Partial Eclipse Molt In American Game

[centrarchid]

Rooster shown a few post back was in eclipse molt as a bullstag. Same bird now as cock. All breeding feathers are in with no hint of eclipse feathering.

Bullstag feather set during height of 2012 breeding season.






Eclipse during heat of summer before flight feathers of tail lost..




As new tail feathers start coming in,


First full cock featherset that will be used during 2013 breeding seaon. Believe it or not, same bird.

 

[nicalandia]

Awesome.. thanks for the update, I will sure remember this

 

[centrarchid]

I think all my birds are homozygous at the locus promoting this limited eclipse molt. Either more than one loci involved in wildtype or another allele my birds do not have at same locus codes for true eclipse molt.

 

[centrarchid]

There is a possibility that something like eclipse molt is operating in hens of the same line as roosters. Differences are; it is more compressed occuring late in season, involves body feathers in addition to hackles, flight feathers of tail are replaced twice in fall rather than once. This occured in hens that where 1.5 and 2.5 years old. Too few observations this round so will repeat with about 3 times as many birds next year to see if is real or simply artifact of drought and extreme heat of summer. What initially caught my eye is that hens were not only unusually dark but also had a different color pattern on individual feathers. Color pattern gene most apparent on hens carrying the pattern gene (Pg) that cause autosomal barring.

 

[Dany12]

 

[centrarchid]

ECLIPSE MOLT MAY BE IMPACTED BY TEMPERATURE

This year we had a very mild / cool summer. The eclipse molt was the least in terms of expression I have ever seen.

 

[centrarchid]

Something interesting to note. Birds demonstrating a strong eclipse molt as bullstags three years ago show very little of the eclipse molt as four year and five year cocks.

 

[centrarchid]

This guy showing more intense pattern in hackle feathers. One of his brothers from a couple years back in hands of another had hackles that were close to black even on head.