Rooster changed from black and white to white

[ChickenLeg]

I Googled Smyth line chickens but didn't get a clear answer. Is that a name for a genetic condition or an actual breeding line that has a defective gene? If the latter, this rooster came from an old man in rural Romania with a passion for all kinds of birds so I wonder how it got here, very interesting!

Really neat stuff, itd be nice if you could breed some of his daughters back to him and see if you can replicate it in his children!

 

[Poultrybonkers]

Not the same bird as leg color would not change cute story though.

 

[Izengolf]

I appreciate your opinion but it is the same rooster in all photos.

 

[MysteryChicken]

I have no idea what's going on with your bird's color change.

Vitiligo is what I was thinking, originally, but it doesn't quite fit with your bird.

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I second the Smyth Line Vitiligo (technically an autoimmune disease). It would also account for the skin change which is one of the first symptoms in birds with Vitiligo.

"Vitiligo is an acquired dermatological disorder characterized by a loss of epidermal melanocytes resulting in depigmentation of the skin."

https://www.jimmunol.org/content/184/1_Supplement/83.19

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14709410/

Edit: Normally symptoms are seen early on which makes me wonder if this rooster was every mottled or was actually just exhibiting early signs of vitiligo

 

[MysteryChicken]

Vitiligo also results in ratty feathers, which your bird doesn't show.

 

[HaikuHeritageFarm]

Smyth Line Vitiligo is just the name of a vitiligo variant that occurred in a line of production brown leghorns and has been studied a good deal here in the US, apparently.

But reading more this morning, I've found examples of this in multiple breeds all over the world and with different expressions. (Age of onset, extent of depigmentation, and other associated symptoms such as sometimes the dramatic affect on feather quality noted above.)

It is an autoimmune disease in all cases, though, so I'd avoid breeding him.

 

[HappyClucker7]

To me it looks like he's losing all pigment. Not only are his feathers turning white, but his legs have turned from a gray/blue to a pink color as well. So, that means it's not just a weird molt, but a deeper issue.
I have no idea what could possibly be causing it, but I'm definitely going to be following this!

 

[Izengolf]

Luckily my little hens don't show much interest in becoming broody and even less in his seduction skills.

 

[Izengolf]

I'd like to thank all of you for your posts yesterday, they were really helpful. I contacted someone I know at the vet college who thought it was very interesting and is going to research it more deeply. Who knows, maybe this guy is the first documented case in Romania, first identified by BYC members