Mottling trait in Houdans

[mjjobbins]

Is there a way to increase the amount of black to white in Mottled Houdans, or any mottled breed for that matter?

 

[nzpouter]

don't think so mottling is random, but they tend to get lighter as they age.

 

[mjjobbins]

Too bad. I've seen mottling on Anconas that looked far from random. I was hoping I could introduce something like this into my flock. The reason I am thinking about this is that I saw some old prints with houdans that looked alot more like the ancona coloring. As rare as houdans are becoming, it would probably be a mistake to dilute their genes further. Maybe not?

 

[Krys109uk]

I don't know whether the mottling might be made more even by selection.
Is there such a thing as a black houdan in US? If you breed into blacks breed the F1s together you will probably get some with a greater amount of black to white.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

If you read the standard, the mottling is pretty much supposed to be on every feather; not too random that. I believe selective breeding is the best to achieve that.