Author Topic: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet  (Read 7337 times)

Andrew Johnson

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Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« on: June 17, 2016, 10:15:33 PM »
I recently messaged Susan about black colored ticking of the hackle feathers. She advised me to get more opinions from others that may have come across this issue. This pullet has the worse case of it, as she also has more black spots throughout most of her body. I also have 1 or 2 more pullets that have the ticking on the hackles, but not near this dark. This is also the only 2 pictures I have of her as it has been raining here most afternoons this week. If needed I may be able to get more sometime this weekend. Any advice would help.


DeWayne Edgin

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #1 on: June 17, 2016, 10:32:10 PM »
Are you sure they aren`t crossed with something else? They almost look like males but i don`t think they are. They are to young to see the normal ticking that we see show up though. Im not sure what you got going on here though. Some people aren`t aware that if you seperate a hen and a rooster the hen can still lay a fertile egg for weeks afterwards. If they are running with other roosters and you seperate them to breed, i would wait for atleast 15 days before i breed them again. This one has lots of Wheaten markings though so i wouldn`t think it was an accidental pairing. But you have something wrong. It maybe a throw back of something in your line from way way back as well.

Don

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #2 on: June 17, 2016, 11:08:25 PM »
Andrew, this looks like some mutation that seems to happen once in a while with Wheaten and maybe Silver varieties.   I am not sure that anyone has concluded the exact cause for this color variation.  I seems like there were several proposed explanations back at that time.  Take a look at this post from a few years ago and see if these colors look similar to the young birds you are seeing. Are the males showing any different coloring, and are there other females that look like more even feather coloring?   

  http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/forum/index.php/topic,2509.0.html
Don Cash
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Birdcrazy

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #3 on: June 18, 2016, 02:35:37 PM »
Andrew, this looks like some mutation that seems to happen once in a while with Wheaten and maybe Silver varieties.   I am not sure that anyone has concluded the exact cause for this color variation.  I seems like there were several proposed explanations back at that time.  Take a look at this post from a few years ago and see if these colors look similar to the young birds you are seeing. Are the males showing any different coloring, and are there other females that look like more even feather coloring?   

  http://ameraucanabreedersclub.org/forum/index.php/topic,2509.0.html

Nice work Don. This is a perfect example how the search feature can help with past articles on various subjects. Looks like you hit the nail on the head!
Gordon Gilliam

Andrew Johnson

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #4 on: June 22, 2016, 07:46:18 PM »
Sorry it has taken me so many days to reply as my daily duties have piled up on me over the weekend with all the rain we had last week. This pullet was purchased from Briana Moore earlier this year and is of Paul Smith's line. I was hoping more would have been came across since it was brought up before as just a mutation in coloring. We do have 2 others that have some spotting on the wing feathers but nether are this extensive. I will take a few pictures of the others and post later this evening.


edit by adding 2 pictures of each of the other 2 pullets

#1


#2
« Last Edit: June 22, 2016, 10:10:26 PM by Andrew Johnson »

Paul

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #5 on: June 23, 2016, 12:05:30 AM »
The first set of pictures I would cull the pullet.  The last set of pictures the bird needs more time to develop.
Paul Smith

Don

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #6 on: June 23, 2016, 08:18:10 AM »
I agree that the last two need more time to moult out to see what you have for sure.  How many other pullets do you have in addition to these three?  What about the males, are they feathering in normally?

      ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I corrected the internal link, so there is a bit more discussion about the silvers, but it seems about like similar suppositions in the more current link.  It one of the discussions a bird was grown out and never produced eggs.

Harry, it could be the result of Mosaics like was mentioned or some sparse version of the   (Pg+Ml+Co) genes as you mentioned.

Andrew, are you feeding anything unusual (hormones) by chance at this time?   I would just put this one aside and see how the others feather in for now.   
« Last Edit: June 23, 2016, 12:05:23 PM by Don »
Don Cash
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HarryS

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #7 on: June 23, 2016, 11:25:42 AM »
Would this be from the Pg gene?  Would have been nice to see the day old picture of the this chick's down coloring.
Harry Shaffer

Andrew Johnson

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #8 on: June 23, 2016, 11:43:44 AM »
I do have other pullets. The 2nd pullet is 10 days younger than the other two. I would guess if I had to put a percentage around 90% of this batch had bright yellow down.

HarryS

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #9 on: June 23, 2016, 11:48:20 AM »
Andrew, did they have spots on their heads of the day old chicks?
Harry Shaffer

Andrew Johnson

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #10 on: June 23, 2016, 01:14:16 PM »
No spots on their heads but here is a few of them. The white down chick died at a young age but the rest were colored as the chick on the right.

Andrew Johnson

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #11 on: June 27, 2016, 09:26:24 PM »
I'm sorry, Don. As I completely over looked you asking about how the males are feathering. They seem to be all somewhat consistent. But that could be my rookie eyes. I know I study them daily trying to figure which are wheaten and which are blue wheaten. That also goes for the hens as well, as they seem to be a bit more challenging. The only thing at this moment I have been concerned about in the cockerels, honestly, is the amount of white/golden in the breast feathers. I know they still have a lot of growing to do and several molts to finish up.

This little guy is an example. This picture is also exactly a month old so they have changed some since then.

Don

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #12 on: June 28, 2016, 06:13:26 PM »
Andrew, you should be able to tell the Wheaten and Blue Wheaten males for sure at this age.  The females you should be able to make good guesses but it might slip up on you later in the females.  You are definitely right about the birds having along way to go.  The picture of the cockerel looks like his breast is darkening in well for his age.  I hope his beard comes in black late this year for you too.   
Don Cash
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Andrew Johnson

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #13 on: July 03, 2016, 10:55:40 AM »
I must not have trained my eye well enough yet with them to tell them apart for certain. I'm sure there are minor key details I'm probably overlooking. I haven't leg banded them yet for this reason. Nor have I culled any or chosen my keepers.

Don

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Re: Need Advice on Wheaten Pullet
« Reply #14 on: July 05, 2016, 05:41:09 PM »
It may take some time for you to feel confident with the juvenile feathering, especially keeping in mind that each line may present slightly different feathering at hatch.  You might be able to learn a lot by discussing the chicks with the breeder that you buy from as a baseline.  For instance, I would have guessed that the chick on the right was going to be buff and the left wheaten.  But you indicate that the "yellow" chick has feathered wheaten. There is little doubt that the male pic you posted is a Wheaten.  Feel free if you want to post more pictures with birds that you question Blue Wheaten or Wheaten and lets see what some of the others guess on those.   
Don Cash
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