Let's talk Cuckoo and WHITE marans... breeding strategies...

[DMRippy]

Quote:

maybe, I don't have any birds with recessive white.

 

[flgardengirl]

Chickielady I believe it. We get wicked sun here and by fall my blue marans - even the girls to some extent almost look brownish and ragged -even losing the laced look! Then once they molt they are all pretty again.

Debbie: Come to think of it that ugly horned white silkie I kept called Devil Boy does look kinda yellowish now. He didn't at the beginning of spring. You may be on to something.

 

[Chickielady]

Wynette suggested I keep my show birds indoors, like she has hers in a horse stable...so they have lots of fresh air, and their feathers are kept in perfect condition...
IF there was a way for me to get to the BIG shows (HA!) I would corner off a few birds and do just that thing...
But...

That ain't gonna happen any time soon....I did show Anthony & a nice pullet at the fair last summer...of course in the AOB category & won BB & BV (DUH) and the Judges wrote on the cage cards:
VERY GOOD COLOR !!!!!!!!!!!!!! I assumed they were referring to the hen & cock as one....

OK I am outta here !

 

[Debbi]

I'm thinking this is autosomal red leaking out later in their age. How old is your roo? My roos have just started displaying odd stuff at their ages, that they never displayed before! That is not a sun burned type of feather, that is something recessive popping up!

 

[flgardengirl]

She is very light....but we cannot see her body.
But yes, Bev said what happens is sun damage....crud, I cannot keep my boys hidden.
For that , also, the hens get grungy looking late in summer as well (same time) and get very brown feathers (so do my Blue Coppers) and the Splash get really grungy too....ACK
apparently sun damage.
But Bev did state that Birchens & Silver Cuckoo can be "strawed".and it is sun damage, olf tired feathers.

LOOK







The first pic in late fall...about a week ago ?
The bottom pic is from early spring

Wow that bottom photo of the roo looks just like one of mine does now...kinda neat to see the generations lol.

 

[Chickielady]

Chickielady I believe it. We get wicked sun here and by fall my blue marans - even the girls to some extent almost look brownish and ragged -even losing the laced look! Then once they molt they are all pretty again.

Debbie: Come to think of it that ugly horned white silkie I kept called Devil Boy does look kinda yellowish now. He didn't at the beginning of spring. You may be on to something.

Devil Boy ????
Yes my Blue Coppers look like they have had dirt rubbed into them too...but in the French Marans sites, they refer to this as NORMAL "straw" which will form in the older cocks...they do not say WHY it forms..............................I thank Wynette & Bev for setting this all correctly.

 

[Chickielady]

I'm thinking this is autosomal red leaking out later in their age. How old is your roo? My roos have just started displaying odd stuff at their ages, that they never displayed before! That is not a sun burned type of feather, that is something recessive popping up!

My oldest cock is about 4, and every fall he (and all the rest) molt.
By the end of summer they look like crap warmed over...sometime WORSE THAN THAT !!!

What is evident, is the feather (hackle) is already grown out...and is silver all winter & summer, and then in late summer "STRAW" highlights develope.....then they molt.
So what you are seeing is the feathers turn darkish dirty colored, and fall out....you all know the rest of the molt story.

I have 6-8 cockerels now, in various ages...NONE have "STRAW"...but then, it's winter...

 

[flgardengirl]

Mine are just beginning to molt this year. For some reason we had crazy summer and then all of a sudden a cold spell. Instantly everyone started dropping feathers everywhere so I have lots of nakey hens. Also roos running around looking moth eaten and missing tails LOL! Now it got warm again. I hope everyone gets some clothes on before it freezes again. Gotta love Florida grrrr.

Devil boy is this fugly white silky that I hatched out from eggs I bought last year. He ended up with horns like the ancestor Polish or something lol. Its a bad thing. Anyhow he does show the seasonal straw. I totally forgot about him haha.

 

[Chickielady]

Wow that bottom photo of the roo looks just like one of mine does now...kinda neat to see the generations lol.

That is Anthony..he has a very nice long back...not as wide in the chest as Milton...Milton is Alpha and is huge ...VERY wide in the chest..I will try to get out & get new photos tomorrow...(promise !!)

OK...I was urfing through my PHOTOS and these were in there:

I have no cats, and I do not recognize these eggs....how wierd is that ????????????

 

[Chickielady]

Mine are just beginning to molt this year. For some reason we had crazy summer and then all of a sudden a cold spell. Instantly everyone started dropping feathers everywhere so I have lots of nakey hens. Also roos running around looking moth eaten and missing tails LOL! Now it got warm again. I hope everyone gets some clothes on before it freezes again. Gotta love Florida grrrr.

Devil boy is this fugly white silky that I hatched out from eggs I bought last year. He ended up with horns like the ancestor Polish or something lol. Its a bad thing. Anyhow he does show the seasonal straw. I totally forgot about him haha.

HA HA HA I would love to see him !!!