Chicken Feather Colors 101
Body Colors, Feather Colors, Patterns & More
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Chicken Feather Colors 101
When it comes to raising chickens, one of the most fascinating aspects for enthusiasts and backyard farmers alike is the wide array of chicken feather colors. From the shimmering iridescence of black Australorps to the striking patterns of Speckled Sussex, chicken feather colors not only add beauty to your flock but also offer insights into their breeds and genetics. Understanding these vibrant hues and patterns can help you select the perfect chickens for your coop, whether you’re aiming for a picturesque homestead or striving for optimal egg production. Dive into our guide to explore the world of chicken feather colors and learn how these colorful birds can brighten your backyard.
Pigments in Feathers
In the vibrant world of chicken feather colors, two primary pigments, black and red, serve as the fundamental building blocks. Every recognized color variety in chickens is derived from these two pigments, which can be enhanced, diluted, or masked to create the stunning array of colors seen in different breeds. Through selective breeding, humans have mastered the art of manipulating these genetic traits to produce an incredible spectrum of feather colors. Whether you’re admiring a brilliant gold-laced Wyandotte or a subtle blue Andalusian, it’s all thanks to the strategic interplay of black and red pigments guided by expert breeding practices.
Rooster vs. Hen Feather Color
The differences in feather colors between roosters and hens are often striking and play a crucial role in the visual dynamics of a flock. Roosters typically exhibit more vibrant and varied colors, with iridescent feathers, bold patterns, and longer, more elaborate tail feathers. This vibrant plumage serves not only to attract hens but also to establish dominance and deter rivals. In contrast, hens generally have more subdued and uniform feather colors, which provide camouflage while nesting and protecting their eggs. This sexual dimorphism in feather coloration is a result of evolutionary pressures and selective breeding, allowing roosters to stand out and display their genetic fitness while hens remain inconspicuous and protected.
Chicken Feather Body Colors
Chickens come in a dazzling array of feather colors, from the deep, glossy black of the Ayam Cemani to the delicate, creamy white of the Silkie. These body colors are not just for aesthetics; they also reflect the breed’s genetic heritage and can influence their adaptation to different environments. To learn how to better identify chickens and determine breeds based on feather colors, you may also want to check out how to describe chicken feather colors, the anatomy of colors, and feather patterns.
Bay
The Bay color of chicken feathers is a rich, reddish-brown hue, often with a warm, chestnut undertone. This distinctive coloration can create a striking contrast against lighter feather patterns or add depth to darker ones.
Birchen
Birchen features a main body and tail of the chicken which are solid black. The head, hackles on males and females, and the saddle on males have silvery white feathers with a narrow black stripe through the middle of each feather. The breast feathers are black with a narrow trim of silver.
Black
Chicken with feathers that are pure black contain eumelanin pigmentation in all parts of the feathers. The head, hackle, back, saddle, sickles and wing bows can have a beetle-green to purple sheen that may be particularly rich in male birds but still very evident in females.
Black-Breasted Red
Roosters are very colorful and quite different from hens. Roosters have black body feathers and a black tail, with red hackles, back, shoulders, and parts of the wing. Hens have brown body feathers with yellow-orange hackles or black hackles laced in gold, a salmon breast, and black tail. Within the BBR color scheme there are slight variations between breeds.
Blue
This chicken feather color is a dilution of black, and is generally applied to any bird with a slate gray appearance. Some breeds with blue varieties with black lacing, while others are leaden blue, lemon blue, or blue slate. Self blue in the US and lavender in the UK is characterized by a uniform, pale bluish gray color across all feathers.
Buff
This color describes an even shade of gold, orange-yellow. Several varieties are solid buff all over, while others have black accents in the tail, neck, or wings. This gentle hue is uniform and consistent, lending a smooth and pleasing aesthetic to the chicken’s plumage.
Chestnut
Chestnut feathers are a rich, reddish-brown color. They typically have a warm, dark brown hue with a noticeable red or mahogany tint, resembling the color of chestnut wood. This color can be quite vibrant and is often even across the feather, though some variations and patterns may occur.
