"purebred" partridge bantam cochins hatched a black one?

[Wildflower&Loganberry]

Hi Friends

A friend of mine recently gave my family 10 partridge bantam cochin chicks that the mama had sneakily hatched out in a corner. He was getting rid of them and the rooster that bred with her because one of the little guys turned out black (with a bit of white on his chest) and he said the rooster must not have been purebred.

I know NOTHING about cochins yet except that they are cute little fluffballs right now (about 8 or 9 weeks old).

I read that partridge cochins were created by mixing two breeds, one being a black cochin, so is it possible that the black was a gene from way back or something?

Thanks in advance for any info!

Wildflower

 

[silkiechicken]

If they have the type, they are pure bred. The whole color thing is a mixed bag and the colors black and white can be hidden left and right. Nothing wrong with throwing a funny colored chick, just take them out of the breeding scheme.

But I'm not a breeder or genetics expert.

 

[thecochincoop]

strange colors can crop up out of anywhere especially if they are not show birds and have been selectively bred

 

[tadkerson]

I once had a chick that hatched that was a dark wild type. The chicks was almost black- you could se the wild type down but it was very dark. The chick developed into a black breasted red rooster (normal color). There are genes that can effect chick down but not adult plumage.

Tim

 

[Wildflower&Loganberry]

Thanks so much for the responses!