How did this happen?? English Orpington!!

[Slothinc]

Also, will these different colored chicks eventually look chocolate? Or will they have different coloring?

Maybe you could try growing one out to see what they look like?? That also might give clues as to the specific gene your birds are carrying.

 

[AlexisWheeler]

Maybe you could try growing one out to see what they look like?? That also might give clues as to the specific gene your birds are carrying.

I was able to get a hold of the lady I bought them from and when I asked her about this, this was her response.

I have never heard of full blood chocolates producing any other color. So should I take this as the parents are not full blooded?

 

[K0k0shka]

I was able to get a hold of the lady I bought them from and when I asked her about this, this was her response.

I have never heard of full blood chocolates producing any other color. So should I take this as the parents are not full blooded?

What is "full blood chocolates"? They can still be chocolate even if they are carriers for other colors, in which case there is a chance that they will produce some non-chocolate offspring. It's the same with lavenders, there is usually some chance of producing visibly black chicks from lavender parents. That's usually disclosed by the breeder before purchase. When buying, you should specify what you intend to use the chickens for, because not all varieties breed true. Some won't produce the same results if you breed them to each other, but most people don't breed them, or have mixed flocks, so it doesn't matter.

 

[RememberTheWay]

What is "full blood chocolates"? They can still be chocolate even if they are carriers for other colors, in which case there is a chance that they will produce some non-chocolate offspring. It's the same with lavenders, there is usually some chance of producing visibly black chicks from lavender parents. That's usually disclosed by the breeder before purchase. When buying, you should specify what you intend to use the chickens for, because not all varieties breed true. Some won't produce the same results if you breed them to each other, but most people don't breed them, or have mixed flocks, so it doesn't matter.

I don't think this is similar to lavender at all. The only reason you would hatch black chicks from a lavender pen is bc the breeding pen includes black birds that are usually split to lavender but not always. Sometimes they breed to pure blacks. This is to mitigate the feather shredder gene not due to recessive genes at all. In the case of chocolate - other genes are being carried recessively sometimes and that is why other colors are hatched. So a breeder or person could have a pen set up with all birds actually expressing chocolate and still get recessive genes popping up in a percentage of chicks especially if they don't have enough knowledge about breeding, genetics, or their individual birds make up. Lavender and getting blacks is a totally different thing. IMHO