Undercolor on wheaten and blue wheaten Ameraucana females

[Lindsay Helton]

A member asked about proper undercolor on wheaten and blue wheaten Ameraucana females.

Always remember to look for good undercolor on your wheaten and blue wheaten Ameraucana pullets and hens. To check undercolor, brush the feathers on the back in the direction of the neck with your fingers and take a look.

The undercolor on a blue wheaten female should be very light slate. The undercolor on a wheaten female can vary from light cinnamon to light slate.

Hope this is helpful to others out there!

[kkdossey]

I heard somewhere that the ones with more slate under color like that hold their color in other areas after they molt.  My older birds tend to lose some of the wing and tail color.  I need to pay more attention to that. Anyone else have similar?

[Lindsay Helton]

Yes, in my experience good undercolor correlates with how well females retain their color after molt.

[kkdossey]

I knew you'd know if that was right.
Thanks

[Lindsay Helton]

Happy to help. I dabble in them occasionally.
.

[Birdcrazy]

Lindsay, your last post is definitely an understatement!

[Lindsay Helton]

Alright, alright. I love them a little.