Amazing white birds, Peacock, Silk Chickens and Сock, Indian Fantail Pigeon
Like 4 Dislike 0 Published on 2 May 2017
A partridge Silkie hen, Indian peafowl, Indian Fantail Pigeon.
#Silkie plumage was once unique among chicken breeds, however in recent years silkie feathering has been developed in several breeds, mostly notably the Chabo, where it is now standardised in Britain and the Netherlands. It has been compared to silk, and to fur. The overall result is a soft, fluffy appearance. Their feathers lack functioning barbicels, and are thus similar to down on other birds. This characteristic leaves Silkies unable to fly.
Silkies appear in two distinct varieties: bearded and non-bearded. Bearded Silkies have an extra muff of feathers under the beak area that covers the earlobes. They also are separated according to color. Colors of Silkie recognized for competitive showing include black, blue, buff, grey, partridge, and white. Alternative hues, such as cuckoo, lavender, red, and splash also exist. The standards of perfection call for all Silkies to have a small walnut-colored comb, dark wattles, and turquoise-blue earlobes. In addition to these defining characteristics, Silkies have five toes on each foot. Other breeds which exhibit this rare trait include the Dorking, Faverolles, and Sultan.
All Silkies have black skin, bones and grayish-black meat; their Chinese language name is wu gu ji (烏骨雞), meaning 'black-boned chicken'. #Melanism which extends beyond the skin into an animal's connective tissue is a rare trait, and in chickens it is caused by fibromelanosis, which is a rare mutation believed to have begun in #Asia. The Silkie and several other breeds descended from Asian stock possess the mutation. Disregarding color, the breed does not generally produce as much as the more common meat breeds of chicken.
Silkies lay a fair number of eggs, of a cream color, but production is often interrupted due to their extreme tendency to go broody; a hen will produce 100 eggs in an ideal year. Their capacity for incubation, which has been selectively bred out of most fowl #bred especially for egg production, is often exploited by poultry keepers by allowing Silkies to raise the offspring of other birds. In addition to being good mothers, #Silkies are universally renowned for their calm, friendly temperament. They do well in confinement, and interact very well with children. This docility can cause Silkies to be bullied by more active or aggressive #birds when kept in mixed flocks.
*******************************************************************************
The Congo #peacock male does not display his covert feathers, but uses his actual tail feathers during courtship displays. These feathers are much shorter than those of the Indian and green species, and the ocelli are much less pronounced. Females of the Indian and African species are dull grey and/or brown.
Chicks of both sexes in all the species are cryptically coloured. They vary between yellow and tawny, usually with patches of darker brown or light tan and "dirty white" ivory.
Occasionally, peafowl appear with #white plumage. Although albino peafowl do exist, this is quite rare and almost all white peafowl are not, in fact, albinos; they have a different condition called leucism which causes an overall reduction in different types of pigment. This can result in the complete lack of coloration of their plumage, while preserving normal eye colour. By contrast, true albino peafowl have a complete lack of melanin, resulting in the albino's characteristic red or pink eyes. Leucistic peachicks are born yellow and become fully white as they mature.
**********************************************************************************
The #Indian #Fantail is a #breed of #fancy #pigeon developed over many years of selective breeding. Indian Fantails, along with other varieties of domesticated pigeons are all descendants of the rock dove (Columba livia).
The Indian Fantail pigeon is a breed of fancy pigeon; it originated in India.
They have a distinct fan shaped tail, and are bigger than the English Fantail pigeon. Indian Fantail pigeons are most commonly white with light tan spots, although breeders have introduced more new colours. Their feet are covered in feathers, and the birds walk on their toes. Their average weight is 13 ounces (369 g) and their average length is 11 inches (28 cm). The chest is carried upright so that it is higher than the bird’s head, which rests back on the cushion formed by the tail feathers.
Indian Fantail #pigeons usually lay 2 or 3 #eggs in a clutch. Hatched fledglings take at least 4 to 6 weeks to fly and leave their home. Usually a breeding pair can lay eggs around or after 21 days from the first hatch.
Thank you very much for views, comments and likes!