Opinions Please On This Baby

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Hi Team.

Background Info
Last year I purchased eggs for hatching (NZ Araucana) - breeder said they were from her blue pen - so I'm expecting black, blue or splash chicks.
Of the 8 chicks hatched I culled two, The remaining six were: one blue cockerel, two splash cockerels, one splash hen, and two all white chicks (with one black feather on them each).
So right there an then I suspected the breeder didn't have a strictly blue pen - I decided there must be some white in there. When I asked her about it .. she was a bit vague and said .. oh yeah I do have some white birds and have had some white chicks. I didn't pursue the matter - I simply sold the chicks.
I kept the blue rooster and earlier this season bred him with some unrelated black hens - all the babies were rather nice.
I then paired the same blue rooster up with his splash hatch mate to do a test mating/hatch.

I have hatched 20 of their babies and have the following:

About half splash (as you'd expect)
A good quantity of blue (as you'd expect)
5 white chicks - all white with no colour at all
1 chick that looks like he should be splash (not blue) but with LOTS of red

So I'm thinking - obviously there is recessive white going on here (and both my rooster and hen have one copy of it each), to get the white babies and in that quantity. I wonder what other colors could be in these birds. The breeders pen obviously wasn't secure and it seems there is a high chance other roosters have had an input!

I've only worked with Black/Blue/Splash in the NZ Ara so I wouldn't automatically recognise the down of any of the colors that include red.

My Question
So looking at this little fellow - does he simply look like a very very red leaky splash? Or is it possible there's another color going on here?


What are your thoughts people??

 

[RoostersAreAwesome]

The whites are very likely recessive whites, but I’m unsure about the reddish chick.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

**Update Pictures**

OK baby is now 2 week sold. Here are updated pictures.

The parents must each have a copy of recessive white - I've got 5 of 20 chicks that are now confirmed as recessive white (no coloured feathers of any kind).

And my thoughts are, if the parent stock have recessive white, which they weren't supposed to have, then this begs the question as to what else might they have?

It's a lovely chick, I'll be growing it on out of sheer curiosity, but it's a bit random. It's the only chick like it in a batch of 20.

Anyone else care to guess what this colour is??

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Updates?

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

Updates?

Morning! He/She is now in the outdoor grow out run so will get pictures later this morning for posting!

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

OK.. Update Pictures!
I actually have two chicks like this now.

Chick A (Not the original chick posted - but has since developed red)
Looks splash but with some feathers marked with very obvious and very dark red leakage. (Could also be a very very light blue?? - Crest is darker than the body)
(Am suspecting cockerel based on shoulder placement of red).
The red is quite a rich mahogany and patchy in it's placement.




Chick B (The original chick posted)
Assumed splash with some rather funky red leakage/markings and patterning.
Ground colour is very light silver - almost like lavender but I know it's not lavender.
Assuming not recessive white because that "should" cover all red yes?
I can see no dark feathers yet, which you'd expect for a splash, odd??
All feathers have a faint edging of the red and it's a pretty uniform patterning.
Also looking like a few columbian/birchen type red markings coming in on the hackles.
Suspecting hen at this stage..

 

[TheOddOneOut]

OK.. Update Pictures!
I actually have two chicks like this now.

Chick A (Not the original chick posted - but has since developed red)
Looks splash but with some feathers marked with very obvious and very dark red leakage. (Could also be a very very light blue?? - Crest is darker than the body)
(Am suspecting cockerel based on shoulder placement of red).
The red is quite a rich mahogany and patchy in it's placement.

View attachment 2858047View attachment 2858048View attachment 2858049


Chick B (The original chick posted)
Assumed splash with some rather funky red leakage/markings and patterning.
Ground colour is very light silver - almost like lavender but I know it's not lavender.
Assuming not recessive white because that "should" cover all red yes?
I can see no dark feathers yet, which you'd expect for a splash, odd??
All feathers have a faint edging of the red and it's a pretty uniform patterning.
Also looking like a few columbian/birchen type red markings coming in on the hackles.
Suspecting hen at this stage..

View attachment 2858050
View attachment 2858051
View attachment 2858053

B is colored exactly like an Egger of mine.

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

B is colored exactly like an EE of mine. View attachment 2860446

So what do we call this? Splash with red leakage? Or, as someone local suggested, splash laced red??

 

[The Kooky Kiwi]

B is colored exactly like an EE of mine. View attachment 2860446

Did you breed this bird? Would be keen to know what the parents were .. if possible

 

[TheOddOneOut]

Did you breed this bird? Would be keen to know what the parents were .. if possible

She’s a Super Blue Egger. I believe she’s got some leghorn in her, as that is the cross. I don’t know that else is in her, but she is blue splash with red/ gold leakage.
She is a superb layer of large ice-blue eggs.
Here she is at maturity.