Will the feathers lighten up......

[mrjayd]

as they grow older and moult?

[Georgiesmum]

Im not sure if the grey feathers will lighten but the red tail feathers do have a tint on black at the end which will come back without the black after they molt

[dhorje]

My Grey is 2 years old and her feathers are still dark gray instead of light gray (more like silver) as I have seen in others.

[Jayd]

There is 256 shades of gray the human eye can see. Grey's from different areas of Africa, are a different shade of gray! A Grey also see's "UV", When a Grey looks at another Grey, it has color. Ask Danmcq to post some photo's and explain it....Jayd

[Xtreme575]

Paco is currently looking like a spotted Grey. He is going through his first molt, and I'm amazed at how much darker grey the new feathers are. Paco was a June hatchling who wasn't exposed to a whole lot of UVB prior to this spring and our outings, so for my parrot at least, it looks as though we are going darker. I've been meaning to post about this, so I'm glad you did. I'd love to hear from some more experienced members to hear their input.

 

Ryan

[mrjayd]

I thought I read somewhere once that the Cameroons are generally lighter in color but I was just wondering about the normal CAG's if they lighten up with age. I also read somewhere that females get a little lighter than males?

[Jayd]

I thought I read somewhere once that the Cameroons are generally lighter in color but I was just wondering about the normal CAG's if they lighten up with age. I also read somewhere that females get a little lighter than males?

http://www.africangreys.com/articles/other/variations.htm

[Xtreme575]

Thanks Jay, that was an interesting article to read. Since we are not really able to trace back the original area that our bird's ancestors are from, and being one and sometimes two generations out of the jungle, I guess we could end up with any colouring. I'm just surprised that Paco's original feathers were so light and silver and now the new ones are so dark! I'm happy with it, I love the dark greys!

[Dave007]

Any new feathers that come in on a grey's body are supposed to be darker because they're new and have a fresh blood supply. They get lighter as they age or when the loss of feathers is around the corner. Most people look at flight feathers when they see shadings of gray. The lighter they are, the more aged they are and also dusty with layers of dander on them. Bathe a grey and you'll see those same feathers become very dark because they're very clean.

[Joolesgreyuk]

What an adorable baby you have there mrjayd!

[Xtreme575]

Thanks Dave, they must have lightened up then, because I've been bathing as you posted a few days ago in the sink with the mister, and even then his old feathers are significantly lighter in colour.

[danmcq]

Dave as always is spot on.

 

My Grey Dayo is of the "darker" colored variety. His feathers lighten up a little over time as they age until molted out or from the white dander that coats them in between baths. I will say also, unlike wild Greys that stick together in there respective areas i.e. the "Cameroon" region are by genetics the "Lighter" and larger Greys.

 

He where breeding pairs in captivity are from generally ALL regions pair off and produce chicks with the genes mixed, unless a breeder has specifically selected and mated only "Cameroon" region greys to keep that genetic line intact. Some breeders even try at times the "Cameroon Greys for sale" to get more money as if they are a different breed, which they are not. It is similar to humans from different "Regions" that stay and do not venture out in the gene pool and thus all descendants of that area have similar skin tone, eye shapes and height. WE are all still Humans, just from different gene pools.

 

IN a nutshell, your grey will stay with the same coloring it was born with, barring the beautiful solid red tail that emerges when those baby tail feathers molt out.