Colour of chicks

[MuscovyMad]

My friend has cochin bantam hens that are mille fleur, buff, black and lavender. She has offered e fertile eggs from them if i supply the cockerel. If i cross these with my black cockerel what colours am i likely to get? As currently my entire flock is black so i am looking to introduce more colours.

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Black over about anything will give you black chicks in the first generation. There may be some colors leaking through, but not really a lot. Here is a rooster out of a Speckled Sussex rooster over a Black Australorp hen. I'd think you could get something like this in some colors, especially the buff, but the hens from this cross were pure black.

Now, if you cross the offspring from the Mille Fleur, Buff, or Lavender with your black rooster, you will start to get some interesting colors, but that is the second generation, not the first.

Editted to clarify. You cannot use your black rooster on the offspring to get colored chicks. Both parents have to the offspring. I was not clear on that.

I like Pdsavage's suggestion. Try to stay away from solid black or solid white roosters, or barred black and white roosters. Anything else gives you a good chance at interesting colors.

 

[pdsavage]

check criags list for some bantam roos (qurantine roo).People are allways trying to rehome roos.
That way you can find a nonblack roo to put over his hens to get lots of color.

 

[MuscovyMad]

Aww that's a shame. I'm pretty fond of my roo so i wouldn't want to go replacing him for some younger more colourful model. Looks like i'm just going to have to stick to black hens for now

. I think i'm getting to the point of too many anyway. It's probably for the best that this is the case.

Howeer in saying that the roo has similar colouring to your picture ridgerunner. He has golden brown feathers around his neck and he has a purplish, green shine. I just called him black cause i have no idea about chicken colouring. Does this mean that he could throw nice coloured offspring as he may be a bit of a mix himself?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't have Cochin and don't know the correct coloring for pure black. That brown around the neck does sound real suspicious. You can always try and see what you get. If you can, avoid hatching the eggs from her black hen to improve your chances for other colors.

Don't expect any of the Mille Fleur speckling in the first generation. That is a recessive gene so you need it to pair up in the second generation to see it in the adult plumage.