- Nov 9, 2010
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Thanks for sharing the pictures! I never thought of wheaten being the cause of it but that might make sense. This chick looks more partridge but maybe recessive wheaten is in there too? I have worked with e+ and eb a lot but have very little experience with wheaten.I have this same thing occurring in my flock of red bantam cochin/silkie crosses, if its alright to chime in. I’ve never seen it mature to anything more than just a dark gray beak, and the rest of the skin remains light, but that being said I currently only have one adult with the trait. I assumed it was a conjoined affect of the e-allele(my birds are at least partially wheaten based, which I've heard inhibits fibromelanism) and them, for the most part, carrying Id.View attachment 3501192
This is my one adult hen. Her beak is a dark gray, and has been since I purchased her. Aside from that, she shows no signs of fibromelanism, even in in the face.View attachment 3501194
This, above, is a pullet I bred off of the hen, and she showed the trait somewhat. I sold her.View attachment 3501193
I also have this chick, who you can see the black beak and light shanks on. This is an outdated photo(by a month), but I can grab a new one tomorrow to see if the chick still shows the same difference in beak to leg color, or what it’s skin color is.
Was that the first chick you got with this trait? I’m quite curious to see how it behaves in another person‘s flock, which is why I’m curious. Not trying to be overbearing or anything.
I have a lot of other dark skin chickens and have never seen the light dark contrast in them, this chick comes from a separate group where I crossed a Swedish Dwarf in to get the mottling gene. This chicks parents are full siblings from a Dwarf rooster with a dark skin hen. I never realized that the chicks mother had dark skin until the dark chicks started to hatch and I looked at her closer.