The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: meebh on October 31, 2011, 04:48:43 pm

Title: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: meebh on October 31, 2011, 04:48:43 pm

Hi

Has anyone had a bird change colour???? 

We have a very handsome minorca and after his first moult he now has loads of white feathers!!! 

Any idea what would cause this??

Cheers  :wave:

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: JEP on October 31, 2011, 07:35:33 pm

we have marrans that sometimes show some white
after moult been told its stress
on 2nd moult back to normal

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: northfifeduckling on November 01, 2011, 09:06:07 am

could have to do with genetics, that a different colour is coming through. We have a black duck with white bib and her head is now becoming white where the new feathers grow. :&>

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: dizzy1pig on November 01, 2011, 09:08:05 am

ha ha its just old age the same as the rest of us xxxx

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: Sylvia on November 01, 2011, 11:36:44 am

There, I knew my white head was due to stress and aggravation and not old-age :D :D

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: Hopewell on November 02, 2011, 12:19:12 am

I know speckled sussex get more white as they age but I presumed that a completely black bird like a minorca stayed black.

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: meebh on November 02, 2011, 02:09:59 pm

Thank you for all your thoughts and ideas....maybe it is stress as he does have to sleep in the garage away from his ladies.

Will wait and see what happens in his future, he just looks really odd now a very contrasting colour change he has had.

The female minorca's have moulted and came back with all new black glossy feathers so maybe they are a bit more relaxed than him  :)

Cheers  :wave:

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: colliewoman on November 02, 2011, 10:12:55 pm

here's a random idea/thought....
when i bred rabbits i kept them in large groups (bear with me, it'll make sense i promise!)
occasionally there would be the odd scuffle or scrap. with the black rabbits, and ONLY the black rabbits, where they had had a small injury or scratch the fur would come back white...
now being a cockerel could he have been scrapping and are minorcas black?
maybe the black bunny theory could apply to birds too?

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: JEP on November 03, 2011, 07:55:08 am

the thing is that the 2ND molt
the white on are birds has gone

Title: Re: cockerel has changed colour???
Post by: milly molly on November 09, 2011, 07:28:55 pm

I hatched a black austrilorp cockeral that was black with one half white feather in his tail his first year, 2nd molt more white so more a splash looking 3rd molt the black feathers are in the minority, asked the breeder if their was any splash etc in the bloodline but never got a reply.
only 1 of his offspring has been splash marked in his first year, rest are all black so far.
going for a different line now as he was a fairly persistently agressive bird.

mandy