Hey, why do these two have differently colored eyes? They’re the same breed, right?

[ChocolateWingTheRooster]

The two grey pullets in the front are supposedly the same breed, but why is it they have differently colored eyes? My other chickens, (because I have two of just about all of the breeds I have), if they are the same breed, it seems they have the same colored eyes, but why not these two?

Examples: Wings and Plucky, both Amberlinks, both have orange eyes... they are cross breeds... which, if I think about it, they might be too... but why?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Your grey pullets are technically Blue. Though I have heard one bird called a California Grey... *usually* in chickens this grey and darker is blue. and a lighter grey is Lavender.

Correct eye color according to the breed standard is still something that has to be selected for or against.

Marans used to have issues with the dark eyes popping up though it has mostly been bred out... Is what I learned when I had 1 show up in my line.

But the gals you're looking at right now also don't have the same comb shape (not type) or even wattles are slightly different. I guess, I like it in this case as their both beautiful and you can still tell them apart.

Even when two offspring come from the same parents they may not receive or display the same characteristics as their siblings. Some may show hidden traits while others may get the best or the worst of the genes. But most hatchery birds will come from an assortment of many matings.

With regard to genetics... eye color is not one the really simple ones and is not well understood.

 

[centrarchid]

I have two eye color variants in my American Games that are independent of other characters I can seen. The variants only occur in the females and difference is particularly pronounced when they are young. One is dark, and other is light.