What am I hatching from my blue slates?

We've been raising blue slates for the past four years and hatching each spring. Last year we got a couple new hens and a new tom from two different places to add to our flock and keep our bloodlines diverse. I didn't hatch many last year because we had life stuff that made hatching low on the list of priorities, but what I did hatch were all normal slate, self blue or black (we have 4 slate hens, a black hen and our Tom is slate). Anyway, I just hatched some out this past week, and I had two slate hatch and then two that look like nothing I've hatched before and I can't figure out what is going on. These turkeys are in a breeding pen, and there is no way they are mixing with any other turkey breeds (we only have one non slate turkey on our property anyway, and Royal Palm tom). Can someone tell me what I might have hatched? Thanks.

One of your new hens isn't a red slate or a red bronze. Are they.

Until they get older and feather more looks kinda like some Bourbon red coloration peeking thru.

No, they are blue slates. I'll go take a picture of them all here in a few.

Is it possible they are lilac or red blue bronze? But I'm not even sure how that would happen. The guy I got the new hens from had only blue slates, so they should be pure slates. The tom looks just like every other blue slate tom I've had.

That is strange, it does look like a bourbon red. Black hens can sometimes hide crosses in their past, but to get that color is pretty interesting.

Ok, here are pictures of my turkeys. I wish they were clearer, but it's impossible with my crappy camera and the fact they run into the back of their pen area out of the light. My tom does seem to have a small amount of brownish color at the base of his tail, but I never noticed it before?The black hen is one I hatched here a couple years ago, so should be from a slate x slate pairing. I looked through the picture on porters site and none of the Reds seem to look anything like any of my birds, not even the tom, of which I'm not even sure actually has rusty color or if it is dirt from dust bathing. The poult I posted earlier I will try and get better pictures of later. If the light had been better it would have shown that it has blue mixed in with the rusty color. I have someone that wants to buy these guys but I don't want to sell them to her without knowing what they are because I originally thought I was hatching blue slates.

hlk82 said:

Ok, here are pictures of my turkeys. I wish they were clearer, but it's impossible with my crappy camera and the fact they run into the back of their pen area out of the light. My tom does seem to have a small amount of brownish color at the base of his tail, but I never noticed it before?The black hen is one I hatched here a couple years ago, so should be from a slate x slate pairing. I looked through the picture on porters site and none of the Reds seem to look anything like any of my birds, not even the tom, of which I'm not even sure actually has rusty color or if it is dirt from dust bathing. The poult I posted earlier I will try and get better pictures of later. If the light had been better it would have shown that it has blue mixed in with the rusty color. I have someone that wants to buy these guys but I don't want to sell them to her without knowing what they are because I originally thought I was hatching blue slates.

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If the coloring at the base of the tail on this tom is real which it looks like to me, this is not a Blue Slate tom. My guess is that it is a Rusty Slate. Rusty Slates are Bb Dd Rr and do carry the recessive b (bronze) and recessive r (red) genes that are part of being a Bourbon Red.

I didn't notice any of the same coloring in the hens but if you also have a Rusty Slate hen it is definitely possible for them to make a Bourbon Red. Rusty Slates mated together can produce up to 27 different color varieties.

There are far too many people out there who are selling turkeys as something they aren't.

Ok, since I suck at genetics, what would a rusty slate and a blue slate make? I guess i might have to take him out and put my spare tom in. I know for sure my spare is a blue slate, I just hate that breeding season will be pretty much over by the time I'm sure the eggs are coming from him.

Also, all the pictures I posted are of the same tom. I'll have to get out there with better light and really examine him. Just crazy I didn't hatch any like that last year.

Also, I find it truly amazing I never noticed that coloring on his tail before. I guess since I wasn't looking for it, I didn't take note. Ah well. I just don't want to sell my poults as something thry aren't.

hlk82 said:

Also, I find it truly amazing I never noticed that coloring on his tail before. I guess since I wasn't looking for it, I didn't take note. Ah well. I just don't want to sell my poults as something they aren't.

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From the other photos it seems to be well hidden when he is strutting. The off color of the poult does seem to confirm that somebody in the mix is not pure.

The possible outcomes from a mating between a Rusty Slate tom and a Blue Slate hen are:

Barred Black
Barred Self Blue
Barred Slate
Black
Jersey Buff Semi-
Jersey Buff Slate Semi-
Rusty Black
Rusty Lavender
Rusty Slate
Self Blue
Blue Slate
Slate Edged Jersey Buff Semi-

There is nothing wrong with selling the poults. If it were me, I would just say they are a mixed color variety and that I don't know exactly what they are.

Good luck.