ameraucana mystery?

[Jen Cude]

Hi! I am new to Backyard Chickens but not to the chickens in my backyard! Ha ha! Anyway, I have successfully bred my blue and black ameraucana hens with my blue rooster and hatched 10 beautiful chicks. They are about 17 weeks old. There are 3 black, 3 blue and 4 very pale silver chicks from these pairings. Im wondering if my pale birds can be considered lavenders or are the silvers? They have silvery colored legs and beaks and their eyes are green gray. What can anyone tell me about these birds? Also how is it that they a so light in color with dark parents?

 

[junebuggena]

Your pale birds are splash (double copy of the blue dilute). If you breed 2 blues, then you will have a 25% chance of black, a 25% chance of blue, and a 50% chance of splash. If you breed a blue with a black, you have a 75% chance of black, and a 25% chance of blue. If you breed a splash and a black, you get all blue chicks.
Blue is not a color gene, it is a dilute gene for black. It fades all the black coloring on the bird. Black birds have no dilute gene. Blues have one dilute gene. Splash have 2 dilute genes.

 

[drumstick diva]

Welcome to Backyard chickens. I'm sure we all would love to see photos of the babies.

 

[Jen Cude]

That is good to know. I have a hard time understanding genetics so I really appreciate your patient explanation. I need to get out the old punnet squares! Anyway thank you for that. I plan to sell several of them and was wondering what to call them in an ad. I will definitely post some pix tomorrow. They're good looking birds! Thanks again for the responses!

 

[Jen Cude]

The chick in the foreground is what they all looked like. Beautiful babies.

 

[junebuggena]

Now just keep in mind, those are just your odds for each color based on the parents' colors.

 

[BantamFan4Life]

Welcome to BYC! I'm glad you joined us!

 

[Jen Cude]

Thank you!