Buff Orp Idea - select FOR tail color

[Buff Hooligans]

Maybe Moderator HinkJC can answer this? Since Buff Orps often turn up with "mildewy" looking color patterns on their tails, why not feature this? I mean, breed a new type of Buff Orp with purposely colored tails? I think that would be cool - a solid buff bird with a brown tail? Am I nuts?

 

[hinkjc]

In my opinion, it would probably be difficult to achieve just a brown tail on buff, although I believe the wheaton females have it. But wheaton is not buff so that wouldn't give you what you're asking for. Maybe a wheaton orp is something to think about. If you try to increase the brown in the tail, it will start creeping through the body plumage as well and mess up the buff color. I'm not so sure you could have a buff bird with just a brown tail..I guess it could happen, but then to get them to breed true would be another challenge. The dusting we currently see in buff plumage is just that..dust or speckling of brown/black. I have never seen a solid brown/black feather on buff orps.

Here's a nice pic of a wheaton ameraucana female from the ABC. Do you mean something like this?
http://www.ameraucana.org/scrapbook_files/lfwheatenf.jpg

I purposely breed to eliminate the "dust" in the tail and wings, so that would not be something I'd be interested in trying. Buff is a difficult color to achieve and takes years of work to get it right. Doing this would be a whole project on its own.

Jody

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Thanks Jody, I just thought I'd throw it out there. I guess I should have just been brave and ordered a mix of breeds instead of my five safe buff girls.