Mottling and silkies.. mottling is recessive right?

[SweetieChicken234]

So my friend that has silkies says that silkies that are splits for mottled show mottling when young but it disappears when they grow out. I said no that's impossible for a recessive trait. Splits don't show it or else it would be incomplete dominant.

What's the deal with silkies and mottled splits? It can't be can it?

 

[pipdzipdnreadytogo]

Partial mottling in split-mottled chicks is actually not an uncommon phenomenon. It doesn't always happen, but can happen in some birds that carry the gene. Usually it molts out in the adult plumage and the bird then has little or no signs of carrying the mottled gene, hence it still being considered a recessive gene.