Chicken colours...

[eksterhuis]

Does anyone know of any good links about chicken colors and feather patterns, I've had no luck! I want to know my pencilled from my laced, double laced, spangled, splash, mottle, cuckoo and beyond! I sod of get the base colours but it's the patterns that confuse me!
thanks!

 

[ChestnutRidge]

This links to a PDF with a pretty good article that includes pictures. It only covers spangle-type patterns, though.
http://www.aviculture-europe.nl/nummers/08E02A05.pdf
It's a bit tough to view, but you can click on the "view" tab in your browser and zoom out. Then use your up and down keys to scroll down.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Try http://www.edelras.nl/chickengenetics/mutations1.html#gen_mut_secpattern it shows secondary patterns, as well as listing the genes required for the pattern.

 

[AllenWMiller]

Today if you want to study feather patterns just go to Google Images and type in the feather pattern you want an example of.

Storey's Illustrated Guide to Poultry Breeds and The Complete Encyclopedia of Chickens are good books to have for the learning breeder as well.

Cheers

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Problem with googling is that not all sources will be reliable. The authors of both previously given sources are well-respected and quite knowledgeable.

 

[hippiehen]

Storey's is always a good resource:

http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Illus...6674/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327508914&sr=8-1

...People do still read books right?

 

[big medicine]

Problem with googling is that not all sources will be reliable. The authors of both previously given sources are well-respected and quite knowledgeable.

Some of the newer books out can be a little off. I saw one a year or two back showing a silver penciled hen and it was labeled as double laced. This was one of the newer field guide to breeds type books.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
Certainly true that printed books can also be inaccurate. However, they at least have some vetting and oversight, whereas anyone can create a website or post information, and unless you are familiar with them or the topic, you do not know how reliable they are. In either case, well-known names and recommendations are helpful.

 

[eksterhuis]

Just ordered it! I am a big book fan but being in New Zealand postage is huge! Lucky a friend had given me an amazon book token thing so I managed to get it for US$10 delivered to NZ, rather happy with that! Just the month or so to wait for it to arrive, by then I will have a mottle and a splash pekin (hatching some) and I will hopefully know the difference between those two aready!

Any other good book recommendations? I would really like to find out more about breeding for colour/physical traits (I would like to very slowly try and breed Ermine Faverolles and other 'new' or 'rare' colours in New Zealand!)

Storey's is always a good resource:

http://www.amazon.com/Storeys-Illus...6674/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1327508914&sr=8-1

...People do still read books right?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Just ordered it! I am a big book fan but being in New Zealand postage is huge! Lucky a friend had given me an amazon book token thing so I managed to get it for US$10 delivered to NZ, rather happy with that! Just the month or so to wait for it to arrive, by then I will have a mottle and a splash pekin (hatching some) and I will hopefully know the difference between those two aready!

Any other good book recommendations? I would really like to find out more about breeding for colour/physical traits (I would like to very slowly try and breed Ermine Faverolles and other 'new' or 'rare' colours in New Zealand!)
Quote:
Genetics of Chicken Colours is an excellent resource, although a bit pricey (if you compare it to the cost of a text book, it will seem quite reasonable). One of the authors is blackdotte, who occasionally posts here on BYC. I am not sure if he has any copies left for sale, but he is in Australia, so I would expect shipping to New Zealand should be pretty reasonable.

Literally hundreds of full-colour photos of just about every variety there is out there, and close up drawings of feather patterns. There is at least a half page (pages are quite large) devoted to the differences between double lacing and penciling.