I guess what is most confusing is seeing photo's and no information. Since chickens are not registered like horses, most (there are probably some breeders who keep very good records) don't have any sort of pedigree to study. I'm not sure I like that. The chicken genetics are so much more complex than equine genetics and with horses there are even color tests. I don't get why there isn't some form of pedigree for chickens out there, other than the hen came from so and so's breeding pen.
When there are "brown", "dun", "khaki" and "chocolate" to choose from for chickens, you have to have a degree in chicken genetics to figure it out,
Even before there were tests, the equine genetics could be figured out using a pedigree and knowing the rules of how colors reproduce. The chickens have sooo many more colors and combinations that haven't been figured out yet that if there were better records, I think it would help.
Can those who posted photo's here also (not verify) but explain why yours are the color they say they are? For example, does your chocolate colored chicken have 2 chocolate parents? Is your dun colored hen from a "?" colored rooster and hen? Is the khaki from 2 dun parents?......etc.
I never thought it would make any difference to have a pedigree for a chicken, but what I see is that there are a Lot of people who would pay very well for specific colors so it would be well worth everyone's time to know what they have and how the colors work to breed them. I am "trying" to learn. Without some background on what all mine are out of makes it tough, I'll have to have a few generations so I can see what they produce but it would be so much simpler to have a pedigree with photo's to work with. I think I will work on a form for a pedigree for mine that includes a photo so I can start keeping records. Is anyone already doing this?