%100 Imported English Spangled Orpington
The Spangled
Beak-black,white or slightly mottled.
Eyes-red or brown, red prefered.
Comb, wattles, face and earlobes-red.
Legs and feet-black and white mottled
as evenly as possible. Toe nails and skin-white.
Plumage of the cock-Hackles- black with
white tips. Back-black, slightly ticked with white. Breast, thighs and fluff-
Black with white spangles, the two colours showing in equal proportions,
avoiding a ticked effect on the one hand, and a blotchy effect on the other.
Wings- bow, similar to black; bar, black; secondairies and primaries black and
white, but more white allowed in the primairies or flights. Tail-black and
white; the sickles and the coverts black with white tips.
Plumage of the hen.- Neck, wings (flights only) and tail, similar to those parts of the cock.Remainder- the same as the breast of the cock, the effect to be uniform throughout the bird. ( NOTE- In both sexes, the black should have a bright green sheen gloss, and the
white should be pure and bright, the two colours distinct and not running into eachother.)
Our Bloodline originates from Louise Caldwell at Autumn Farm
Beak-black,white or slightly mottled.
Eyes-red or brown, red prefered.
Comb, wattles, face and earlobes-red.
Legs and feet-black and white mottled
as evenly as possible. Toe nails and skin-white.
Plumage of the cock-Hackles- black with
white tips. Back-black, slightly ticked with white. Breast, thighs and fluff-
Black with white spangles, the two colours showing in equal proportions,
avoiding a ticked effect on the one hand, and a blotchy effect on the other.
Wings- bow, similar to black; bar, black; secondairies and primaries black and
white, but more white allowed in the primairies or flights. Tail-black and
white; the sickles and the coverts black with white tips.
Plumage of the hen.- Neck, wings (flights only) and tail, similar to those parts of the cock.Remainder- the same as the breast of the cock, the effect to be uniform throughout the bird. ( NOTE- In both sexes, the black should have a bright green sheen gloss, and the
white should be pure and bright, the two colours distinct and not running into eachother.)
Our Bloodline originates from Louise Caldwell at Autumn Farm
The Mottling Gene
The mottled gene ( mo ) was discovered in 1930 by Amundson and Milne and is one of
the most controversial and least documented of all the genes.
In Orpingtons (mo) is partly responsible for the Mille Fleur pattern of the Jubilee
Orpington and the normal mottled variety but although both these colours are
influenced by mo they have a different mix of other genes that cause the two
separate distinct feather patterns. This gene is varied in its expression from
indistinct irregular mottles to a uniform even distribution and the desired even
mottling is only obtainable by years of careful selection.
The mottling gene does not cause a white splodge on top of the normal feather colour
but in fact when the feather is being grown causes a lack of pigment on the
first tip of the feather , followed by a black band and then the rest of the
feather takes on the bird’s particular ground colour
This is another recessive gene so in theory for a bird to express mottles both parents
would have to carry the gene. However in practice a degree of mottling can
appear on a bird that only had one mottled parent. Split mottled birds often have white wing
tips and the odd faint mottles.
Mottled Orpingtons are a colour for the patient breeder and aiming for perfection is a
slow and long process. Mottled Orpington growers can show little expression of
the mottles and only after the first moult into their adult plumage do they show
their full colour. But over the years after each consecutive moult the mottling
can increase to show a greater expanse of white and thus causing a blurred and
muddled appearance. Also the mottled expression on an individual feather can
change so if a perfectly mottled feather was plucked on its regrowth it may
either return the same, increase the mottling or show no signs of
mottling.
Because the mottling gene causes a lack of pigment and is not a colour changing gene it
can be introduced onto any solid colour but remembering that if any colour
diluting genes are also present that the black band will either change colour or
become less visible.
For example my Large Fowl Black Mottled Orpingtons still have a pigment free tip to
the feather followed by a Black band and then followed by a Black ground colour
to the rest of the feather.
But because the band and the ground colour are the same it gives the appearance of
just a white tipped feather but if you inspect the feather closely the black
band is a dull black and the rest of the feather is a brighter black with the
desired Orpington Green sheen.