How did I get a blue pullet in my mixed flock when I have never had any blue and splash birds in the flock!

[Nicks_Chicks]

How did I get a blue pullet when I have never had any blue and splash birds in this flock. These are the only birds that were in the flock at the time:

(I have two of the hens that are white with leakage but I only posted a photo of one since they look the same) And this is a pullet I hatched from the flock this year:

TIA

 

[Nicks_Chicks]

@NatJ

 

[NatJ]

How did I get a blue pullet when I have never had any blue and splash birds in this flock. These are the only birds that were in the flock at the time:View attachment 3999171View attachment 3999173

View attachment 3999174
View attachment 3999170
(I have two of the hens that are white with leakage but I only posted a photo of one since they look the same) And this is a pullet I hatched from the flock this year:View attachment 3999172
TIA

Probably from one of the "white" chickens.

The white hen with black dots probably has the genes to be black all over, with the blue gene turning all the black to blue or splash, and then Dominant White turning it to white. The chick got the genes to be black all over, and a blue gene to turn the blue into black, but not the Dominant White.

Or the ones that look white with black leakage might actually be splash without Dominant White, although I think that is less likely.

Or else the white & red rooster has blue or splash hiding under his white, and the mother is the black hen. That could also give a chick that looks blue (genes for black all over, plus a blue gene to turn the black into blue.)

Or the hen who looks black could be a very dark blue, although I think this is the least likely explanation of all the ones I've suggested.

 

[Nicks_Chicks]

Probably from one of the "white" chickens.

The white hen with black dots probably has the genes to be black all over, with the blue gene turning all the black to blue or splash, and then Dominant White turning it to white. The chick got the genes to be black all over, and a blue gene to turn the blue into black, but not the Dominant White.

Or the ones that look white with black leakage might actually be splash without Dominant White, although I think that is less likely.

Or else the white & red rooster has blue or splash hiding under his white, and the mother is the black hen. That could also give a chick that looks blue (genes for black all over, plus a blue gene to turn the black into blue.)

Or the hen who looks black could be a very dark blue, although I think this is the least likely explanation of all the ones I've suggested.

The white hens are indeed dominant white. Or incomplete dominant white I should say. Her mom was a white leghorn. Her dad was a gold duckwing looking roo. The black hen is actually the daughter of one of the white hens with leakage. Her dad was a partridge bantam Cochin. I don't have the white and red roo anymore, so if the blue is from him, getting anymore is out of the question. But it it's out of the white hens, that's a different story. Though I have bred them to an ayam cemani rooster several times, and the chicks that didn't have dominant white never had blue feathering, only black. Whichs means it was probably the red and white roo. But idk how he wouldve gotten it. His mom was a pure white leghorn, and his dad was a mix of some sort, his coloration being gold laced (and the lacing was black, not blue)

 

[NatJ]

The white hens are indeed dominant white. Or incomplete dominant white I should say. Her mom was a white leghorn. Her dad was a gold duckwing looking roo. The black hen is actually the daughter of one of the white hens with leakage. Her dad was a partridge bantam Cochin. I don't have the white and red roo anymore, so if the blue is from him, getting anymore is out of the question. But it it's out of the white hens, that's a different story. Though I have bred them to an ayam cemani rooster several times, and the chicks that didn't have dominant white never had blue feathering, only black. Whichs means it was probably the red and white roo. But idk how he wouldve gotten it. His mom was a pure white leghorn, and his dad was a mix of some sort, his coloration being gold laced (and the lacing was black, not blue)

I have read that White Leghorns often have blue and/or barring hiding under their white. So I think that's what happened in this case: the blue gene came in from a White Leghorn, and then it was passed down through birds that also had Dominant White so the blue couldn't be seen-- until it did show up in that pretty blue pullet.

I agree the rooster sounds more likely to be the one with blue, but if you ever get a blue chick from one of the white hens you will know that she was hiding it after all.

 

[Nicks_Chicks]

I have read that White Leghorns often have blue and/or barring hiding under their white. So I think that's what happened in this case: the blue gene came in from a White Leghorn, and then it was passed down through birds that also had Dominant White so the blue couldn't be seen-- until it did show up in that pretty blue pullet.

I agree the rooster sounds more likely to be the one with blue, but if you ever get a blue chick from one of the white hens you will know that she was hiding it after all.

The barred part kinda explains a few other chicks. I have never had any barred birds in my flock (or any I knew of, I obviously did) but got several barred chicks from the same flock. And I know that gene came from dad, since one of them was a pullet and a hen can't get barring from her mom