Author Topic: Splash wheaten coloring  (Read 7150 times)

Sarah Meaders

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Splash wheaten coloring
« on: January 03, 2017, 04:50:33 PM »
We are seeing nearly full grown SW males in addition to the very few adults that we had going into this effort for APA acceptance. There are a few areas in the proposed standard description that will be up for full debate, but not until we have many more to fully examine. The first topic for discussion is the breast coloring.

I am attaching photos of one the cockerels that hatched January 2016. These pics were taken today, 12 days shy of the cockerel's first birthday. Note the SHAFTING in the breast feathers. The shafting is an orange-red color. This shafting is in every photo of every SW cockerel of this age that I have seen thus far. In earlier months in the juvenile weeks, the breast coloring has orange-red LACING.

I am also attaching a picture of this SW's sire, a Blue Wheaten. You can see very faintly that the feathers in the breast also have this color pattern, just in blue and dark blue.

The BW standard allows for orange or orange-red TICKING in the front of neck and in the fluff. And in the breast, it says "blue, preferably laced with dark blue."

It is incredibly important that we write this description very well and accurate, not only to what is normal, but also to what is achievable in the sense of improvement.

So the question right now is what is the genetic reason for this shafting that is is nearly all SW cockerels? Are there actually cockerels and cocks out there that DON'T have this shafting? If so, is the genotype linked to another genotype that IS in the standard? Is it linked to the undesirable, and highly improvable, hackle striping? Or is something that SHOULD be included in the standard to read "orange-red shafting on white-grayish tinged white" (or something like that)?

I ask all experienced Blue Wheaten/Splash Wheaten breeders to share your knowledge, experience, and if possible PICTURES so that we can get closer to making some decisions.

Thank you!

Sarah Meaders
Proclaim Yahweh's greatness with me! Let us exhale His name together! Psalm 34:3

DeWayne Edgin

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Re: Splash wheaten coloring
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2017, 07:04:43 PM »
I don't think it is related to hackel stripping. My guess and it is just a guess is that it there because of the lacing on Blue Wheatens. If you look at the individual feather in the second picture that is in the person's hand, it is brown on the outside edge and the shaft where it is darkest lacing on Blue Wheaten feather or the edging. I'm guessing it is the real bark edging expressing itself in the Splash Wheatens. So if you zoom in on my Blue Wheaten cockerel you will see very little stripping and he has lacing still also. That's why I'm GUESSING it is the edging expressing itself. I don't really know but maybe someone else on here will know and maybe see if my theroy is correct?

Sarah Meaders

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Re: Splash wheaten coloring
« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2017, 07:53:55 PM »
Dewayne, I didn't even notice that edging!! And that is good news in my opinion. I see hackles and saddles like your BW and I know the clean is achievable and a worthy goal. I am excited to hear more from more people, too, because personally, I love the coloring in the breast, so I hope it is something that is actually a good thing, like the lacing in the BW.  :D
Proclaim Yahweh's greatness with me! Let us exhale His name together! Psalm 34:3

Jim Morris

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Re: Splash wheaten coloring
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2017, 10:28:03 PM »
Dewayne, I believe that it has something to do with the lacing in the Blue Wheaten also. If you look at a picture of this same cockerel at 7 Weeks of age, he definetely has red lacing that transforms into more of shafting as he matured. As soon as I can figure out how to shrink his picture below 150kb I will post it.

Sarah Meaders

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Re: Splash wheaten coloring
« Reply #4 on: January 04, 2017, 08:14:58 AM »
Jim, yes, I also agree. If you look at BW cockerels in the juvenile stage, they have similar lacing as what you referenced. I have a pic of your cockerel at 8 weeks that shows the lacing. Posting it with this reply. :)

BTW, your photodocumention of Flash throughout his growth has been absolutely invaluable!! Thank you so much for your hard work!!

Sarah
Proclaim Yahweh's greatness with me! Let us exhale His name together! Psalm 34:3

Don

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Re: Splash wheaten coloring
« Reply #5 on: January 04, 2017, 08:17:47 AM »
My guess is that it is residual color from the lacing on Blue Wheaten as well.  Lacing or Edging is desired on the BW variety and since the Splash Wheaten is derived from this color it will probably be fairly consistent in the offsping.  If SW/SW is mated for several generations the colors will likely dilute further.  Does anyone have any pictures of birds that don't have the coloring in the breast?
Don Cash
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Sarah Meaders

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Re: Splash wheaten coloring
« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2017, 04:19:30 PM »
Yay!!! Thanks for your thoughts, Don!!!!
Proclaim Yahweh's greatness with me! Let us exhale His name together! Psalm 34:3

DeWayne Edgin

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Re: Splash wheaten coloring
« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2017, 06:48:15 PM »
Don I used to but I lost them pictures when my last phone broke. I also had a Facebook page that had his picture on it but I removed that page a good while back. I know it's no help now.

Jim if you are using a smartphone to post on the forum here, Google an image resizing app. I use one just for this forum when I want to post pictures on here. You can just resize a picture and save it in your gallery and then come here and post it. It's been working for me. Lol

Peggy Taylor

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Re: Splash wheaten coloring
« Reply #8 on: February 05, 2017, 08:18:19 PM »
My three Bantam cockerels have very little to no red ticking in the breast and definitely no shafting. My large fowl cockerel is another matter. Ive got to make some good pictures of his breast area to see just what's going on with him.

My bantam blue wheaten hens have extremely clean bodies with almost no ticking while my large fowl blue wheaten hens do continue show some minor ticking although I have selected away from it for several years. So I am about to come to the conclusion that this ticking "may" express different in the bantams than it does in the large fowl. The blue wheaten males in both the bantams and large fowl have very nice lacing for the color.  Just food for thought as we go along on this project.