Yellow legs - nature or nurture?

[jessmorris]

Hello lovely chicken folk,
I have a small query for you....

I have some Orloffs who should have yellow legs. Most of them have except a cockerel I have just been given as a potential stud male. His legs are pink. The owner said that folk made the legs yellow by feeding the poultry feed with carotene in it. Should I bother, as I'm sure his offspring will have pink legs and therefore be unshowable? My own orloffs have had posh feed since hatch with carotene and are on grass so have bright yellow legs......

Sigh.

JM

[mothhawk]

I thought yellow skin colour was inherited, and a recessive gene. You can enhance the yellow by feeding carotene, but if it's not there to start with, then that won't work.

Have a read of this.

[RichmondHens]

Agree. Don't know anything about Orloffs but with Leghorns and Welsummers, both of which I keep and have yellow legs, they have them naturally, they don't get "created" by diet. Suspect your Orloff is not as pure as he should be.

[frias]

Never had an Orloff but I hatched 4 Welsummers 3 years ago. The one hen and 2 cocks had yellow legs but one of the cocks had pink legs. They eggs came from different hens but had all ran with the same cockerel. No idea what colour his legs were though as the eggs were given to me. I still have the hen and her legs are not as yellow now as they used to be. She started her moult 2 days ago and is now almost bald. She had a tail this morning but it had all fallen out by tonight. She is usually the most beautiful of my girls but looks really funny now.

[jessmorris]

Hmm. He's for the pot then. I wouldn't dare suggest to the Orloff breeder and show-er lady who gave him to me that maybe he's not as 'pure' as he should be!

[RichmondHens]

Well it might be worth you asking around other breeders before you cull. As I said I'm not familiar with this breed so some difference of leg colour might be allowed in the breed standard, you would have to check with the Club.

[jessmorris]

No, 'legs other than yellow' are a serious fault....

[RichmondHens]

Oo er, looks like he's for the chop then!