G'day all!
So I went and put some eggs in my bator to check if my Roo was actually doing his job... turns out he was! And I now have 10 little chicks darting about in a breeder box.
But I am flummoxed as to why a few of the chicks are black.
Basically the Rooster is a pure bred French Wheaten Maran and the hens were a variety of: Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire Red (but she was sold to me as a Welsummer - but she aint!), and a few French Wheaten Maran girls.
I think I recognise the Marans. Several are are orange which I think are the RIR's and one has markings of a Welsummer - I know where that comes from.
But! 3 of them black. That's what I don't understand.
When chooks breed, are they like dogs & cats, in that unless your dead-cert on their heritage you can get anything? Meaning it doesn't matter that I have what is supposed to be a Rhode Island Red, if her Mum's Mum was an Australorp (somewhere along the line) it might come it again at a later stage in later generations?
So I went and put some eggs in my bator to check if my Roo was actually doing his job... turns out he was! And I now have 10 little chicks darting about in a breeder box.
But I am flummoxed as to why a few of the chicks are black.
Basically the Rooster is a pure bred French Wheaten Maran and the hens were a variety of: Rhode Island Red, New Hampshire Red (but she was sold to me as a Welsummer - but she aint!), and a few French Wheaten Maran girls.
I think I recognise the Marans. Several are are orange which I think are the RIR's and one has markings of a Welsummer - I know where that comes from.
But! 3 of them black. That's what I don't understand.
When chooks breed, are they like dogs & cats, in that unless your dead-cert on their heritage you can get anything? Meaning it doesn't matter that I have what is supposed to be a Rhode Island Red, if her Mum's Mum was an Australorp (somewhere along the line) it might come it again at a later stage in later generations?
