Christy,
It is correctly termed *wheaten.
Blue wheaten x blue wheaten will create 50% blue wheaten, 25% wheaten and 25% splash wheaten on average.
Yes, wheaten, blue wheaten and splash wheaten pullets/hens will reflect their color variety in their wings and tails. If the color definition is poor in the tails, spread the wings to check for color. I’m attaching some photos to be of help.
If you see white in these areas (created from two copies of the Bl diluting gene), the pullet is a splash wheaten. Blue in these areas is indicative of a blue wheaten. Black is indicative of a wheaten.
I personally would not use pullets/hens that have ticking that extends beyond the hackles (into the breast or on the back) as a breeder. I will, however, use a wheaten or blue wheaten pullet that has ticking in the hackles in a breeding pen if the type and color is good on the bird. Sometimes a bird that we might not show can still be useful as a breeder.
One of my mentors worked on clearing up all the ticking in the hackles of her wheaten and blue wheaten pullets/hens and found that she lost considerable color definition in the tails of her pullets/hens in doing so.
The undercolor on a blue wheaten pullet should be very light slate. The undercolor on the wheaten pullets can vary from light cinnamon to light slate. Look for good undercolor on the females, as it often correlates with good color definition in the wings and tails of the pullets. To check the undercolor, brush the feathers on the back in the direction of the neck with your fingers and take a look.
Since we’re dealing with a diluting gene, when working to improve the blue wheatens I personally recommend mating your blue wheatens with wheaten to encourage good color. This preference may not be shared by all breeders but it has worked well for me. If you look closely at the wheaten, blue wheaten and splash wheaten pullets you will notice the diluting gene also affects the plumage color on other areas of the bird. This effect is also reflected in the written standard if you look at the descriptions for the wheaten and blue wheaten female. For example, the head on a blue wheaten pullet should be light creamy wheaten, while the head of a wheaten pullet should be rich wheaten. The front of the neck of a blue wheaten pullet should be light creamy wheaten, while the front of the neck of a wheaten pullet should be creamy wheaten. All of this info, and additional differences, can be found in an APA SOP book which can be purchased at the following link:
http://amerpoultryassn.com/sample-page/apa-store/If all of your pullets lack good color definition, there are several lines out there that have good color. Sometimes we have to start where we are with what we have and work to improve the birds. Just don’t get tunnel vision and look at the entire bird when selecting breeding stock. Select for type first.
Hope some of this info helps!
