Production red roo X Production red hen = White feathered chicks?

[the4heathernsmom]

I hatched some eggs from a friend....she has hatchery production red hens with a production red roo.....all of the chicks have come out with white feathering and a couple of black spots on back or wing on a couple. Anyone have an explanation or comment on what I may have here? She only has production red roo and hens and one EE hen. weird huh?

 

[the4heathernsmom]

Has no one had this happen before? really?

 

[Chris09]

I hatched some eggs from a friend....she has hatchery production red hens with a production red roo.....all of the chicks have come out with white feathering and a couple of black spots on back or wing on a couple. Anyone have an explanation or comment on what I may have here? She only has production red roo and hens and one EE hen. weird huh?

Production Reds are hybrids and not a purebred fowl and they don't breed true to breed form.
Production Reds that most hatcheries sell are a Rhode Island Red/ Leghorn cross and I would say your friend breeding is pulling out a lot of the Leghorns genes.

Chris

 

[Fred's Hens]

People also call Red Sex Link production reds, which, while similar, are a slightly different hybrid/mutt. When we breed these back to each other, we get a lot of white chicks, and no, they aren't sexable the next generation either.

 

[the4heathernsmom]

So why would the "white gene" for feathering be showing if they are crossed with RIR? Wouldn't any color gene overpower that? And where in the world is the black spot coming from?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Which leads me to believe that these parent birds might be red sex links. They will absolutely throw back to white with black specs. These colors are present in birds, even if they don't "show". Now? On these offspring, the colors show. White is so common and showing mostly white is a common thing when these production birds are bred back to each other.

A genetic explanation is above and beyond my paygrade, but this is in keeping with our experience.

 

[the4heathernsmom]

I appreciate the info....I was so perplexed and looking for my red feathers to come out and now I can hardly tell them from the leghorn chicks other than the ones with black dots. Kinda sad though I wanted some color to the chicks as I have about 17 white leghorn chicks too!!!!

 

[Chris09]

So why would the "white gene" for feathering be showing if they are crossed with RIR? Wouldn't any color gene overpower that? And where in the world is the black spot coming from?

Leghorns are Dominant White and Dominant White will turn any color White.

Chris

 

[Maggizzle35]

This is such an interesting thread. I was curious about the dominance in color as well. I was wondering if a Lt. Brahma was dominant white, where as a Black Alstralope would be dominant black. If the Lt. Brahma mates with Black Alstralope, I got a beautiful feather footed Black Alstralope Rooster, but what could the Lt. Brahma breed with that made a hen and two of the other Roosters, look like true Lt. Brahmas considering that I don't have any hens. I had Easter Eggers, which is where the one roo came from, but the other 2 look just like full Lt. Brahma. I have Buff Orpington, Silver Wyndott, Black Alstralope, banty white cochin?

I find it interesting that all heathersnmom's came out white with a black spot, but maybe one was mixed with Black sex link some how. Most colors can come through as far as 10 generations back. I learned that with Great Danes. Thanks for the help.

Quote:

 

[Chris09]

Quote: Light Brahmas are Columbian Pattern which are Sex-link Silver.

Chris