Weird Feathers on a RIR...

[Cats Critters]

I have two RIRs from Ideal, one is darker then the other but that's just hatchery birds. They both molted this fall, and I was looking at the darker girls back she has a weird patch where the feathers are normal red then black then a black/green like my BA feathers. It's not that big of a patch and I'm not worried about it, but any thoughts? (I'll try to get a picture tomorrow)

 

[M To The Maxx]

Do the spots look like this? My RIR Pebbles came from Ideal too. She got these colors after she molted.

I will get a closer pic of her tomorrow.

 

[GraceAK]

This is interesting. pictures will be appreciated. I wonder what is up. :\\

 

[Chris09]

Not uncommon with some hatchery R.I. Reds.
The color of a true R.I. Red is a Columbian red.
A Columbian colored birds base color is black and for the most part it is a black bird with the white outer color masking/hiding most of the black.
In R.I. Reds the white and some of the black is replaced with red.
Now with that said breeding has a lot to do with black or even white showing up in Red.
As you might know hatcheries breed quantity and not quality so little things like this pop up. As far as that go there could be a cross somewhere in he back ground to try to get a darker colored R.I. Red.

I hope this helps..

Chris

 

[tadkerson]

There is nothing wrong with what Chris said, I just want to add additional information.

Most birds that are columbian restricted ; like in a columbian variety (light sussex) or the buff columbian variety (buff brahma) and the black tailed red variety (rhode island red) have black pigment restrictors that only allow black pigment to appear on certain areas of the birds body. Another way of looking at it is that the restrictors allow red or white to extend onto certain areas of the birds body and replace the black that is normally found on the body. For some reason, the restrictor is not removing the black from the wings of the bird. I have found this to happen in my rhode island red (RIR) also; not so much in the wings but on the backs of my birds.

Some birds are not pure for certain genes and that could be what is causing the additional black.

What I have seen in my female birds is that certain genes do not add black to the first adult plumage but after the first molt more black is added to the bird. I have not only seen this in RIR but also seen this in lakenvelder. Normally the chemical pathways in the cells that make red color do not work as well as a red female bird gets older and the bird gets a lighter color.

It may be (this is my own thinking) that this reduction in depth of red color may be associated with an increase in black.

Tim

 

[Cats Critters]

Noticed today the tips are now white, I'm uploading pictures (which might take some time I have dial up) right now.

Edited: Here is a picture:

 

[GraceAK]

Could you have a speckled RIR? That would be exciting!

 

[Lensters]

It is probably two speckled genes appearing from a cross many generations ago. Unlikely, but possibly a point mutation. I had a roo like that, he tasted good.

 

[Cats Critters]

I had a roo like that, he tasted good.

No way is she getting eaten, she is the one who will eats any spider any size.​

 

[Lensters]

I had a roo like that, he tasted good.

Quote:
I wouldn't eat her, she is perfectly good for laying eggs. I just wouldn't put her in a breeding pen.​