Anyone on here breed non-molting fowl?

[Michael99]

I have none. The "much like a normal chickens" bit on feather replacement peaked my interest. I follow feather replacement patterns closely in chickens that approach the wild-type, plus a couple backyard breeds. None keep any feathers anywhere on the body more than a year. Towards end of that interval the feathers show clear sign of degradation even when under more protected conditions.

Whatever mechanism promotes the near continuous growth pattern of tail feathers is very interesting. Clearly a great deal of care must invested in protecting the feathers from sunlight, bacterial action, oxidation and mechanical damage.

Interesting. And you are right that a great deal of care is required to keep the tail feathers in good condition. Expressing the non-molting trait requires not only the right genetics, but also the right environment. The roosters that are bred for non-molting are kept in a tomebaku (but some breeders in the US have had success by simply isolating the roosters in solitary pens that are kept dry), which is basically a cabinet that they live in that keeps them from walking on their tail as well as defecating on it. But they also require a special diet and have to be taken out for exercise daily, as well as washed semi-regularly.

They also can't be in any contact whatsoever with any hens, as this will trigger a hormonal reaction that will cause them to molt their tail. Even if a bird has the right genetics for non-molting, he won't express it if not properly cared for. If the rooster hasn't molted his tail for at least 4 years, he can then be considered non-molting and bred to hens that either have brothers who have been tested for non-molting or came from a non-molting father to get more non-molting birds.

At least from the research I've done, the genetics behind the non-molting trait is recessive (but a genome hasn't ever been sequenced, and there is probably a number of genes behind the trait, this is just based off of breeder observation); and therefore if it isn't tested for in a line it can be lost within a matter of a few generations.

 

[centrarchid]

Do the non molting feathers grow at a different rate compared to more normal feathers at same location on other birds? I see two growth patterns that are sex related where males of some feather out much more slowly than wildtype.

Something that may have a similar regulatory mechanism involve spurs development which in my lines are recessive with what appears to involve only a single locus. Hens homozygous for trait have well developed spurs, while heterozygous hens can have 2, 1, no spurs. Males have spurs that grow much faster than those on regular males.

 

[bruceha2000]

and some people have been able to get tails about 10-12 feet long on some select roosters from that lin

You need a SERIOUSLY big coop for a chicken with a 12' long tail!!!! Heck, my coop is only 10'x12'.

 

[Michael99]

Do the non molting feathers grow at a different rate compared to more normal feathers at same location on other birds? I see two growth patterns that are sex related where males of some feather out much more slowly than wildtype.

Something that may have a similar regulatory mechanism involve spurs development which in my lines are recessive with what appears to involve only a single locus. Hens homozygous for trait have well developed spurs, while heterozygous hens can have 2, 1, no spurs. Males have spurs that grow much faster than those on regular males.

To be honest, I'm not completely sure. I've only had my birds for about a year, so I'm speaking purely on anecdotal experience here (as well as what I've managed to find online), but I've noticed that all of the feathers seem to grow more quickly. Like I know that my Phoenix can fly and get on perches 5 feet off the ground at about 2-3 weeks old, and I think part of that has to do with the increased speed of feather growth on the entirety of the body. But I do know that there is some genes that enable rapid growth of the tail feathers, and when these genes are homozygous in a rooster their tail can grow up to 3 feet annually.

And that is interesting, I don't know much about spur genetics, but I've always thought it was fascinating that Sumatras can have 4+ spurs on a single leg.

 

[Michael99]

You need a SERIOUSLY big coop for a chicken with a 12' long tail!!!! Heck, my coop is only 10'x12'.

Yeah! But most of the time if people have a bird they suspect might actually get that long, they'll put them in a tomebaku.

 

[bruceha2000]

tomebaku

I can't even get Google to show me one of those!

 

[Michael99]

I can't even get Google to show me one of those!

I think I may have spelled it wrong haha, but here is a video of one from a breeder in Japan -

 

[centrarchid]

Confines tight. Keeping muscle tone clearly a challenge.

 

[Michael99]

Confines tight. Keeping muscle tone clearly a challenge.

It is, so the daily exercise and good diet is definitely a must, along with a bird with a calmer temperament that would take to confinement well.

 

[centrarchid]

You indicated chicks are strong flyers. Are there videos showing it?