How in the world did these chicks have these colors?

[Amer]

I think it might be a very light blue. See how the father has a splash-colored tail?

 

[britesidefarm]

I think it might be a very light blue. See how the father has a splash-colored tail?

Hm...With that I’m thinking the mom must have splash or blue parent(s), since the father of these chicks is also out of the black Cochin.

 

[Amer]

Hm...With that I’m thinking the mom must have splash or blue parent(s), since the father of these chicks is also out of the black Cochin.

No, blue isn’t recessive. She couldn’t have gotten it from her parents. The father is a splash-tailed red though, I believe.

 

[britesidefarm]

No, blue isn’t recessive. She couldn’t have gotten it from her parents. The father is a splash-tailed red though, I believe.

That would make a lot more sense, but now I’m curious to see how he got splash

This is his father: (He’s a Leghorn x Polish, but does have one black tail feather )

His mother:

Him at around 10 weeks:

And him now:

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

I have to admit.. that I find these posts and questions about colors fascinating! The learning really never stops.

I will confess that there are times I throw my hands in the air and say "I just want to get the colour that I expected to get"!


But then I look at what I have.. which is weird and unexpected and often really cool and I change my tune to "What the hey - these look cool and I like looking at them so lets just roll with this!"

 

[DaisyBuff]

He looks like a Rhode Island but it can't be the mothers dark feathers and fathers light feathers. It's like paint light tan plus black is red/brown. I don't really know how this can be nor the lavender chick that looks like a white Easter Egger to me.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

OK I just downed a whole cup of coffee in 30 secs.. so the resulting idea hasn't had solid testing yet for reasonableness but hear goes...

Your leghorn polish above has a black/blue feather in tail. Is it possible he is a splash with lots of red leakage?

That bird.. if paired with a black hen.. would give blue babies. It's possible your boy (father of your young chicks) above is blue with LOTS of red leakage (a phenomenon recently explained to me by a local breeder - who said that in some cases they can look like all red birds if the leakage is bad enough).

That leaves the possibility of your boy (father of your young chicks) being blue with red leakage. That means he is capable of siring babies that are blue - which might explain your chick colours?

Option Two = Aliens have been swapping your eggs around while you sleep

 

[britesidefarm]

OK I just downed a whole cup of coffee in 30 secs.. so the resulting idea hasn't had solid testing yet for reasonableness but hear goes...

Your leghorn polish above has a black/blue feather in tail. Is it possible he is a splash with lots of red leakage?

That bird.. if paired with a black hen.. would give blue babies. It's possible your boy (father of your young chicks) above is blue with LOTS of red leakage (a phenomenon recently explained to me by a local breeder - who said that in some cases they can look like all red birds if the leakage is bad enough).

That leaves the possibility of your boy (father of your young chicks) being blue with red leakage. That means he is capable of siring babies that are blue - which might explain your chick colours?

Option Two = Aliens have been swapping your eggs around while you sleep

That certainty would make a lot of sense... I have one picture of him when he was really young (7-8 weeks) where he looked like he had a lavender/blue/grey backround.

 

[britesidefarm]

That certainty would make a lot of sense... I have one picture of him when he was really young (7-8 weeks) where he looked like he had a lavender/blue/grey backround.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

View attachment 2434271

TO my inexperienced eye - that does look very blue in the tail and wing yes!