Windy_Acres
Songster
So, I hatched these 3 roos last spring. They all hatched from green eggs, and the woman had many, many different breeds of roosters, all roamed together.
When they hatched, the one in front, Twinkle, was yellow with a couple of black spots, the other two were both chipmunk striped.
Late this summer, I hatched 4 chicks from these guys and my austrolorp (all from 1 hen, the other hen's didn't develop). I hatched 3 that looked just like Twinkle (guessing he's gotta be the dad...), and one that looks just like their Mama (of unknown parentage). So, today, the babies are 10.5 weeks old, and I have a picture of Twinkle from the same age, here:
Now, here are the four babies (With the sun shining in, the white looks a little grey, but it's very much white, hard to find even a smudge of reddish...)
Better shot of the roo and one of the pullets:
And the two white pullets:
What gives? This is really messing with my brain! I expected something between Twinkle and Australorp black if they're his, and especially the boy to have more colour. I think they're really cool looking, just not what I expected, and I cannot wrap my head around it or even find a breed that looks at all close.... Can someone explain this to me? I know chicken genetics are weird!
And if you see something I'm missing that says it's not 3 girls and a boy, I'd love to know... although if there'a another boy I might just give up, LOL. However, when I pulled out Twinkle's picture from the same age (to the day, coincidentally), and saw how much more developed his wattles and comb were, I wonder if it's possible I got 4 girls, but I know I'm not that lucky. Thinking it's just a spring/fall thing.
When they hatched, the one in front, Twinkle, was yellow with a couple of black spots, the other two were both chipmunk striped.
Late this summer, I hatched 4 chicks from these guys and my austrolorp (all from 1 hen, the other hen's didn't develop). I hatched 3 that looked just like Twinkle (guessing he's gotta be the dad...), and one that looks just like their Mama (of unknown parentage). So, today, the babies are 10.5 weeks old, and I have a picture of Twinkle from the same age, here:
Now, here are the four babies (With the sun shining in, the white looks a little grey, but it's very much white, hard to find even a smudge of reddish...)
Better shot of the roo and one of the pullets:
And the two white pullets:
What gives? This is really messing with my brain! I expected something between Twinkle and Australorp black if they're his, and especially the boy to have more colour. I think they're really cool looking, just not what I expected, and I cannot wrap my head around it or even find a breed that looks at all close.... Can someone explain this to me? I know chicken genetics are weird!
And if you see something I'm missing that says it's not 3 girls and a boy, I'd love to know... although if there'a another boy I might just give up, LOL. However, when I pulled out Twinkle's picture from the same age (to the day, coincidentally), and saw how much more developed his wattles and comb were, I wonder if it's possible I got 4 girls, but I know I'm not that lucky. Thinking it's just a spring/fall thing.
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Thank you so much, that is much clearer! So, if I have it right, the black and white are at the same site on the gene, and the red is somewhere else, and the pattern is a different place entirely? White is really dominant, but black is sort of, a little co-dominant, not fully recessive, hence the splotches. Presumably the 3 white and black babies all didn't get the red gene, or I'd be seeing some... So the Dad must have had something else there as well? And the pattern only comes out on the red feathers, so since they have none, who knows what they got there.
