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Hen coloring and leg color

2/17/2015

2 Comments

 
The weather could not have been better this weekend.  Many folks complain about the constant rain in the Pacific Northwest, but when the sun finally comes out, the greenery makes this one of the most beautiful places in the world.  

We thought we might take advantage of the sunshine to snap a few more photos of our flock.  We will post more photos with analysis soon. 
Picture
A nice shot of a few of our hens and pullets.
Here are a few of our hens and pullets.  For those unaware, a hen is a female chicken, and a pullet is a hen under a year of age.

The pullet in the center has the nicest coloring of any of our current females. Note the uniform golden color of the hackle feathers on the neck. Many hens possess spangles in the neck feathers, or a brownish tinge like the hen to the right, and these traits are less desirable. 

However, a good breeding program must balance various traits to approach perfection. The hen to the right may have a less desirable hackle, but her spangling in the body is more clear and defined, and she has a larger tail and spectacular comb. 

Also note the leg color difference between the two birds: Buttercups are required to have willow green legs, and the hen to the right clearly has slaty blue legs.  Why is this acceptable?  Well let us first examine what causes leg color in chickens.

There are several different leg colors in the chicken world, including white, yellow, blue, and green.  The willow green of the Buttercup leg color is caused by a very dark under color, with an overlay of yellow skin.  A slaty blue leg is caused by a bird with the same under color, but white skin, such as a Polish. 

Like all Mediterranean breeds, Buttercups are bred primarily for egg production, and are required to have yellow skin.  Their yellow skin provides them with yellow pigment to supply to their egg yolks during egg production.  While they are laying, hens begin to go through a bleaching process as all the yellow pigment in their skin is used up.  Eventually, all their skin bleaches to white, and the dark under color of their legs shines through as slaty blue. 

The hen on the right has been laying for several months now, and the yellow skin on her legs has bleached to white, causing her legs to turn from green to blue.  The pullet in the center has just started laying, and still has plenty of yellow pigment in her skin.

Check out our page about the breed or our page on heritage breeds for more information!  Feel free to contact us or leave a comment with questions or thoughts! 
2 Comments
Stephanie Summar
3/21/2016 03:32:52 pm

Hi,
My daughters recently won 2 Sicilian Buttercup hens at an auction at a local FFA poultry show. The name of the sellers was not provided, they were donated to make money for the show. I know of no one in our area who raises them and found you on the internet. They seem like very sweet little birds and I am wondering if they could be show quality, and if so, one of my daughters would like to try a breeding project for 4H this summer. I don't think we can post pictures here, but I wish I could get a comment on whether they seem to be hatchery birds or birds from a breeder. We would be interested in purchasing a cock if they are of any quality. We are from Tulsa Oklahoma. Any information you could provide would be helpful. I read the blog about leg color and both have the willow legs, one has slightly lighter with stronger yellow overlay and one has slightly darker but still willowy in color. Thanks for your help in advance!
Stephanie

Reply
Benjamin Janicki
4/15/2016 03:36:23 pm

Stephanie,

Thank you for your comment, it is very exciting to read about other folks who have bantam buttercups. I would love to see photos of your birds, and perhaps I could send you a cock so you can start breeding them.

Please send me an email at [email protected]. That will be the best way to get me photos and correspond.

Sincerely,
Benjamin Janicki

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    Benjamin Janicki

    Welcome to our blog! Here's where we will post new photos, fun facts and articles about Buttercups and poultry in general, and keep you up to date on our breeding operation and show schedule. Check back frequently for new posts! 

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