Wheaten Ameraucana Rooster turning White after molt?

[JoyfulPromise]

Has anyone had this happen before? My 1 1/2 yr old Wheaten Ameraucana rooster is going through his first molt, and almost all his black feathers are growing back in WHITE!!! I bought this rooster as a juvenile (4 months old) from a lady who had ordered hatching eggs from two Ameraucana breeders down south that I think she originally found on BYC. Can't remember the names off-hand. Anyway, he grew up with the correct coloring of black & red, I hatched several chicks from him and my wheaten ladies this year and all the roosters were black & red when mature also! But now he almost looks like a Splash Wheaten or something totally different!
Here are the before and after pictures...

Ferdinand (my Wheaten Roo) before molting (last Winter)

Ferdinand today - during/after molting... (sorry about the fuzzy quality)

Other than his color change he seems to be in good health, is one of my best crowers, and very attentive to his hens. I can't figure it out! Any ideas on what might be happening?

 

[sourland]

I have seen slight 'whitening' of birds as they mature, but never have I seen a total color change. Subscribed to see what others have to say. I'm sort of amazed.

 

[Trish1974]

Subscribed as well; eager to see what the pros have to say. That is a crazy change!!

 

[JoyfulPromise]

So no-one else has seen anything like this before? Those last pics were not the end, BTW... Here are current pictures of Ferdinand after finishing his molt!

 

[Thing2]

He's adorable!

 

[Percheron chick]

Love the picture of the hens roosting above him. "What the **** happened to Ferd Ethel? " " I don't know Marge"
I can't believe that's the same rooster.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Love the picture of the hens roosting above him. "What the **** happened to Ferd Ethel? " " I don't know Merge"
I can't believe that's the same rooster.

love it!

And I can't believe it either!

Especially the most recent ones when he lost all the red! Before i thought oh good, at least he kept the red, but NOPE!

The only thing I can think of is maybe some sort of recessive gene or something??

 

[Trish1974]

That is crazy! Have you contacted the breeder you acquired him from and asked if they know why this happened? I wonder if his offspring will do this as well. That's just unbelievable....

Edited: Sorry, just reread your first post and saw the original breeder info isn't available.