Cinnamon
A dark, reddish buff feather color. Feathering color varies with brownish feathers and white feathers on the adult hens. This rich and earthy hue, reminiscent of the spice it is named after, adds a distinctive and overall attractive appearance to the bird.
Columbian
This color pattern is a white with black pattern. Roosters have a white head, back, and thighs. The hackles are green-black laced with white lacing, and the main tail and sickles are solid black. Hens have white bodies with black necks laced in white, and some black tail feathers.
Crele
A blend of cuckoo barring with Black-Breasted Red, resulting in a cuckoo feathers bird with yellow, orange, and red accents. Roosters will have these accents in hackles, shoulders, and saddles, and hens will only have accents in the hackles.
Duckwing
This feather color is characterized by a distinct bar of contrasting color across the wing of the male. Duckwing feathers can be golden, blue golden, silver (shown above), blue silver, and fawn silver.
Fawn
Fawn chicken feathers typically exhibit a light, tawny brown or beige hue, often with a slightly reddish or yellowish undertone. This color can vary but it generally resembles the color of a young deer or “fawn.” In some breeds, fawn feathers might also have subtle patterns or variations in shading, adding to the overall appearance.
Golden Laced
This feather color pattern is characterized by red/gold and black. Roosters have a red head, hackle, back, and saddle feathers. Fluff is black and the tail is a lustrous greenish black. The wing bow and breast is red/gold with uniform black lacing on each feather. The hen’s head is red/gold. Hackle feathers are black laced with red. Body feathers are red/gold with black lacing.
Mille Fleur
The Mille Fleur chicken color pattern is a striking combination of rich reddish-brown feathers adorned with black and white tips, creating a speckled or “mille-fleurs” (thousand flowers) effect. Feathers are mahogany colored, with each tip having a crescent-shaped black bar followed by a V-shaped white spangle.
Partridge
This body color is very similar to Black-Breasted Red. Roosters look so similar, they can easily be described as one or the other. The notable differences are within the hen’s feather pattern. Hackle feathers are black in the center with a thin border of reddish bay. The overall body color is the same reddish bay with beautiful black pencilings. Each feather should have three black pencilings. The main tail is black except for the top two feathers, which follow the same pattern as the body. This intricate pattern is very visually striking.
Red
A rich dark red or mahogany red. Roosters have glossy red necks, backs, and saddle feathers, with greenish black tail feathers and breasts. Hens have tones varying from gold, to salmon, to brown, to black. A rich dark red or mahogany red. Red feather color is the intensified version of Buff.
Red Pyle
This is a color pattern seen in Modern and Old English Games. Roosters overall have white bodies, with red/orange hackles, saddle feathers, and wing bows. Hens are white or salmon with golden heads.
Salmon
Reddish or pinkish buff like the color of cooked salmon. This color is used to describe the breasts of Black-Breasted Red females. In the salmon variety of feather color, hens have a white breast and fluff and the rest of the body is a salmon color. Roosters are more diverse in color.
Silver
A color pattern characterized by a silvery white. Roosters have varying shades of white, black, and greenish black feathers. Hens have a salmon breast, gray body, and white hackles with a black center stripe.
Silver Laced
The Silver Laced chicken pattern showcases feathers with a brilliant silver-white base, each outlined by a sharp, black edge, creating a striking laced effect. Fluff is black, and the tail is a lustrous greenish black. The wing bow and breast is silver with uniform black lacing on each feather. The hen’s head is silver. Hackle feathers are black laced with silver. Body feathers are silver with black lacing.
Silver Penciled
This color pattern is characterized by silver and black. Roosters have a silver head, hackle, back, and saddle feathers are silver with a black center strip. Breast and fluff are black and the tail is a lustrous greenish black. Hens have a pattern similar to Partridge, however in silver rather than reddish bay. The head is silver, the hackle feathers are black laced with silver, and the body feathers are silver with three black pencilings, giving the overall appearance of a steel gray.
Silver Spangled
This feather color shows off lustrous, greenish black spangles on silvery white plumage. This gives the chickens polka dot or “spangled” look.
Wheaten
Wheaten chicken feathers look like the color of yellow wheat. Hens are mostly wheat colored with a darker neck and tail. Roosters have more variety in their coloring but are typically a more orange version of Black-Breasted Red.
