Damaged Feathers?or Bad Blood Line?

[4-hmother]

I have 11 Jersey Giant chicks hatched March 23 and 26 of this year. Two of these are blue the rest are black. I ordered them from a breeder in Fl. I live in Indiana. After I had them for 4 weeks in the house, I moved them to my in closed barn/guarge with heat lamp on them. Since then I have noticed white spots on a couple of the black chicks. Some spots are on the wing toward the tail feathers just a spot on the feather. So me and my son decided to pull the damaged feather thinking it was one or two but spread out the wing and smaller feathers have white also underneath. Could this be damaged or bad blood line? We got these chicks for him to show at the local Fair. Now not all of them have white spots so I dont know? If it was a damaged feather, do to the heat lamp would there be more spots? Not under the wing feathers only on top? so many ? about these spots on the feather . Would a bad blood line mean a whole feather is white not just spots on black feathers?

If I pull these new feathers will new come in?

2(quarter horse)3(steers)1(heifer)2(gilts)22 JG-11BO-4BBB

 

[wegotchickens]

I'd give them time to fully mature. The feathers they have now are not the same ones they'll have as adults. So, I'd wait and see.

Chicks molt several times as they mature.

 

[Erica]

Sometimes white-skinned blackifeathered birds grow a couple of white feathers as they're developing. I've seen it often on Australorps.
It's not necessarily a problem unless the white feathers are still there after the final moult into adult plumage (around 11-16 weeks).
Regards
Erica

Sorry wegotchickens, I posted with the same info microseconds after you...

 

[4-hmother]

This is one spot on the tip of a solid black feather. That is why I'm thinking damaged feather?

 

[wegotchickens]

Nope! Give them some time.

Feathers are different for each breed. Color often 'pushes' into the feather slowly.

Take care of them until June 23rd and then decide what you think of the color. And then give them until July 23rd before you make any decisions about what to do.

There are a lot of show breeders who think they have an 'off-colored' bird as a juvie, give it away, and then kick themselves later because the bird turned out perfect and GORGEOUS. Some birds can be late bloomers.

Also, with heritage stock, they can take even longer than average to come into their adult color.