Am I being lied to?

[lilwanderer]

So supposed to be getting this cochin boy today- I was told he's a calico but he looks like a mixed color and awful dark to have came from this pen-
I think he looks cool so it doesn't matter to me, just confused.
I was told these are his parents:

This is him:

Is it possible those are truly his parents or no?

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

They are probably is his parents. Sure looks like its true to me.
Beautiful bird!

 

[Tonyroo]

Calico just means multi colored. But with chickens roosters should have the most color and the hens with lighter colors.

 

[lilwanderer]

They are probably is his parents. Sure looks like its true to me.
Beautiful bird!

I see- It's just none of the parents have a lot of black, not even the father and his hackles look completely black. I haven't seen him in person yet though.
He is pretty cool though.

 

[lilwanderer]

Calico just means multi colored. But with chickens roosters should have the most color and the hens with lighter colors.

So it doesn't really mean they'll look like one or the other parent? Pattern varies?
I just didn't think they'd inherit so much black when none of the parents have a lot of it.
I have heard of patterns completely changing sometimes after fully molting for the first time, he's only 9/10 months old.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

I see- It's just none of the parents have a lot of black, not even the father and his hackles look completely black. I haven't seen him in person yet though.
He is pretty cool though.

Sometimes each chicken has its own traits. Sometimes it's not exact copies of their parents.

 

[gimmie birdies]

I have speckled sussex hens, and a rooster, the rooster is not as spotty.

 

[GirlsHuntToo]

So it doesn't really mean they'll look like one or the other parent? Pattern varies?
I just didn't think they'd inherit so much black when none of the parents have a lot of it.
I have heard of patterns completely changing sometimes after fully molting for the first time, he's only 9/10 months old.

Yes, they all have there own patterns from bird to bird. They are not always exact copies of each other.

 

[lilwanderer]

Yes, they all have there own patterns from bird to bird. They are not always exact copies of each other.

I'm aware of that, its just the dramatic color change that confused me.

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Calico is a fairly recently developed variety in Cochins, so there can still be a lot of variation in their appearances, and in the appearances of offspring from birds that otherwise appear to be patterned correctly. In other words, I don't think you're being lied to about his parents.

However, if you're specifically wanting to breed proper Calicos, he probably is not a good choice as a breeding male for that, as he is incorrectly colored for what people are working towards in the variety. He would make gorgeous mixes, and he likely has some correct genes so could probably make some properly patterned Calicos if paired with a nicely marked hen, but you would have to cull harder to get to good markings in future generations than with a male that is better marked than him.