WHITE BARNEVELDERS

purefeather · **Joined:** Wed Sep 29, 2010 6:36 pm **Posts:** 736

I've been breeding Barnevelders for a few decades now, this is the first time that white Barnevelders have appeared. Is this a sign of inbreeding or a sport (I have two white cockerels and six white pullets)? Or could there be an environmental influence at work here?
The reason I've mentioned environment is that we have several white sparrows flying around the garden, not to mention various coloured rabbits bounding around the place (ie: black, ginger, cream, whitish and of couse the more usual grey).
Looking forward to your enthusiastic replies.
Toodle Pip.

andre · **Joined:** Tue Oct 13, 2009 5:21 pm **Posts:** 612

Maybe it was a mutation that occurred somewhere in this line and it has come to the fore with linebreeding.

The alternative is that there has been an outcross somewhere in the background.

purefeather · **Joined:** Wed Sep 29, 2010 6:36 pm **Posts:** 736

Cheers,Andrewschooks,thanks for your reply. Fascinating business this chook caper.

Rhode Red · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2011 8:07 am

I would have said the white birds are due to inbreeding and you finally mated to right combination to get the sports. Noting that some genetic traits can remain hidden for a number of years before showing up, some say 9 years.
In Rhode Island Reds you always seem to get a cockerel evry year or so that looks a bit Malay game in type. From this I mean they has the slopping backline and tail and a more upright stance. The tail is gernerally not spread but pinched as a Malay. As we all have read that there was game (Red Malay) used to create the great breed. So today it still shows through. Genetics.

Back on topic, the fact that you also have other species in your area that have also managed to mutate, Environmental!!!. I would be checking the water or soil

.

Rhode Red

OakA · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2011 9:13 am

I would think that to sport Whites you may have just mated the right related birds to get them.
Good that you have ckls & plts so can continue with them if this is what you want to do.
Sorry for going off topic but to reply to Rhode Red.
The Malay tail is not actually 'pinched' but the male tail is as you say drooped but it is carried close with narrow feather, something that has appeared to have been lost in some lines.
The female tail is referred to as "played" ie is not fanned top to bottom but in fact fanned side to side, again carried low with narrow feather and another breed characteristic that appears lacking in some lines.
My reason though RR is that this year I have bred some RED Malays with blue tail and wings, like you say GENETICS.
I knew of the relationship of the Malay bred into the Rhodes to give it it's lovely rich colour but in forty years have NEVER seen a red Malay in the flesh.I must have just got lucky and mated the right fowls that carried the gene.
I will certainly be going on with them, they are a very pretty fowl.
On a similar note I got a SPANGLE Malay bantam ckl as well, another old colour of the breed I have never seen.He unfortunately committed suicide in a water trough but his parents are still here and will try again this season, he was a true Malay spangle in that he did not have a white tip to each feather as in OEG but was a tortoiseshell of equal quantities of red/black /white as the old books and standards describe.

Rhode Red · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2011 9:37 am

Oakland,
Sorry, for my "softfeather" comments (pinched tail, drooped), my reference was more related the tail spread. Yes I would say that the maintail feathers are narrow, as are the sickle feathers and carried closer that the "norm".

I will try to get a photo of a young male I have at the farm when next there (2-3 weeks time), last time he was very much in this style, and headed very soon to be lunch.

Sounds like you have got some very interesting genetics in the background of your breeding birds.

Rhode Red

OakA · **Posted:** Tue May 10, 2011 10:12 am

It's certainly appears to be that way RR.
I have had a couple of pleasant surprises and look forward to more.
I have a couple of Blue Tailed Wheatens and a silver Duckwing that has come silver all over like an old fashioned Birchen OEG, not the typical partridge feather pattern as you would expect from a duckwing.
One of the advantages of poultry, we can eat our mistakes and take great pleasure in our successes.
There is always something around the corner or in the next hatch to maintain and fire our continued interest.
Why ever would we do anything else. lol
I hope this season to also breed some whites, in all I have made up 5 breeding pens and yet to decide who goes where and to what with the youngsters that at this point are really only half reared although now a few months old, so slow to mature, but if they come up slow, generally are just as slow to go past thier best and can make full use of thier genetic potential.
Now all I have to do is breed that elusive BLACK, they were here in SA (many many years ago)but I have never been fortunate enough to see one.Maybe if I can get my hands on a black Indian that some have bred in recent times I might give that one a go also. lol

purefeather · **Joined:** Wed Sep 29, 2010 6:36 pm **Posts:** 736

Oaklands & Rhode Red, I'd like to encourage you to keep using this thread hopefully with some photos of the birds you've mentioned, and yes I'll keep breeding the Whites, too curious not to.

COLDTRAIN · **Joined:** Wed May 11, 2011 3:29 pm **Posts:** 3

I have noticed in the UK they have white barnies with many breeders but do we not? if not I hope you have great success with them

purefeather · **Joined:** Wed Sep 29, 2010 6:36 pm **Posts:** 736

Cheers Coldtrain , I've got the sniffles going through the flock at the moment, treating them with Oxymav, fingers crossed. Must admit I've had good success with this drug, last year I pulled through some youngsters that couldn't walk because they were so weak. I had to dose them with an eyedropper/syringe, too weak to drink for themselves.

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