SL Wyandotte chicks -- will lacing improve with age, or is this final?

[lceh]

I have 5 silver laced Wyandotte pullets, 3 weeks old. Let me say first off that these are hatchery chicks, so I have no expectation that they will look like those gorgeous show quality hens! But I did expect quite a few of their feathers to be outlined with black, however imperfectly. They're starting to feather out now and it looks like their white feathers are more "splashed" with black than outlined in it. Does that mean they will never have that laced look at all, or can the markings improve with age? Just curious.

 

[Katy]

It could improve some when they get their big girl feathers, but you're right in that the odds they'll ever have very good lacing aren't very good.

 

[write2caroline]

Mine are the same age but are Golden Laced - One has feathers that are mostly black with a wee line of gold and the wing feathers do looked splashed.

Mine also came from a Hatchery - what I don't understand is why they wouldn't show quality. If the Hatchery is a quality Hatchery and guarantees the breed then the chicks should be high quality.

Can someone explain why a hatchery would not ship good quality breed chicks?
Caroline

 

[Katy]

Quote:
Because the hatchries are interested in selling quantities, not quality.....they don't cull and hatch only the best.

 

[write2caroline]

My girls come from Mypetchicken.com
Is that a good hatchery? My brother uses MurrayMcMurray but he orders in 25's or more? They have always been pleased with their chickens.
Just wondering?
Caroline
Jax Florida

 

[Katy]

It isn't just the lacing where the hatchery birds are different....usually the body type is way off too. It doesn't mean they won't be good laying hens for you....just that they probably don't look much like they're supposed to.

Here's a couple of hatchery SLWs that I had. They were sweet birds, but the lacing left a lot to be desired and their body type was all wrong.

This picture is from some breeder eggs that I hatched out. She looks like a wyandotte should.

 

[Katy]

Quote:
My pet chicken gets their chicks from other bigger hatcheries....they don't hatch the chicks themselves.

 

[Judy]

Actually, some of the bigger hatcheries tell you on their website that the birds are not show quality, at least for certain breeds.

 

[lceh]

Katy, I'd be happy if my chicks turned out like your hatchery chicks -- at least their feathers are actually outlined! They're just backyard flock girls, so as long as they lay well it's okay, but I'm a little wistful that they may just be mottled white with black. I'd love prettier, "true" Wyandottes (your second pic is gorgeous!), but I hear they don't lay very reliably. Is it possible to find a breeder who sells "pretty enough" SLs for backyard usefulness, or is either all beauty or all functionality with this variety? If you added a nice quality roo to the mix could you get chicks with decent coloring even if they didn't have the show body type? I'm not after show quality, I just want lacing. Maybe I should just get a couple of silver Seabrights for pretty-pretty

....

 

[Casey3043]

Here are my SLW's from Cackle. They are nice birds, 10 weeks old now, but not nearly as pretty as Katy's are.

They are the boldest and friendliest of the new chicks.