Exchequer: What is It?

[WVduckchick]

I noticed in one of the links above that Jerry says exchequer feathers are fully one color or the other. But I had read elsewhere that unlike mottled with white-tipped feathers, the exchequer feathers can be partly white and black in the same feather. So now I'm more confused than I was before. But as The Moonshiner says, there are so many different opinions, it gets confusing to know what is what.

And as I was browsing thru my pictures, I ran across another chick that may be offspring from this same hen too. One side of its beak is black, the other side is horn/yellow, but the bottom is black. I'll have to get better pics though. My hen also has speckled legs, which may or may not have anything to do with the genetics, but thought I would throw it out for some of you experts for consideration.
First pic is the new chick. Looks exactly like the hen looked at that age. The others are my hen, she's a little over 2 years old now, her looks seem to change too. She was more black for the first year, after molting, more white has come out.

 

[nicalandia]

Have have worked with both exchequer and mottled and just my opinion there is something different between the two. I often think there's another gene involved with exchequers.
Something that causes change with the white.
Interesting the exchequer Xs mottled produced all chicks with a pattern in between the two.
I'm thinking exchequer has another gene and maybe the cross gave the offspring only one copy therefore the in between pattern.
Further crossing or back breeding would of been interesting.

I agree, further research on the nature of the mutation is really need it.

Perhaps is an allelic mutation of recessive mottling, like dun(I^d) is to dominant white(I). I shall give it the fictional gene mutation nomenclature mo^e for autosomal recessive exchequer, if one would cross a regular mottling bird with an exchequer patterned bird the cross would result in a mo/mo^e F1 progeny giving it an intermediate appearance. This type recessive autosomal allelic mutation behavior is well known on other alleles like the e allele, where eb and Wheaten are both recessive along with e+ and any combination of e+/eWh or e+/eb will result in intermediate chick down and adult pattern.


I would like to address the OP about the California White birds he has, they are heterozygous dominant white and chicks are yellow with some black flecks, the degree of black flecks that the adults will keep will vary greatly, you could take these birds and cross them to all black strain of egg layers to produce and increase the black flecks on the cross progeny, perhaps with enough breeding and time you may end up with an Erminette like pattern, it's certainly possible, but the California whites are confirmed not to be Exchequer pattern.

 

[1muttsfan]

That would be a very interesting experiment. I have Arkansas Blues, who's color is typical Andalusian blue-black-splash, but the blue birds show some darker flecks on them in a kind of splashy pattern instead of being solid blue.

 

[336White Phoenix]

Wow I need to sit down and read this a few times to take it all in that's a lot of info

 

[nicalandia]

That would be a very interesting experiment. I have Arkansas Blues, who's color is typical Andalusian blue-black-splash, but the blue birds show some darker flecks on them in a kind of splashy pattern instead of being solid blue.

Yes, Splash can be bred to look very much like the exchequer pattern.

 

[1muttsfan]

Thank you for your insights, nicalandia

 

[WVduckchick]

New exchequer serama pics. These are 2 different pullets. And I had a broody hatch more chicks this week and looks like I might have another! Would be great if it would be a cockerel, I'd move all the exchequers in one pen. I now have one older hen, these 2 very young pullets, and a brand new one, hopefully.

Notice how the first 2 pictures, the exchequer's beak is black on one side, and only the lower jaw is black on the other side.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

New exchequer serama pics. These are 2 different pullets. And I had a broody hatch more chicks this week and looks like I might have another! Would be great if it would be a cockerel, I'd move all the exchequers in one pen. I now have one older hen, these 2 very young pullets, and a brand new one, hopefully.

Notice how the first 2 pictures, the exchequer's beak is black on one side, and only the lower jaw is black on the other side.
View attachment 1481938

Great picture of a nice looking pullet! I have a silkied serama hen that is darker but still seems like an exchequer pattern.

She is an excellent mother and is my current avatar picture shown with a chick under her wing.

 

[IdealisticRoo]

A better picture of Momma Maisie Bebop, my 2.5 year old silkied serama hen.

 

[WVduckchick]

I have 4 exchequer females now, 3 black/white and 1 “chocolate” or some brown colored something or other lol. But no males! I have sold a few over the years but never have gotten a full exchequer male. Wonder why?

I suspect this must be the father, though I have quite a few possibilities.
This is an old thread, maybe some new folks can add some insight. I honestly haven’t researched it as much over the years as I hoped I’d do.