Black Cochin with a single white spot

[TinyRaptorDodos]

I’m picking Reba up soon, she’s around 5 years old.

I noticed she has a single white spot under her wing, what would this make her coloration? Black w/ white leakage? What would cause this? White Cochin somewhere in her bloodline?

 

[FunClucks]

I don't know but I'll bump for you.

@NatJ any thoughts?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

What would cause this?

Most black birds that I'm familiar with (jersey Giant, copper Marans, Cochin, etc) hatch with white bellies.. and some (Marans) deal with what they call parasitic white fluff.. in their rooster tails etc.. *maybe* not the same thing as "leakage". This is my novice reply which doesn't answer your genetic questions.. but perhaps still worth discussing.

Chickens do also experience the same sort of bleaching/graying that humans do. I see some of that up closer to her face. Maybe the side fluff is the same??

She's still a black Cochin.. and very lovely!

Example image from google (murray mcmurray, black Cochin chicks)..

 

[NatJ]

I noticed she has a single white spot under her wing, what would this make her coloration? Black w/ white leakage? What would cause this? White Cochin somewhere in her bloodline?

I don't think there is any specific cause, just that she does have a bit of white there. It happens sometimes with black chickens.

If you are trying to breed solid-black chickens, of course you try to avoid breeding from ones that show any bit of white. And you wouldn't want to enter her in a show. But for all other purposes, she's fine.

No, I don't think she has white Cochin in her bloodline, or at least not recently enough to matter. It is pretty common for solid-colored chickens (any solid color) to show a little bit of other color. Breeders try hard to breed for ones that really are solid colored with no other bits, and they often do a good job, but it's not surprising when a little bit pops up here or there.

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

Thank you!! I’m not trying to breed them a specific way but I wanted to make sure while hatching her eggs in the future, i shouldn’t expect any white (unless it’s from the rooster who is a barred mix so his would be 50/50 barred)

 

[NatJ]

Thank you!! I’m not trying to breed them a specific way but I wanted to make sure while hatching her eggs in the future, i shouldn’t expect any white (unless it’s from the rooster who is a barred mix so his would be 50/50 barred)

Her chicks might have the same amount of white she does, or slightly more or less. But they should not have large amounts of white unless they inherit it from their father (barring in your example, or white if you breed her to a White Leghorn, or something like that.)

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

That looks to me like it's just some of her underfluff showing, like maybe she'd just flapped her wings and her feathers are a bit ruffled still. Black Cochins and other solid black varieties very often have paler underfluff compared to their exterior feather coloring. My Black Cochin bantams have a similar pale patch there if I lift their wing to look at their underfluff there.

 

[TinyRaptorDodos]

That looks to me like it's just some of her underfluff showing, like maybe she'd just flapped her wings and her feathers are a bit ruffled still. Black Cochins and other solid black varieties very often have paler underfluff compared to their exterior feather coloring. My Black Cochin bantams have a similar pale patch there if I lift their wing to look at their underfluff there.

I never knew that! I’ll check her under fluff today! That sounds like it would be it