Yellow coloring on plummage??

[Echoinghills]

Hi All, is there a specific reason why my silver laced cochins would have yellow showing on their plummage, it is actually growing that way. I also have some blue splash cochins and blue splash maran that is doing the same thing, for whatever reason there is yellow coming out through the feathers, like they grew out that color. We do have bad water here, so sometimes they do get our well water, but i try for the most part to give them spring water. Then this past winter all my flocks were given Tetracycline for a cold, that some young poultry had beginning of winter. I know Tetracycline can stain teeth on cats/dogs...but would it contribute to the yellow plummage? None of these birds had yellow last year! Thanks in advance!

 

[gritsar]

My roosters white plumage gets yellowish this time of year. I've read of several reasons for it, but the one that makes the most sense is that it's what is called bronzing and comes from spending alot of time in the sun.

 

[crystalchik]

There are a bunch of different reasons this could happen, none really say anything about poor health so I wouldnt be too concerend. One is sun like gritsar said, but another is corn actually. If you are feeding them corn, there is the possibility that the corn could be yellowing the feathers. I was told not to feed my Porcelain d'Uccles too much corn because it could yellow their straw-colored feathers.

 

[Echoinghills]

Thanks for the replies!!! OHHHH...so because i fed corn through winter, for the extra carbs for everyone to keep warm... the yellowing could be due to that. That would make sense! We didnt have this last spring/summer, but i didnt feed corn at that time either, just winter when it was really cold. I just found it odd, that the silver laced cochins would show it also, but especially seeing it on the blues/blue splashes! I was concerned that maybe i was missing a health issue that caused yellowing, but they appear healthy. My other birds are all dark or black...so most likely their color would not present the yellowing. Then i also have porcelain duccles...but i didnt offer much corn to them, because they were in my heated building. They are not showing the yellowing, thank goodness...because the kids want to show them in 4H this year.