Chocolate Carriers?

[TinyTotsSeramas]

Info - I've read up on Chocolates and Chocolate carriers and I know in order to be concidered "Chocolate", the bird has to have chocolate colored feathers (duh), Shanks and beak... in order to for it to be concidered a "Chocolate Carrier", breeding it to a black (I think) if it produces Chocolate colored chicks...

Question - But what happens if you get a bird that is multiple colors (White, Black, Red and Partridge all together on one bird) who has a chocolate colored beak an toe nails and chocolate colored spots on the shanks (The entire shank isnt chocolate... just blotches)?

Background - The lady I got this Serama cockerel's egg from said she has a couple birds she suspects are Chocolate carriers...

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

Oh. You mean chickens. I had hoped it was some kind of home-delivery service for when I'm craving chocolate. Sigh....

 

[TinyTotsSeramas]

Oh. You mean chickens. I had hoped it was some kind of home-delivery service for when I'm craving chocolate. Sigh....

LOL! Im sorry Chic!! I wish there was some sort of Chocolate home delivery service!! I'd be in heaven!!

 

[Chic-n-farmer]

You are forgiven. That bird is gorgeous, but I obviously only know about the 'eating' type of chocolate.

 

[TinyTotsSeramas]

lol good! I don't like people mad at me
and obviously I only know food chocolate too or I wouldn't be posting here lol

 

[smoothmule]

Hey, I just found your post here about your question. Getting to understand how chocolate genes work and how they don't will help you so much. For instance, if you have a pair that are not chocolate, and they produce a chocolate looking cockerel, you know it's Not chocolate. It's something else making it look like a chocolate because the only way you get chocolate from non-chocolate parents is when you have a chocolate carrier rooster. Hens can't carry chocolate, they have to "be" chocolate or they don't have the gene to give her chicks. A chocolate carrier rooster cannot produce a chocolate cockerel chick. They can produce more chocolate carrier cockerels but not a cockerel that shows chocolate. They "can" produce chocolate colored pullets 50% of the time.

Your question about mixed and mottled colors and trying to figure out whether they are chocolate or not is a good question. You can guess all you want but the only sure way to know is to breed him to a non-chocolate hen and if he is chocolate, he will produce at least some chocolate chicks. That's the only "sure" way to know. He doesn't look chocolate to me but then, again, you can't tell on the roosters with a lot of pattern's. The same on the hens.

You can't go by leg color. I have chocolates with pure yellow legs. What you won't see is a chocolate with black legs. Chocolate will dilute the legs and beak but you can't determine a chocolate by chocolate looking legs either. I have non-chocolates with brown legs like that.

One thing you can be certain of is that any black on the feathers, legs, beak etc is automatically not a chocolate. Not even a tiny bit of black. The chocolate gene dilutes black so there can't be any black at all, anywhere. I see some black on the head/neck and tail feathers. There's a greenish sheen so that tells me your cockerel is not chocolate. "IF" it's actually true that your roosters dad is a chocolate carrier (and a lot of people can "think" they have a chocolate carrier but until it's proven, they are not) then your cockerel might not be chocolate but could still carry chocolate and make chocolate pullets and some of the cockerels will carry chocolate too. You will only prove this to yourself by breeding him. Use him with a solid hen and you're more likely to be able to see it.

Hope this helped you