding? Should I not use her? That's what she gets for self-baking in the California sunshine too much
 
she can still be used for breeding, just keep the kids out of the sun. yellow on white birds can also come from too much corn in the diet. I talked to a master leghern breeder at a show he said to cut corn and add wheat to the diet to improve feather quality.
 
Everyday they get Purina, plus soaked dog food and kitchen scraps. Sometimes I make a "scratch" from 7 grain oatmeal and flax and millet and yes cracked corn, but it's not much of their diet. Oh well, I'll quit the corn altogether.
I was hoping there would be a quick fix for this, *sigh* but not if it's a genetic trait. She will just have to show as a yellowish white bird! It bothers me a little that the judge said she wasn't clean, when at the time she was so clean you could eat off of her!
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I appreciate it everyone
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Last edited:
It's the sun. Once she molts she will be pristine white again. Some purina feeds contail marigold, which will yellow the feathers. Dark green grasses and vegies will also, allthough not as much as the marigold and corn.

FWIW, my silver gene birds also get sunburned feathers. I honestly do not see a difference in them between those that are silver versus gold gened. My grey hen had feathers so brassy she looked partridge (until she molted...finally). About the only ones that don't get brassy feathers are buffs and partridges. On them, the sun fades the colouring.
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suburbanminifarm said:
Marigold in the Purina?!? /img/smilies/barnie.gif At least I'm not alone in this! Thx Sonoran, I feel better now! Waiting for that molt... /img/smilies/caf.gif
Click to expand...


Really? What business has marigold doing in chicken feed??? If chickens wanted/needed it, they'd be eating mine from my garden! I think I'll be switching back to mash now, as I, too, have a white chicken with yellow feathers (particularly the neck). :rant
 

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