Show bird has pale feat! help!

[Jack Czerwonka]

If her legs were once yellow this may help. There is a color feed for canaries to increase yellow/orange feather pigmentation. Some of this added to her diet might help.

She has always had pale legs

 

[Jack Czerwonka]

Is white shanks considered a fault in the show ring?

If it is and your hen/pullet has NEVER had yellow shanks then obviously you were sold or you were given a bill of goods when you received this bird or her mamma and daddy.

I know a chicken breeder/peddler who sold 2,500 hatching eggs to a friend of mine.

The chicks from the breed that the breeder supposedly sold my friend should all come either yellow or white legged.

When the chicks began to hatch they were all GREEN legged or TERRAPIN legged but not a one of them showed either white or yellow legs. My friend called up the chicken breeder/peddler to complain. Without missing a beat the CHICKEN BREEDER/PEDDLER explained it like this.

"OM GOSH, I must have got the eggs mixed up and sent you the wrong batch of eggs. Because I promised Mr. Billy-Bob ____________________ (insert name of well known and respected BIG TIME game chicken man in the blank above) that I would never never never let any of his blood lines out of my hands, I will be at your place in 72 hours with 2,500 new hatching eggs and I will pick up all of those TERRAPIN legged chicks."

"OH no you want!!! my friend replied!!! YOU AIN'T PULLING A FAST ON ON ME!!! I am keeping these chicks because they have to be good game chickens if you got them from Billy-Bob __________________" !!! (at this point insert for a second time the name of the well known and regarded game chicken man.

The point of this true story is that you gotta get up really early and eat your razor soup to the very last drop then lick the bowl clean to get anything over on chicken peddlers.

Yes it is a falt and her legs are always white

 

[Jack Czerwonka]

Did she always have pale legs?
I would consider giving her lots of corn. That can help bring out the yellow in the feet.

Does corn make there feathers yellow?

 

[Mosey2003]

I would start by asking the breeder if he typically has yellow legs right from the start or if he feeds a specific finishing feed to enhance them. I'm not into Wyandottes, so I don't know the ropes there for what to expect.

In reading Plymouth Rock discussions, some mention that a high enough level of corn will make the White Rocks a little brassy if they don't have the special white gene, so it could be possible that too much corn might detract from the white on your Wyandotte, I honestly don't know. Another question for the breeder I'd say.

What you can do is give her everything possible feed-wise that may help, and if it doesn't, she's just faulty in leg color and that's that. I don't think it's uncommon, many struggle with getting consistent yellow legs in lines. I would probably feed a really quality high protein feed like gamebird (you want animal protein in the ingredients) and add some marigold and soaked alfalfa pellets and enough scratch grain to bring the overall protein level down around 20%. That should give you enough carotenoids to punch up whatever color she may have.

 

[Jack Czerwonka]

I would start by asking the breeder if he typically has yellow legs right from the start or if he feeds a specific finishing feed to enhance them. I'm not into Wyandottes, so I don't know the ropes there for what to expect.

In reading Plymouth Rock discussions, some mention that a high enough level of corn will make the White Rocks a little brassy if they don't have the special white gene, so it could be possible that too much corn might detract from the white on your Wyandotte, I honestly don't know. Another question for the breeder I'd say.

What you can do is give her everything possible feed-wise that may help, and if it doesn't, she's just faulty in leg color and that's that. I don't think it's uncommon, many struggle with getting consistent yellow legs in lines. I would probably feed a really quality high protein feed like gamebird (you want animal protein in the ingredients) and add some marigold and soaked alfalfa pellets and enough scratch grain to bring the overall protein level down around 20%. That should give you enough carotenoids to punch up whatever color she may have.

I give my chickens 20 percent feed thanks so much!

 

[Mosey2003]

I'm saying, if you add alfalfa and scratch or corn, you're going to need to adjust the protein some to account for that.

 

[BlackHackle]

For my yellow shanked breeds I offer loads of corn. I talked with master exhibitors and they said that does the trick

 

[aart]

I would start by asking the breeder if he typically has yellow legs right from the start or if he feeds a specific finishing feed to enhance them.

I would think this is key.
Just because someone says they are a 'breeder' of 'show quality' birds doesn't mean its true.

 

[MissChick@dee]

I don’t know much about nothing but my SLW came with (2days old) and still has bright yellow legs.

 

[keesmom]

She was raised by Brian Knox a sliver laced Wyandotte Breeder ever since I have had her she has had pale legs.

as

Have you talked to him about it? How old was she when you got her? I know he does cull hard even at hatch, so it's highly unusual for one to have such a fault.