Barbu de Watermael Chickens

[debbie22]

Red Pyle.

Tag me, folks I do actually know colors

Thank you @Cyprus but I'm not convinced Red Pyle. I'm going to wait a few weeks and post new pictures. I have noticed these little guys are slow developers.

 

[debbie22]

Now that you say that, I just noticed the cockerel should have a white breast.. Maybe it's an ongoing project?

I agree, I need more pictures in a few weeks. The cockerels are going a slightly richer colour and one is lightly crowing. I'm not sure any new developments will be dramatic, but maybe the wait will shed new light?? These new little guys are like a world away from my flock at home. Thank you @RoostersAreAwesome .

 

[DiYMama540]

Is that a shade of pink on the back end and tail feathers, or is it just the light? What beauties you have!!

 

[debbie22]

Is that a shade of pink on the back end and tail feathers, or is it just the light? What beauties you have!!

No pink @DiYMama540 , just the light I think. I will post new pictures in a couple of weeks. Although my regular chickens would be identifiable at this age because the cockerels are crowing, maybe these guys have their own tardiness factor built in to their physical development. It's a quandary for sure.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I believe there is a breed club in the UK for them? Is there a way to reach out to them with some photos? Perhaps they could get you in touch with some breeders that could help ID the color. Or if you can reach out to some sanctioned judges that attend shows you could maybe ask them? I think once they mature they'll be pretty close to the birds I linked. If it continues to bother me all day that I can't positively ID them, I'll do some more Googling...lol

 

[debbie22]

I believe there is a breed club in the UK for them? Is there a way to reach out to them with some photos? Perhaps they could get you in touch with some breeders that could help ID the color. Or if you can reach out to some sanctioned judges that attend shows you could maybe ask them? I think once they mature they'll be pretty close to the birds I linked. If it continues to bother me all day that I can't positively ID them, I'll do some more Googling...lol

@ColtHandorf Don't trouble yourself, honestly, I can keep looking - you have been very helpful already. You may well be right about that. They are coming up to 14 weeks now and even I think they look like a bunch of little chicks when they're scurrying about their business. Maybe the cockerels will be the indicator when, or if, they start to get a more intense colouring, but when I've had cockerels in the past, at 12 weeks they were already tiny colourful versions of their grown up selves. I did reach out to a breed club here but they didn't respond and didn't seem to be very active generally. Maybe I should look to European sites for answers. Glad I joined BYC though.

 

[ColtHandorf]

I think the Barbu de Watermael are just so uncommon that there aren't many people who have a lot of knowledge about them. Especially here in the states. I've never seen one in person, and while not extremely well-connected in the poultry world I've been a part of it for 15 + years and don't know of anyone keeping them over here. Combine that with UK breeders using different terminology and names for colors makes it a bit trickier too. Either way they are gorgeous. And congratulations on helping to preserve a rare breed.

Also, I think the website I linked to was the Australia breed club page? Or maybe that was another page that turned up while I was searching. Either way, I'd reach out to as many clubs/people as possible. You might find some great connections and unrelated bloodlines that way as well.

 

[debbie22]

I think the Barbu de Watermael are just so uncommon that there aren't many people who have a lot of knowledge about them. Especially here in the states. I've never seen one in person, and while not extremely well-connected in the poultry world I've been a part of it for 15 + years and don't know of anyone keeping them over here. Combine that with UK breeders using different terminology and names for colors makes it a bit trickier too. Either way they are gorgeous. And congratulations on helping to preserve a rare breed.

Also, I think the website I linked to was the Australia breed club page? Or maybe that was another page that turned up while I was searching. Either way, I'd reach out to as many clubs/people as possible. You might find some great connections and unrelated bloodlines that way as well.

@ColtHandorf Exactly so. As soon as I've identified I would like to find an unrelated gent and unrelated ladies to interchange with my little troop. The search continues. And thank you so much for the tips moving forward.

 

[Fueron]

Those are white quail. The quail pattern comes in many variations. Lemon white quail is similar, but they are more yellow and yours look more buff. Very beautiful birds!

 

[debbie22]

Those are white quail. The quail pattern comes in many variations. Lemon white quail is similar, but they are more yellow and yours look more buff. Very beautiful birds!

@Fueron Thank you!! This ties up with the vague and incomplete descriptor when I fell in love with them at a local smallholders (did not realise how rare they are, although they were expensive for chicks), and what they look like, and some similar suggestions I've had from some very helpful people on BYC. I think the descriptive 'quail' has been very confusing for both me as an actual quail breeder, and the search engines, which are throwing up the usual boatload of information, but nearly all reference game quail.
So just to clarify when I reach out to breeders for unrelated bloodlines, what I have are:
Barbu de Watermael White Quail with the Buff variation ?