Is this possible?

[plumcreek]

I just had a chick hatch and it wasn't what I was expecting. I thought it was a cross between a purebred Blue or Black Ameraucana Roo and a brown layer. I am not sure exactly who the mother is but they are all brown or black hens that lay brown eggs. The egg it hatched from was very dark and I would guess it was from a maran or wellsummer hen. It is one of my darker eggs.

There were two more eggs that were of a very similar size and color that I assumed were from the same hen. The one that I am wondering about seems to be a completely classic yellow chick with no markings and pink legs. The other two from what looked like the same egg/mother are still wet but black/grey in color with slate legs.

Did one off my baby 4 month old roos get in there? I have some salmon favorelles and a blue laced red , but they are still very much babies...Could the Ameraucana cross with a brown feathered/brown layer make a yellow/pink chick?

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Easily if both are carrying recessive white.

 

[plumcreek]

Wouldn't a purebred blue or black Ameraucana not be carrying recessive white? You can breed these together forever and never get white, if white was recessive wouldn't you end up with it occasionally? Maybe I am confused! I was not under the impression that blues or blacks had the ability to produce white.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

It is pretty fair to say that ALL birds carry hidden recessive genes. They will pass down for generations unknown so long as they are not paired up with another bird who carries that recessive gene. And even if they are, approximately 75% of their offspring will not inherit two copies of that recessive gene. If you hatch large numbers of birds, yes, you are pretty likely to get that remaining 25%, but if you hatch small numbers, it is very easy to NOT get it.

 

[plumcreek]

I do not personally hatch a lot, but this line is hatched in the thousands I would guess. The breeders are from Paul Smith which is a very popular line, which is also line-bred. So, these birds have brothers and sisters in the thousands and I have never seen white. Does that change anything? The hens are hatchery stock and the other two chicks now look like marans chicks as they are fluffing up.

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

The only thing else I can think of is that both parents are blue and the chick is a splash. But they do not typically have classic yellow chick down.