Purple feathers

[Jayzandra]

I was out in the coop this morning doing some routine maintenance when I noticed some purple on the underbelly of the barred rock. At first I thought maybe one of the kids colored her with a marker, that's purple it is. So I decided to take closer look and it's her feathers! I have notice other anomalies one her previously, like spotted legs and a few solid black feathers (with a greenish sheen when hit by the sunlight) scattered sparsely throughout.















I'm starting to think they are all mixed breeds. But those purple feathers, has anyone ever seen anything like that before? The girls are mid moult.

 

[farmerChef]

Has she ever been sprayed with blu-kote?

 

[hdowden]

black feathers when hit by the sun have a green/purple sheen to them that is normal but for the last pic looks like she was sprayed with something....can you get full body shots and we can try and help about the breeds as well. the barring on the barred one doesn't look right in those pics to be a barred rock

 

[farmerChef]

the coloring looks like a black sexlink roo, barred with black leakage

 

[Jayzandra]

Yes, the lady I got the girls from confirmed that she had sprayed her with the blue stuff.

She is definitely no a rooster as she lays cream eggs regularly. They were all bald when I got them, I have had them about 3 weeks now.


And here's a body shot. Not many feathers to go on,but you can see the solid black feathers on her neck.



The breed isn't really a big deal, I'm just curious.

 

[farmerChef]

the coloring looks like a black sexlink roo, barred with black leakage

Wasnt suggesting is was a rooster, just what the pattern looked like. They are bald! they look almost oven ready. The one sittiing is a silver laced wyandotte, the red is likely a "Production Red" (hatchery RIR). Also looks like you have an Easter Egger in the corner, going by the beard.

 

[Jayzandra]

There's a Red Star and Black Star too, but they were hiding for this shot. Or at least that's what I'm told. The lady I said the person SHE got them from told her the Wyandotte was a Barred Rock and the EEs were Ameraucanas.

 

[farmerChef]

Not Ameraucanas likely, I can only see the top of the head. Sounds like a layer mix from a hatchery.

 

[donrae]

The green and purple sheen is normal. The purple is blu-kote. The hen isn't a pure bred barred bird, that's why her color looks funky.

That is not baldness from molting, there is or has been something wrong with those birds. Birds don't molt to bare skin as a matter of course, and they don't lay while they're molting, especially if they're molting that hard. Truthfully, I've never seen a bird that bald. Were they horribly over-mated at their previous home?

 

[Whittni]

Strange patterned barred rocks are usually known as cucko marans ... also I would agree they could have been over-mated and molting really bad or even had a case of mites. I had a few rescue barred rocks last year and they were molting bad too: