Leghorn Mystery Hatch- whose your daddy??

[3KillerBs]

That’s the case with self lavender (the pattern usually just called lavender). Something like isabel or lavender laced won’t just be black under the lavender.

There is so much to learn about chicken color genetics!

 

[NatJ]

My other roosters are all locked up in the bachelor pad!

How long have they been locked up?

Because those eggs were being laid 3-5 weeks ago, and the hens could have stored sperm from matings 1-3 weeks before the eggs were laid.

So it's possible that a mating up to 8 weeks ago could have produced the chicks you have today.

All the chicks should be barred from the breeds of the fathers, but those chicks don’t appear barred.

I agree with this, that something odd is going on. Either of the roosters pictured should be producing chicks with white barring, which usually means the chick has a light spot on top of the head-- and those chicks don't have the headspot.

If you're positive about who the father must be, then the mother would be a hen that lays the right color of eggs, and that probably has large amounts of black, blue, or lavender. (She might be solid colored, or she might have some kind of a pattern with other colors too.)

But if the father is actually a different rooster, then the mother might be almost any color, as long as she lays the right color of eggs.

 

[3KillerBs]

Because those eggs were being laid 3-5 weeks ago, and the hens could have stored sperm from matings 1-3 weeks before the eggs were laid.

Indeed.

The people who gave me the Splits swear that they have to be pure Wyandotte because the Wyandotte flock and the Orpington flock were separated for several weeks before they collected eggs.

But the experts here informed me that the Splash-Laced Red Wyandotte couldn't possibly have fathered black chicks on the SWL hens, it had to have been stored sperm from the Lavender Orpington.

 

[Fluffy Lambs]

It takes 3-5 days for my bantams eggs to be fertilized by another roo.

 

[atmaclean]

Do you have pictures of your Swedish flowers? What color are your orpingtons?

All the chicks should be barred from the breeds of the fathers, but those chicks don’t appear barred. Can you post pictures of the possible fathers?

This is my last Swedish flower hen. She is very old - 8 or 9 yrs. She was up under the cedar tree so not the best pic. It’s cooler under there so they spend the afternoons under it.

 

[atmaclean]

I'm in love with those feathers! When I zoomed in I could see it.... BEAUTIFUL! !

Here is a better pic I just took this evening. He and the cream legbar both so this crazy walk that looks like they are high step marching. We have videod it. It is hilarious and we don’t know what on earth it means!

 

[atmaclean]

How long have they been locked up?

Because those eggs were being laid 3-5 weeks ago, and the hens could have stored sperm from matings 1-3 weeks before the eggs were laid.

So it's possible that a mating up to 8 weeks ago could have produced the chicks you have today.



I agree with this, that something odd is going on. Either of the roosters pictured should be producing chicks with white barring, which usually means the chick has a light spot on top of the head-- and those chicks don't have the headspot.

If you're positive about who the father must be, then the mother would be a hen that lays the right color of eggs, and that probably has large amounts of black, blue, or lavender. (She might be solid colored, or she might have some kind of a pattern with other colors too.)

But if the father is actually a different rooster, then the mother might be almost any color, as long as she lays the right color of eggs.

Nope. The batchelor pad roosters (5of them) have been up for months and months. I can’t let them out because they harass the hens. My two old roosters are great with everyone so I just have them out with the hens. However!!!
I found the culprits this evening when I fed their fermented corn!! I forget what I’ve got sometimes because they all free range and just go up at night and my husband closes the coop every night so I don’t always see everyone.
Even though we haven’t seen them going up there, it has to be one of them that laid all those eggs in the barn and then the brown leghorn decided to go broody and hatched them all. There are 9 babies! One possible mama is a black Jersey giant (I have 2!) and the other is some kind of black sex link I think…?
As far as the daddy….I guess we will just have to wait and see if it’s the Orpington or the cream legbar….