Peacock changing colors

[PoultryFanatic22]

My peacock is changing colors! I thought I had a cameo cock but he has turned almost completely white. He will be 2 this coming spring. Is this normal, or might there be something wrong with him health wise? These are some pics of him from a few months ago:

These were taken today:

 

[KsKingBee]

I would be sure to NOT breed him. Cameos have had a long history of blindness that has pretty much been bred out now. I do not believe I have seen a Cameo go blind but the history is still there. There is also a thing called Progressive Pied where a bird will turn white over a few years. It is very common in Australia and they are quite pretty but those here in the US also have a history of going blind so we do not perpetuate them here. The most common was a Bronze Progressive Pied that had most of the problems.

I recently bought out a large breeder and acquired a Peach Pied hen that is also turning white. Her back is almost completely white and when I asked the last breeder of that bird he was shocked at the transformation. I am not going to breed her as she is showing signs of going blind.

Now I have another hen that has turned white. She and her sister have looked like normal Peach BS until this molt. It is normal for sex-linked birds to sun fade so I did not take any particular notice when she lightened up but with this molt, she has come back nearly totally white save for her wings. In this picture, she is standing behind her sister that is still the normal BS pattern.

Both of these hens turning white are completely unrelated, the yearling Peach BS split Bronze in the last pic is not showing any sign of impaired vision but she is young and may yet develop sight problems.

Suppressed genes can pop up at any time and at any age but when I suspect an oncoming genetic problem I error on the side of caution and do not perpetuate the lineage.

 

[PoultryFanatic22]

I would be sure to NOT breed him. Cameos have had a long history of blindness that has pretty much been bred out now. I do not believe I have seen a Cameo go blind but the history is still there. There is also a thing called Progressive Pied where a bird will turn white over a few years. It is very common in Australia and they are quite pretty but those here in the US also have a history of going blind so we do not perpetuate them here. The most common was a Bronze Progressive Pied that had most of the problems.

I recently bought out a large breeder and acquired a Peach Pied hen that is also turning white. Her back is almost completely white and when I asked the last breeder of that bird he was shocked at the transformation. I am not going to breed her as she is showing signs of going blind.
View attachment 2868766

Now I have another hen that has turned white. She and her sister have looked like normal Peach BS until this molt. It is normal for sex-linked birds to sun fade so I did not take any particular notice when she lightened up but with this molt, she has come back nearly totally white save for her wings. In this picture, she is standing behind her sister that is still the normal BS pattern.

View attachment 2868769View attachment 2868770

Both of these hens turning white are completely unrelated, the yearling Peach BS split Bronze in the last pic is not showing any sign of impaired vision but she is young and may yet develop sight problems.

Suppressed genes can pop up at any time and at any age but when I suspect an oncoming genetic problem I error on the side of caution and do not perpetuate the lineage.

Thank you for your reply, it is much appreciated. It is definitely heartbreaking news. But I am glad I know what is going on with him now. He has 4 hens penned with him right now but I will separate him from the others to prevent breeding.

I suspect he might already be having sight problems. He moves much slower than the girls and doesn’t fly up to roost at night. Is there a way to tell if he has gone blind or what his vision might be right now?

I did buy him from a large breeder online, as well as 7 others as chicks. All the other birds have grown up to be beautiful birds. Is this something I should mention to the breeder to stop them from breeding a bird like him in the future? I would hate for someone to go through what I am right now.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

That's quite a transformation! He really is a beauty.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

@casportpony @KsKingBee

 

[KsKingBee]

Thank you for your reply, it is much appreciated. It is definitely heartbreaking news. But I am glad I know what is going on with him now. He has 4 hens penned with him right now but I will separate him from the others to prevent breeding.

I suspect he might already be having sight problems. He moves much slower than the girls and doesn’t fly up to roost at night. Is there a way to tell if he has gone blind or what his vision might be right now?

I did buy him from a large breeder online, as well as 7 others as chicks. All the other birds have grown up to be beautiful birds. Is this something I should mention to the breeder to stop them from breeding a bird like him in the future? I would hate for someone to go through what I am right now.

Look for a small white dot in the center of the pupil, it is the first visual sign of a sight problem. If he does not roost it is a very good clue that he can not see well enough to fly up. Also, notice the lack of definition of the pupil and iris and some redness in the white of the eye.

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

Thank you for your reply, it is much appreciated. It is definitely heartbreaking news. But I am glad I know what is going on with him now. He has 4 hens penned with him right now but I will separate him from the others to prevent breeding.

I suspect he might already be having sight problems. He moves much slower than the girls and doesn’t fly up to roost at night. Is there a way to tell if he has gone blind or what his vision might be right now?

I did buy him from a large breeder online, as well as 7 others as chicks. All the other birds have grown up to be beautiful birds. Is this something I should mention to the breeder to stop them from breeding a bird like him in the future? I would hate for someone to go through what I am right now.

I would definitely let them know. Try to send the pictures of before and after like you posted here.