Maran Genetic Throwback?

[Wolf-Kim]

So I'm hatching some Cuckoo Marans eggs and I have a question.

I currently have 7 chicks out of the egg, but here's the catch I have 6 black and 1 white! Yes, he's white!! Is this a genetic throwback or am I just ignorant of the breed? I know that sometimes the males will be a more silvery color, but this sucker is yellow. And it came out of one of the darkest eggs in the batch!

I'm not upset I look forward to watching him grow, I was just thinking maybe someone had dealt with it.

-Kim

 

[monarc23]

Woah i wish i could help but i've only ever seen very dark chicks with some white spots never a completley yellow chick!!!!! I cannot wait to see/hear what this one turns outot be color wise! I assume it's a male though??? LOL!

 

[peachick]

in order to improve the egg color of some marans, they were bred to other colors of marans. Id say you just have a mix of genetics there in your adults. Your adults may very well LOOK like cuckoo, but they are split to other colors.

 

[Chickndaddy]

I know when Marans first started to gain in popularity people would have white sports pop up in their Cuckoo flocks. I bred Cuckoos for four years or so and never hatched out a white one though, so I suspect that sometimes the birds in question are a result of a cross somewhere down the line. I want to say I've heard of black popping up a few times as well, in addition to whites in a black flock.

Feathersite has some sports pretty far down on the page.

http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/Marans/BRKMarans.html

 

[Wolf-Kim]

I gave the breeder a call once I got the little buggers out of the incubator and apparently a fellow that got eggs right after I did, had two yellow/white chicks hatch out.

The breeder thinks it's a cross, she had recently obtained a flock of Key West chickens that run loose and she believes that one of the little Key West roos were flying over the 8' chainlink fence and contaminating her hens when she let them into the foraging yard.

*chuckles* She calls them h*rny lil bast****s in a jokingly loving way. She is dissapointed that she cannot let her hens forage in the yard anymore apparently, at least until they get it covered..

The chick is full-sized and almost bigger than his companions, so I guess we can only wait and see what he turns out to be. The Key Westies are bantam sized, so I don't see how they would have managed to produce such a chubby chick. I can only wait and see, he's an interesting lil oddball.

I'll watch him as he feathers out, he does have gray down his back and he's cute as all get-out. His brothers and sisters all appear to be regular ol' cuckoos.

Thanks guys for the interest. ^-^

-Kim