Feather color changing!

[MysteryChicken]

I know purple sheen is frowned upon but also read its feed related poor feed equals purple sheen

Iridescence is genetics related, it is something that can be bred for, if you want a super shiny purple bird, it can be bred for, same with wanting green iridescence.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I know purple sheen is frowned upon but also read its feed related poor feed equals purple sheen

I heard that to, i feed them very well and no one else has purple sheen. And i don’t think he has purple sheen.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Iridescence is genetics related, it is something that can be bred for, if you want a super shiny purple bird, it can be bred for, same with wanting green iridescence.

Oh thats gorgeous! Do you know how to do that? Id love to breed one thats blue.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Ok, so if that brown is just the camera, look at RRAs post. The bronzy color is just normal iridescence.

Oh okay! I would assume its frowned on, correct?
Dang! I was really hoping to just get green. Oh well, maybe something could change.

 

[MysteryChicken]

Oh thats gorgeous! Do you know how to do that? Id love to breed one thats blue.

You just breed the best, most shiny birds together to create more iridescent plumage, of course like any other breeding project, culls are to be expected.

For the feed thing, I feed a high quality feed, & get both purple, & green iridescent birds, some that have both shades. I don't see a link.

 

[MysteryChicken]

For a true color changing chicken, I can share mine, for anyone who wants to see her?

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

Oh okay! I would assume its frowned on, correct?
Dang! I was really hoping to just get green. Oh well, maybe something could change.

As far as I know, the color of the iridescence in the tail doesn’t matter that much in breeding (except for personal preference). There are so many other traits that are more important in showing and breeding than the shade of iridescence.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

How old is the rooster? If you're looking to show, you want to show birds in their first year. That's when they look the best and are in their 'prime'. After their first molt, they have the tendency to loose the high qualities in looks. Take this as an example: My Silver Duckwing Old English Game bantam rooster, Chester. In his first year he was gorgeous. Beautiful tail, nice black chest, and nice white hackles to the saddle. By the time he retired at around age 6, his chest had white speckles through it and his tail wasn't impressive either. The guy just wasn't like he used to be. Now with Chester that's an extreme comparison, but it shows the change that happens after each molt. After the first molt, the bird isn't show quality anymore. If he is, then I'd say you have a prime bird and should definitely include him in all your breeding projects.

As far as diet is concerned.... Diet is huge! What they eat can have a huge effect on the shine, gloss, texture, and more on the feathers. For impressing the judges with a stunning bird feathers, you want to be sure your bird is getting the best high quality food with all the nutrients that it needs. Supplements can be helpful too, as long as you don't overdo anything. My best suggestion is feeding your birds homemade coal. (Not store bought! The wrong coal can be deadly!)

 

[Amer]

Purple sheen and purple barring are different. Purple barring is caused by a vitamin deficiency so they are missing proteins that build the feather.
I have noticed this on birds before. Purple lines crossing the feather.
That is why purple is generally undesirable and the standard calls for green. However, a purple sheen can be selected for that is not related to a vitamin deficiency but rather genetics and is quite pretty. The purple barring is pretty too but ≠ good.

 

[3KillerBs]

I know purple sheen is frowned upon but also read its feed related poor feed equals purple sheen

Iridescence is genetics related, it is something that can be bred for, if you want a super shiny purple bird, it can be bred for, same with wanting green iridescence.

As far as I know, the color of the iridescence doesn’t matter in breeding (except for personal preference). There are so many other traits that are more important in showing and breeding than the shade of iridescence.

I prefer the look of purple iridescence but the SOP for Australorps calls for green.

I'm not breeding for show and I'm focusing on the quality of the blue so I haven't decided what I'm going to do about green vs purple.