Hackle and sickle feathers in Silvers-yellowish tinge

[Christina King]

I am seeing a yellow tinge in the hackle and sickle feathers of some of my Silver cockerels. Please share your knowledge of this. Is it a gold gene popping through,or lack of inhibiters... still don't understand, there is no other kind of "leakage." It rarely shows up in a photograph. It hasn't mattered if they are penned in the sun or in the shade. I have used three different brands of feed, progressivley over the growing season. I have heard terms of "sun bleaching" or corn in the feed... must be my water.... etc.

Explanation needed. 

[Mike Gilbert]

Are those feathers mature, or still growing?   Look at the base to tell.   Sometimes white/silver feathers have a yellowish tinge until they are completely grown out.   I suspect it has something to do with the feed - corn, green grass, etc. 

[Russ Blair]

Are they getting a lot of Sun?? I have noticed the ones that get a lot of sun the Silver (white) feathers will get brassy, or a orangish tint to them. I have seen some that were bright white for there whole life turn brassy when they get put in breeding pens (which get a lot more sun) which makes me believe the sunlight is the biggest culprit. I have heard it happens to a lot of white birds. Do you have any pictures by chance??

[Christina King]

Some free range and some don't. Once it is there, it hasn't gone away. Some have been mature, some under a year. I had a 2 year old cock with it, and it stayed after his 18 month adult molt.

[Christina King]

Russ, it rarely shows in the photos. Probably the exposure on the camera. I got a few that show it, but they were phone shots and I don't know if I can get them here, in a size that will upload.

[Christina King]

Russ, sent pics to FB messenger
Not sure if you will be able to see what my eye sees

[John W Blehm]

or lack of inhibiters...

Something along those lines (gold inhibitors or silver enhancers) would be my guess with my current line of LF silvers.  The silver/white areas aren't as silver/white as they should be.  Harry ended up with the main cock that I used for a couple years and didn't use him, because of his color.  It got worse with age.

[Beth Curran]

Sometimes white/silver feathers have a yellowish tinge until they are completely grown out.   I suspect it has something to do with the feed - corn, green grass, etc.

Just curious, could that be the case with lavenders, as well? I have always had a problem with gold/yellow in my lavenders. I breed back to black every other generation and I've seen improvement, but it's still there. Chicks bought from other breeders but raised here have it, too. The ones kept completely out of the sun are as bad or worse than the ones that are outside. Is it possible I've been trying to breed out what is actually a feed problem? 

[John W Blehm]

Sometimes white/silver feathers have a yellowish tinge until they are completely grown out.   I suspect it has something to do with the feed - corn, green grass, etc.

Just curious, could that be the case with lavenders, as well? I have always had a problem with gold/yellow in my lavenders. I breed back to black every other generation and I've seen improvement, but it's still there. Chicks bought from other breeders but raised here have it, too. The ones kept completely out of the sun are as bad or worse than the ones that are outside. Is it possible I've been trying to breed out what is actually a feed problem? 

When you breed back to black do you use lavender males over black females and only use the split pullets?
Going the other way and/or using the split cockerels will bring gold into your lavender flock (assuming it isn't already there).

[Beth Curran]

I did just the opposite. But the gold was already there - my early lavender males were basically 2-tone. When I used a black male over lavender hens I got many split males with leakage, which I assumed was coming from the lavender, thought if I culled all the males with leakage and only used males solid black males I'd eliminate the gold (leakage?) in the lavenders eventually. The color has improved over the years, but maybe that had less to do with using splits and more to do with culling the lavenders hard?

[Christina King]

John, Stan and I got the same breeding of chicks from you, correct? He sees no sign of it yet, I see it in the more mature boys. Honestly, could it be iron in the water? Just trying to cover any angle I can think of...

[John W Blehm]

John, Stan and I got the same breeding of chicks from you, correct? He sees no sign of it yet, I see it in the more mature boys. Honestly, could it be iron in the water? Just trying to cover any angle I can think of...

Pretty much the same, but you didn't want many from the outcrosses as I recall.  I sent Stan a 2nd box of them to cover for all the possible culls.
My deep well water has lots of iron and is salty.  That is what the birds get.  I do believe iron in the water could add some color, I don't think it is enough to be a problem especially since the bantam silvers are silvery white.

[Christina King]

Ok, thanks for the insight. My well is very deep, right through solid granite etc and leaves a rusty stain in the tub. It is what all the flick gets. I looked closer at my white Am/Leghorn cross and she is dingy yellow ish kinda... And has not molted yet. I have culled some good birds for this yellowing problem and it distressed me a lot. I don't want to keep doing that if it's not genetic.

[Beth Curran]

I have culled some good birds for this yellowing problem and it distressed me a lot. I don't want to keep doing that if it's not genetic.

I am in the exact same place. I have it in my white bantams, in my silver bantams and in my lavender large fowl. The whites were bought as adults last year and did not have it then, now they do. The silvers were bought as chicks and raised here. I've always had a battle with it in my own lavenders and chicks bought from two different breeders have it as well. I have seen a lot of birds from both of those lines and they don't look like mine do, making me really wonder if there is something in my (county) water, my feed, etc. causing it. I hate to think good breeding stock is being butchered because of something I'm doing wrong.

[Harry Shaffer]

In reference to whites you need to cull at day old for the proper down color.  I have rusty water also but my original white Orps never had any problems till I outcrossed to those Belgium//UK imports and it took me several years to correct the problem thanks to Alan Ammerell loaning me the proper male after my original male died which was his bloodline originally.  So you will need to determine the proper down color to cull your chicks.  I am not sure about the silvers since I just got them but my cock bird from Christina King never yellowed this year.  The lavender chick colors can be tricky but I think if they have yellow bellies they should be culled.  I am only keeping the ones with white bellies next year.  I had a lavender Orp born pure white and hopefully I will have more if I am lucky.