White chick without white parents?

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3chickadees

3chickadees

In the Brooder
5 Years
May 4, 2014
12
0
22
My broody hen just hatched four chicks, and two of them are a very pale yellow. They look like they will grow up to be white chickens, but the friend who I got the eggs from does not have any white or light chickens. Could a recessive gene from a "golden comet" show up with a white chick? Has anyone had a pale yellow chick grow up to be anything other than white?
 
Hmmm... The roos in my friend's flock are RIR and RIR Barred Rock cross. I don't see how these could be carriers of a white gene, unless there was some other mixing along the way; which could very well be the case.
 
Some breeds will carry recessives for decades without showing them. All hatchery birds have some history of crossbreeding. I believe the White Plymouth Rock was originally a sport of the Barred Plymouth Rock, so even pure BPRs may well carry white.
 
Yes, that makes sense. Genetics are fascinating, and I love watching these barnyard mutts grow up. You never know what you're going to get, but I sure never expected white chicks.
 

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