Is this normal for a BO to have?

[macymcclellan]

My buff orpington has grown random specks of different colored feathers. Is this normal?

 

[nuthatched]

She's either not pure bred or not a bo. Where'd you get her?

 

[FunClucks]

I got two BO from Hoovers Hatchery that had something similar to this - they had black speckles on their tail feathers. I assumed it was because they were poorly bred (egger/pet quality instead of exhibition quality bloodlines). They laid one large to extra-large egg a day and were nice and poofy, so I was still happy with them. I won't breed them though.

I'm interested to hear what others have to say.

 

[Amer]

She reminds me of the “Cinnamon” colored Shanghai Fowl they developed into Buff Cochins. It’s a very primitive and speckly incomplete buff. Maybe she’s missing a certain gene I can’t remember the name of? I believe that is responsible for a rich and even buff.

 

[Amer]

Champagne blond is thought to be responsible for diluting and evening a buff color (along with dilute) but there is little evidence for this theory. It is dominant so it’s possible she is expressing the recessive wild type.
Is she an Orpington? Well, are hatchery Orpingtons Orpingtons? It would be a stretch to say they are, yet we still use the term.
My best answer is I don’t know what would cause her stippling but it shows how poor hatchery birds are.

 

[Solanacae]

I got two BO from Hoovers Hatchery that had something similar to this - they had black speckles on their tail feathers. I assumed it was because they were poorly bred (egger/pet quality instead of exhibition quality bloodlines). They laid one large to extra-large egg a day and were nice and poofy, so I was still happy with them. I won't breed them though.

I'm interested to hear what others have to say.

I got a Speckled Sussex from a hatchery that doesn’t have the mottling gene, as best as the folks here on BYC can figure. She ticks every other box, just no white tips on the feathers. My guess is that, if the bird in question is from a hatchery, it’s probably just poor breeding like my Sussex. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a wonderful chicken, just not a great choice for breeding SOP Orps.

 

[The Birb King]

That looks like a New Hampshire Red hen to me, not a BO!

 

[FunClucks]

I got a Speckled Sussex from a hatchery that doesn’t have the mottling gene, as best as the folks here on BYC can figure. She ticks every other box, just no white tips on the feathers. My guess is that, if the bird in question is from a hatchery, it’s probably just poor breeding like my Sussex. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a wonderful chicken, just not a great choice for breeding SOP Orps.

You managed to get a speckled sussex without the mottling gene? That's crazy!

Poor hatchery breeding doesn't surprise me, I can't say I'm surprised about my BOs having some type of black speckling, but seriously, a speckled sussex without the mottling gene? They really messed that one up...

I was really ticked when the black specks appeared in my BOs tail feathers - it didn't show up until she was fully an adult. No indicators of problems before then.

 

[ColtHandorf]

Honestly, with the number of dark feathers in the tail, she might be a New Hampshire Red...Off the top of my head I can't remember what their skin color is, though. @Amer?

 

[Solanacae]

You managed to get a speckled sussex without the mottling gene? That's crazy!

Poor hatchery breeding doesn't surprise me, I can't say I'm surprised about my BOs having some type of black speckling, but seriously, a speckled sussex without the mottling gene? They really messed that one up...

I was really ticked when the black specks appeared in my BOs tail feathers - it didn't show up until she was fully an adult. No indicators of problems before then.

Here she is, in all her unmottled glory. She had white tips on her chick feathers, not sure I can find any of those at the moment, but feathered in completely solid. She has a tiny bit of white in the feathers by her ears. She’s not super friendly, also not typical for SS, but she lays well and is an excellent mama. She’s hatched twice for me and stayed with her chicks for 13+ weeks through fall/winter.