White
In White chickens, the entire surface of the plumage is pure white due to the absence of melanin pigmentation in all parts of the feathers. Both hens and roosters are all white, all over the body.
How to Describe Chicken Feather Body Colors
Describing chicken feather body colors involves noting the primary color, any patterns or markings, and the overall sheen or texture. For instance, a Rhode Island Red might be described as having a rich mahogany base with a glossy luster. By paying attention to these details, you can accurately capture the unique beauty and characteristics of each chicken breed.
Brassiness
Yellow discoloration of feathers, usually on the back and wing.
Dusky
Yellow pigments shaded with black, giving a mousey brown appearance.
Hard Feathered
A bird with feathers that lay close to the body, giving a sleek appearance.
Luster
How light interacts with the surface of a feather, adding dimension to the color.
Peppering
Feathers dotted with small but irregular spots.
Rust
The reddish brown shading on the outside of the wings in Black-Breasted Reds.
Self-Color
A uniform color, unmixed with any other color.
Shafty
A dark-colored feather having a light shaft.
Soft Feathered
A bird with feathers that fluff away from the body, giving a fuller appearance.
Ticking
Plumage that has spots of a different color than the rest of the body. Also known as stippling.
Tipping
The ends of feathers are marked with a different color.
Wing Bar
A distinct mark on the top of a birds wing caused by contrasting colors on the tips of the primary and secondary coverts.
Anatomy of Chicken Feather Colors
The anatomy of chicken feather colors is rooted in the structure and pigmentation of each feather. Feathers contain two primary pigments, eumelanin and pheomelanin, which blend to create a vast array of colors and patterns. Additionally, the microscopic structure of feathers can affect how light is reflected, producing iridescent and shimmering effects that add to the visual complexity of a chicken’s plumage. Here’s some terms that will help you describe feather colors accurately.
Ground Color
The main color of body plumage; base color.
Top Color
The color of the plumage on the back.
Under Color
The color of the fluff of the feathers, seen when main feathers are lifted.
Primaries
The feathers of the wing are generally called the flight feathers.
Primary Coverts
The feathers that cover the primaries on the wing.
Secondaries
The quill feathers of the wing which are visible when the wing is closed.
Shaft
The stem of the quill part of the feather.
Sickles
The long, curved feathers of a male’s tail.
Tail Coverts
The feathers that cover the main tail feathers of the rooster.
Wing Bay
The triangular part of the folded wing.
Wing Bow
The upper or shoulder part of the wing.
Wing Butt
The end of the primaries; the corners or ends of the wing.
Wing Coverts
The feathers cover the roosts of the secondary quills.
Feather Patterns in Chickens
Describing feather patterns in chickens involves observing the arrangement and distribution of colors and markings on their plumage. Common patterns include the barred, laced, and mottled designs, each with distinctive shapes and color contrasts.
Barring
Feathers with horizontal stripes (bars) of two colors. Bars can be of equal thickness or one color may be thicker than the other. Barred breeds are usually sex-linked, meaning male chicks and female chicks look distinctly different at hatching.
Cucko Barring
Irregular barring where the two colors are somewhat indistinct and run into each other. Considered a subtype of barred.
Double Laced
Two lacings of black. First there is the outer black lacing around the edge of the feather, plus the inner or second lacing.
Lacing
A stripe, edging, or trim all around a feather of contrasting color. Single laced feathering is extremely common in backyard breeds.
Mottled
Some feathers, but not all, have white tips on the ends. The white is actually a loss of pigment, and gives the bird an indistinct spotted look.
Open Barring
Where the bars on a feather are wide apart.
Open Lacing
Narrow outer lacing, which gives the feather a larger open center of ground color.
Penciling
Distinct thin lines that follow the contour of the feather. Each feather usually has multiple pencilings. They are especially beautiful and intricate in design.
Spangled
Similar to mottled feathers, but the loss of pigment occurs in the middle of the feather instead of the tip. The tip and base of the feather will be colored, while the middle is white.
Splashed
Feathers that have irregular “splashes” of contrasting color.
Striped
Feathers with a solid center and contrasting color running along the edge. Stripes occur in hackle feathers and some saddle feathers.