Are these Blue Mille or Gold Neck d' Uccles?

I ordered Blue Mille Fleurs and Ideal Poultry sent me these. They look nothing like the pics I can find online of Blue Mille Fleur and look like the Gold Neck D' Uccles I've have had in the past and can identify online. Am I just really off and these will end up looking like Blue Mille Fleurs? Their website states this regarding the coloring of Blue Mille "he blue (Bl) gene only has an effect on black plumage resulting in blue plumage when the blue gene is present in the heterozygous state (Bl bl). Other plumage colors are not affected by the blue gene. When blue (Bl bl) males are mated with blue (Bl bl) females, the ratio of colors produced is as follows: 1 black (bl bl), 2 blue (Bl bl) and 1 splash (Bl Bl) (white with a blue cast). Any blue variety ordered from Ideal Poultry may include chicks with black, blue or splash plumage patterns"

These birds have had neither blue, black or splash coloring! These are pics of the day they arrived and now 3 weeks old. They insisted that they were Blue Mille Fleurs.





And now at 3 weeks old.

I'd say they're definetly not blue. Probably gold neck.

X2

I'm thinking Goldneck too.

So how would you handle it with Ideal? I'm pretty frustrated at being sent the wrong chicks and then being brushed off about having been sent the wrong chicks.

What were the other chicks you ordered in the first photo? Definitely see something blue in the first picture. I ordered from ideal about 6 weeks ago, got exactly what I ordered + one. The sexed cochins seem right too. In my order of 14 blue cochin I got almost all blue, 2 were black, 1 was splash.

That blue in the pictures is one of the 4 self blue cochins I ordered as well. I separated each variety in order to correctly and clearly identify, count and take pictures to show that I was not confusing the birds. And that's part of the problem you can tell the blue cochins are blue. It seems the blue mille fleur ought to look blue as well. But they aren't. I have ordered from Ideal for about 13 years now and not had a problem before now.

4 Blue Cochins



4 assorted Frizzle



4 Mille Fleur D' Uccle



And then these 5 chicks which they insisted were Blue Mille Fleur. And they clearly are not and don't match their own description. Not a hint of black, blue or splash coloring then or now.

I'm not seeing any blues except for the cochins. Tell them what responders on BYC say.

Hatcheries are important t o folks who want to keep "chickens: ". However, if you want birds of a certain breed, hatcheries are not a reliable source. Few raise chicks themselves, in all the breeds and varieties they picture and advertise. Most have a laying or broiler"breed" that is their specialty and may raise them--a good source of birds for those uses. Otherwise they may purchase most of their hatching eggs from ????? (several hatcheries asked me to sell them eggs for hatching--NO NO NO NO). They really do not know what is going to hatch from those eggs==and they must be shipped the day of hatch! And a majority of chicks cannot be identified at hatch, not really the fault of hatchery,. they send what they hatched from eggs promised to be a certain breed/variety!. The eggs they purchased hatch, chicks are boxed and sent! (or destroyed, if not sold) This is one reason that most bantam breeds are sold only in assorted varieties. Employees who select and box ALL THOSE CHICKS may never have seen a chick of a breed they are shipping--it is really assembly line and most always, the chicks are healthy when they are boxed ad shipped.
If you want Blue Mille Fleur d'uccles, you must purchase from a breeder--young birds in feather, not chicks! Too expensive? Not really, as how much is it going to cost (above cost of chicks) to raise these babies until you can see what they MAY BE? Go to the Breed Club listing, or Poultry Press ads--ask for pictures of the parent birds and youngsters as they are growing. It is worth it. And then, you may already know--genetically, the blue color is not simple. Have a hunch you do not want Blue/Black cross. Genetics with blue is complicated and results must follow strict breeding guidelines. And the study/activity is, as you already know, good for the soul!!! Good luck and let us see pictures of these nice little chicks when they are 5-6 months old.....and what variety they are..

Hello again. Had time to look in my "Belgian Bantams" book, by Vernonica Lake (super source of information). At the time, there were NO Blue Mille Fleurs in d'anvers, d'uccles, De Watermael, du Gubbe, d'Everberg Belgian Bantams.

However, there is a picture of Porcelains in both d'anvers and d'uccles and of Porcelain newly hatched chicks. They look like your creamy fluff chicks!! My belief is that your chicks are Porcelains. This could be "blue" to the Hatchery, but is Lavender X Mille Fleur in Belgians!!! This is not Blue Mille Fleur, but misunderstanding genetics of color could be the explanation about your chicks.

There are other varieties in Belgians that we do not have in the US, certainly not in Hatcheries. You may be pleased with your youngsters as they grow, so do not discard them until you know more about their mature plumage!

I have Mille Fleur Dutch Bantams. They are not bred in Porcelain in the US (except by hatcheries--and they are not pure Dutch, but crosses with OEGB --Lavender. They are not bred in Porcelain in Holland or UK, nor in Blue Mille Fleur in either country. I created Blue Mille Fleur in Dutch from a cross with Blue Light Brown Dutch. Males were quite attractive, females not at all appealing. Did not continue with them. We do not have Lavender Dutch in the US (unless hatchery crossbreds), so cannot make Porcelain Dutch Bantams in the US.

Mixing varieties is not a good thing (except for fun, but very disruptive for the breeds. Once you add a new color--genetically, it is there forever, and can crop up unexpectedly years later--not a nice thing for serious breeders of any pure standard bred bantams or large fowl.

Not to worry, I think you may have some nice Porcelain D'Uccles! Good luck.