Critique requested on 16 wk old pullet

[Rebecca G Howie]

I would like an evaluation of this little lady. Hatched Feb 14 and is 16 weeks old. No need to be gentle. I have picked her apart and decided what I like and what I am not sure about at this point. I need to figure out how close I am to the more experienced eye. I understand that different people will see her from a different perspective based on traits they consider more important to them.  I consider this a learning exercise.

Sorry for the lighting

I forgot to weigh her. Do you weigh your chicks at any particular age?

Thanks so much to everyone

[Suki]

What variety is she?

[Rebecca G Howie]

She is bantam Blue Wheaten at 19 weeks now. I have some better pics now that are more accurate color wise ( at least on my monitor ).

This is a comb shot at 19 weeks. I am a little concerned it is a bit too high and has a lot of little bumps that are not in a line.

I will upload more in next day or two

[Mike Gilbert]

She looks pretty normal for her age as near as I can tell from the photos.   Do you mind sharing whose line she is from?   It can be  difficult to evaluate wheatens and blue wheatens for color until the adult feathers are in.   Even then, the females' coloring will become more even after the first complete adult molt.   Sometimes the males lose that solid black chest as they age, apparently because they are not producing enough male hormones. 

[Rebecca G Howie]

I am calling her beard/muffs decent at this point. Her dam has pretty full b/m, close but not as full as the example pic on the photo page. I am hopeful she will have b/m as full as dams - nice, but not spectacular.

She has some faint blue coloring in her cape, is that called ticking? How much of a problem is that?

Her body color is getting more creamy, but she has a few remaining darker feathers, so I am watching those.

Do pullets often loose tail feathers around 4 months old? I have an EE same age. 3 weeks ago I was admiring their tails, thought they were pretty and now both have lost some tail feathers.

Before they dropped, her tail was almost all blue with little cream in them.

Is she maturing in a good direction? Am I close to evaluating her well?

[Rebecca G Howie]

She looks pretty normal for her age as near as I can tell from the photos.   Do you mind sharing whose line she is from?   It can be  difficult to evaluate wheatens and blue wheatens for color until the adult feathers are in.   Even then, the females' coloring will become more even after the first complete adult molt.   Sometimes the males lose that solid black chest as they age, apparently because they are not producing enough male hormones.

Sire and dam (is that correct term)  came from Robert Burns in NC

[Rebecca G Howie]

She looks pretty normal for her age as near as I can tell from the photos.   Do you mind sharing whose line she is from?   It can be  difficult to evaluate wheatens and blue wheatens for color until the adult feathers are in.   Even then, the females' coloring will become more even after the first complete adult molt.   Sometimes the males lose that solid black chest as they age, apparently because they are not producing enough male hormones.

Also, the first set of pics were taken in the "golden hour" before sunset. It gave her a gold/red color cast that she does not have. The second set of pics are pretty accurate on my monitor as far as her color tones

[Mike Gilbert]

I'm not familiar with Robert Burns or his stock, but your pullet looks like a nice blue wheaten that just needs time to develop.   Yes, tail feathers and most other feathers are molted and new ones grow in before growing birds mature.  It is a common misconception that muffs and beards should be huge.   I have never agreed with that, and the Standard does not call for it.   Shape is more important than size in my opinion.    I never liked those pendulous beards, as they are in an area that gets wet and stays moist by birds drinking from an open container, and that makes a great breeding ground for lice and maybe other parasites, as well as causing dirt to stick to the feathers and build up.   Just my opinions, and I'm sure others have their own thoughts on the subject. 

[John W Blehm]

I'm not familiar with Robert Burns or his stock, but your pullet looks like a nice blue wheaten that just needs time to develop...

Robert has been a club member for several years and bought bantam wheatens (and other varieties I think) from me years ago.  He also got some from Janet Little, in NJ, who got hers from me years ago also.  Of course both of them have many years involved in breeding their lines since. 
When my bantam wheatens didn't produce for me this year, Robert was very kind and sold some hatching eggs to me.  I hatched several and will use them with the older birds I have next year.

[Rebecca G Howie]

I'm not familiar with Robert Burns or his stock, but your pullet looks like a nice blue wheaten that just needs time to develop...

Robert has been a club member for several years and bought bantam wheatens (and other varieties I think) from me years ago.  He also got some from Janet Little, in NJ, who got hers from me years ago also.  Of course both of them have many years involved in breeding their lines since. 
When my bantam wheatens didn't produce for me this year, Robert was very kind and sold some hatching eggs to me.  I hatched several and will use them with the older birds I have next year.

Robert and Shirley are a delight to know. We have stayed in close touch through email and they made a quick road trip down here to hot, hot Florida and stopped in to see me. He also took home 3 of his grandbaby cockerels and some bantam EEs I had. NC must have a great market for EEs. He sells a lot and a woman rearranged her vacation to stop by and get 5 of my EEs to go back to NC

[Rebecca G Howie]

Oh, lookie, this same girlie gave me a surprise yesterday at 22 weeks. Did not expect that!

[Mike Gilbert]

I like her width across the front, her muffs, and the fact that she lays at an early age.   There may be something I can't see, but she looks like a definite keeper in my book.

[Rebecca G Howie]

Thank you. Love her more each day, and she has a half sibling Wheaten about a month behind and on the same path.  The rest are much younger and I am still watching for those special ones !!

She has a sweet personality, too. Likes that fat belly scratched.