Genetic question

[bigT88]

Breed my buff orpington rooster over my rhode island red and black australorp hens. All the chicks came out buff. Is that normal and will that always happen?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Nope, that did not happen, not if they are pure. What you got was only RIR eggs to hatch. No BA eggs hatched.

When you cross a Buff Orp rooster over a RIR hen, you wind up with chicks that are in between. When they mature they should be a darker red than the Buff Orp and lighter than the RIR. I did that with a Speckled Sussex rooster over a Buff Orp hen. I thought it was a real pretty color.

Buff is a bit wonky when you cross it with black. In theory the chicks should be solid black but that’s not usually what actually happens. The chicks should be mostly black but they will probably have splotches of buff-orange on them when they mature. I haven’t done that cross myself but someone posted some photos on here a couple of years ago. I thought they were really striking chickens. But if you saw no black down on the chicks that hatched, none of the eggs were from a Black Australorp.

The other possibility is that your Black Australorps are not pure but have been crosses with something else. Depending on what that “something else” is and which genes were inherited, it’s possible you could get buff chicks, but not if they are pure.

 

[Chickchick30]

How did you get buff chicks out of your Australorpe hens? I have crossed australorpes and buffs many time, buff over australorpe and australorpe over buff, and haven't had a single buff chick yet? All of my mixed chicks, mixed either way, always hatch black with a little red or bronze color around their heads and sometimes, very rarely, I have an all bronzey colored chick with a little black on it. But all of the hens mature to be black with various shades of gold, bronze, or red feathers on and around their heads and breasts. Maybe my australorpes black gene is just too strong or something?

 

[Chickchick30]

I agree. Must have only had rir eggs to hatch. Like I said I have crossed the other two breeds many times. I have some local friends that absolutely love the cross. They are a beautiful bird and exceptional layers! Most lay an egg a day. With very few days off!

 

[bigT88]

must have been all RIR eggs. i didnt think they should all be buff

 

[tadkerson]

Breed my buff orpington rooster over my rhode island red and black australorp hens. All the chicks came out buff. Is that normal and will that always happen?

I agree with everyone that has posted- it should not happen if the black australorp is extended black. If the autralorp carries birchen and wheaten and is not pure for extended black or possibly extended black and wheaten then you can get chicks that are buff color. There are two genes found in the austrilorp that can clear the black or brown from the down of the chicks. I have produced birchen chicks that should have birchen down but had white down or white down with markings on the back.

Tim