Pullet Pics

[Birch Run Farm]

Here are some photos of the BW pullet.













What do you think?  Good?  Bad?  Ugly?  How\'s her eye color?

[Mike Gilbert]

Eye color is very good.   How old is the bird?   She will get lighter in color when she molts no doubt.   How about a shot of the tail and wings outspread?

[Birch Run Farm]

Mike, I believe she is a late June hatch, she is semi molting now and has a lot of new feathers growing in.  I\'ll get some tail and wings too, she seems to have an interesting powder blue color.  This is my first BW female so I am not sure what she should look like.  It is hard to see in the photos already up but she has some of that powder blue color in her hackle feathers too.

[Mike Gilbert]

There is a picture of a blue wheaten female in the APA color Standard of Perfection.   You might call that the \"gold standard\" when it comes to color.   I don\'t think the artist captured the type well enough however.

[Birch Run Farm]

I don\'t have a color standard.  Maybe I\'ll splurge when and if the updated version comes out.

[Birch Run Farm]

Additional photos:





She doesn\'t have much of a tail yet:

[Mike Gilbert]

She has pretty decent wings, better than most.   The pictures don\'t show much of a tail though - is the main tail still growing in?  Does she have slate in the undercolor of the back?    That is one more thing I have learned to select for, as it seems to accompany good color retention in tail and wings after the adult moult.

[Birch Run Farm]

Yes, her undercolor is slate.  Her tail is still growing in.  I\'m hoping she will have finished plumage by January 16th so I can exhibit her at NEPC with Mr. Magoo.

Thanks for your input, Mike!

[Tailfeathers]

Ann, that\'s a nice looking BW pullet.  Mike, thanks for the comment about the slate undercolor in the back.  That will be helpful and with me I need all the help I can get.  

I am having a tough time with my birds - especially the Wheatens.  Although I\'m pleased to say that I am getting some new eggs now and they seem to be bluer and larger which is at least one plus.

Ann, where did you get your start from?  How long have you been breeding the WBS variety?

God Bless,

[Birch Run Farm]

I liked the look of the BW/W when I saw some a year ago.  I tried the hatching egg route and only ended up with Magoo so I have been searching for females since.  I have a wheaten pullet I got from NYC who will be added to make a trio.  She has dark ends on her hackles but, if I suspect right, she is laying a nice blue egg.  Just need to catch her in the nest for sure, hopefully that will happen this weekend.

I like the tail set of the pullets and hope it improves on Magoo\'s more upright stance.  Ideally, I would like one more female to work with.  

I have several BBS pullets and hens but no proper male for them yet.

[John]

These LF wheatens aren\'t in great condition, but will make good breeders.

[Birch Run Farm]

Your wheaten pullets are much better than the one I have.  Are you selling any?

[Tailfeathers]

John,

How old are those hens?  Have you noticed any black ticking showing up in your hens around two years?  

Also, any suggestions on how to get more black in their tails and wings?

God Bless,

Royce

[John]

How old are those hens?

They were hatched last year between late March and late May.

Have you noticed any black ticking showing up in your hens around two years?

I generally don\'t keep them that long, so I don\'t recall.

Also, any suggestions on how to get more black in their tails and wings?

Not yet.  The more black in the hackle, the more black in the tails but we don\'t want black in the hackle.

[Mike Gilbert]

Also, any suggestions on how to get more black in their tails and wings?
Royce

Royce, that was my point about checking for slate undercolor on the backs of females.      That, and consider saving breeding males that are out of your best colored females.