Wandotte feathers

[FlaFly 0]

Just wondering whether anyone uses feathers from Wyandotte chickens... especially the hens. They have either silver or gold feathers bordered in black, all over their bodies. Seems like they could be used in a variety of ways, especially streamers.

Here are pictures of a Golden Laced Wyandotte and a Silver Laced Wyandotte.

[HookON 0]

they look nice never seen one . It would be nice to try

[FlaFly 0]

I pass a yard almost every day when I'm in NC that has silver lace Ws in their yard. Invariably one has gotten over the fence and is pecking gravel in the roadside ditch. One of these days I'm bound to find one that ventured onto the road and got hit. US 64 I call roadkill highway anyway.

[mikechell 0]

The smallest of those Silver feathers might make wonderful eyes ... maybe better than Jungle Cock.

[BattenkillBum 0]

They look very similar to Amherst pheasant tippet. Would make a good sub for shoulders on the the ghost series maybe?

[FlaFly 0]

I was thinking the same thing Battenbum. Streamer shoulders. Maybe also wings for something or other.

 

I have an old lady friend who keeps chickens for pets and she has at least one golden laced. They're all her pets so I don't think she'd like me suggesting knocking it off for chicken and dumplings, but they do occasionally get killed by raccoons, and at least some feathers might be left behind. Don't know exactly how to bring the subject up.

[Stevester 0]

They do look pretty cool. I don't recall seeing them before but it has been awhile since I have walked around a 4H show. A few years back one of my brother in laws asked my wife and I to meet him and his fiancé at the ag show in Harrisburg. I do remember walking around the hall with the ducks and chickens wondering how I could stuff a few under my jacket without anyone noticing.

 

 

Steve

[tidewaterfly 0]

I had a silver hen when I raised my own chickens. For the most part I felt the feathers were too big for most trout flies, but larger flies such as for salmon, steelhead, bass or whatever else, they should be fine. I used some body feathers as tails on poppers. Unfortunately a fox (I think) got to that hen before I could make more use of the feathers. That hen was given to me by a neighbor of my one sister, along with a couple of other hens & a rooster. The guy was moving & had to get rid of the chickens he had, so I ended up with them. Otherwise I probably would have never been aware of that type either.

[FlaFly 0]

Too bad old Reynard got her, Tidey. They are, besides being beautiful, very good egg layers.

 

I think Mike had it right... not all the body feathers are the same size. The smallest ones could be streamer eyes, and next size up could be shoulders. I was hoping to find someone that had actually used them so we could see the result. Maybe if I search the database I can find something.

[FlaFly 0]

Didn't find any flies, but... I thought the hens were pretty. Wait till you see the roosters!! Here's a golden and a silver, plus one of a bunch of variants - a Tollebunte Wyandotte, brown feathers edged in white.

 

[vicrider 0]

Ah man, all I can think of is getting them early at the right stage and the tremendous soft hackle that could be had. I use a lot of hen soft hackle and once you learn how to use it it's a tremendous substitute or variance from Partridge or Starling.

 

These are soft hackles using bead as support and hen soft hackle from Termite.

[trez 0]

I think these are the same thing dyed.

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Whiting-Fluorescent-Green-Chartreuse-Laced-American-Hen-Saddle-Feather-Crafts/361201884577?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3Dca2d55e0d97e48c38706af64b3546708%26pid%3D100005%26rk%3D2%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D111582279794&rt=nc

 

If so, I like and use them for soft hackle flies. Whiting black laced hen hackle...

[StoneFlyTyer 0]

These are my feathery friends but they are not wandotte but it's fun to raise my own birds for tying and no I don't kill them just for feathers, it's one of fringe benefits and some awesome eggs to eat lol. Between them and I have a buddy that owns a pheasant preserve, where we raise pheasant, ducks and chuckers I haven't had to buy feathers in a while

[Piker20 0]

I really wanted wynadottes but the wife had Orpingtons' instead. The feathers are fine at the top of the cape for trout hackle and will look great dyed.

[ditz2 0]

Those round feathers should make nice wings for the old classic type of bass flies which were nothing more than large versions of trout flies. I think they usually used duck feathers for the wings.