10 week old fluff ball

[Mmayhew]

I don't know if this post spoofs to your breed but it may explain why the feathered are slow to come in.
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I don't know if this post by another BYCer spoofs to your breed but it may explain the slow feather growth.
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Re: Heritage Large Fowl Thread
Barred Breeds that carry the Slow Feathering Gene (K^s) or the Very Slow Feathering Gene (K^n) will have better, crisper, cleaner Barring than breeds that carry a "normal" or rapped feathering gene.

The Barring Gene (B) is a gene that starts and stops pigment production and as the feather grows to give the barring pattern.
The extremely narrow and sharp barring seen on well marked Barred Rocks is achieved by the presence of the K gene for Slow Feather growth, which allows for a lot of on/off sequences in the time it takes for a feather to grow. The same barring (B) when on a rapped feathering breed gives wide, coarse, fuzzy "Cuckoo Barring" as seen in the Cuckoo Maran.

So with that said, the slower the feather growth on a Barred Rock the bettering the Barring will be..


Chris
NPIP # 31-516

"I know of no pursuit in which more real and important services can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture, its breed of useful animals, and other branches of a husbandman's cares." - George Washington
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[pgpoultry]

Thanks, Chris,
But no barring about, either.
Presumably this guy has some kind of genetic mutation.......

Here's a close up which shows a few blue wing feathers on the very tip of his wings,

Sandi

 

[pgpoultry]

A week on and this little guy has no new permanent feathers. The few that he has at the tip of the wings are somewhat spoon shaped with the 'spoon' pointing upwards, not downwards, so never will make effective flight feathers. The downy feathers on his back and to a lesser extent, bum, are longer and blue coloured. These feathers look something like Silkie feathers, but there isn't a Silkie for at least 10 miles and his mum was a Gold Brahma or a Dark Brahma (I think Gold Brahma) and I only have Brahma boys plus one Naked Neck (and He certainly isn't the dad).

I can only speculate that he has some genetic mutation for feather type.

 

[afj6710]

I have a group of barnyard mixes that, by their feathering and size, I would guess to be 4-5 weeks old. But, DH swears that his coworker (whom we got them from) said that they were atleast 2 months old, if not more. Other than their wings, they are just patchy fluff.

eta: just saw the post about the barring gene. My babies do have alot of barring but, interestingly , the feathering that they do have is barred and the fluff is brown.

 

[pgpoultry]

Afj6710....can you post a pic., then we'll know if we have the same thing?

 

[afj6710]

Here are a couple from about a week ago . . .the only feathering they have is on their wings, everything else is patchy and fuzzy

I'll see if I can get some better pics this evening of what it really looks like

 

[pgpoultry]

Afj6710, the feathering on your chicks looks fine to me for about 8 weeks old. I'm sure that they are normal.

Good luck with them as they grow on.