Partial Eclipse Molt In American Game

[nicalandia]

if they dont go back at normal, I think this is not partial eclipse... but if they do..Wow. breed his doughter back to him to see if they go complete eclipse..

 

[Vcomb]

if they dont go back at normal, I think this is not partial eclipse... but if they do..Wow. breed his doughter back to him to see if they go complete eclipse..

The one's I've had in the past have gone back to normal. This is the first one this year that is doing it.

 

[nicalandia]

The one's I've had in the past have gone back to normal. This is the first one this year that is doing it.

this is very very interesting, as the eclipse gene was thought to be extinct on chickens

 

[centrarchid]

This is a son of male shown at start of thread. He is showing same molting pattern as sire. Not all of his male siblings are doing it. I am pretty sure sire and this guy are heterozygous for what is seen. When homozygous the eclipse feathers are shorter, black for almost entire length, and decidely rounded at tips. Feathers as shown are intermediate. Sire bird did return to original condition. I think more than one locus is involved since even my most extreme eclipse moulting birds retained red feathers near head. Also another locus may be needed to make regular hackles drop out, otherwise birds in eclipse feathering have a shaggy appearance as exhibited by Vcombs bird.



Note secondary sicle feathers missing. Ornaments and insulatory feathers being dropped while flight feathers retained. Same pattern was exhibited by sire.

 

[centrarchid]

Here's a few pics of one of my 5/8th Morgan Whitehackle 3/8th Gulls that show the eclipse hackles
This second pic shows feathers that are just coming in and some that have grown out and are starting to gain a point to the end. also notice the hint of white on those fresh feathers. This bird carries spangling.

Vcomb,

Does the eclipse molting come from Whitehackle or Gull side?

And if you were to trim red hackle feathers off, would you get complete coverage by black hackle feathers up to head?

 

[Vcomb]

The Gull side. His father was a half Morgan half Gull. My pure Morgans don't show this. And the hackles I do believe go black all the way up, next time I handle him I'll check. Normally the hackles are black towards the neck with heavy mahoghany tones going out to the red you see in the pics or a lighter lemon red. I think I have a muff that might end up doing something similar, but too early to tell. He also got off his cord and into a wire fight so I'm letting him heal up. But he's got a patch of short, rounded feathers on one side of his head right now but rather than being black they are retaining the red spangled patterning.

Unfortunately I never got ahold of pure Gulls of this line. I had intended to, but the guy left the states before I could get some from him so anything with Gull blood in it on my farm all trace back to the one 1/2 and 1/2 cock.

 

[centrarchid]

I am looking into Gulls but have been finding very little about what went into their development. I am pretty sure my birds do not have Gull in their background so this makes me think the trait is more widespread than we think. I am guessing that both old word types of gamefowl, European and Asian / Indian / Pakistani are considered not to exhibit the trait.

 

[Vcomb]

Gulls are basically a type of whitehackle that developed using some Canadian stock. In my research I've seen multiple cases where different families contain redquill/ginger blood in them OR Redquill families (such as the Eidt strain) that had whitehackle crossed into them repeatedly.

 

[centrarchid]

That might jive with origins of molt pattern in my birds. They carry part of genetics needed to make redquill and it is possible redquill was added way back before my time. Bird in question can also throw chicks with the light base coloration and funky pattern on back that is reminiscent to me of the redquill pattern.

 

[centrarchid]

Here's a few pics of one of my 5/8th Morgan Whitehackle 3/8th Gulls that show the eclipse hackles
This second pic shows feathers that are just coming in and some that have grown out and are starting to gain a point to the end. also notice the hint of white on those fresh feathers. This bird carries spangling.

Vcomb,

How does the rooster above look now. Mine will soon be replacing eclipse feathers with breeding feathers.