Rhode island reds

[medgirl1850]

I have several RIRs and I have a question that is puzzling me. We have three hens and one rooster in a pen together since they was young and they have layed eggs and I have hatched them cause I cant get them to sit on the eggs. Well some have hatched out red just like them and some now are hatching BLACK. I am very puzzled about this and just wondering what happened? We have no other rooster and none can get to them so how in the world did we get BLACK RIRs. We have hatched several and we are getting a lot of the blacks now and several reds. If anyone can help and maybe we can figure out why this has happened. And no they are not just DARK red they are BLACK!!! Thanks

 

[sourland]

The rooster in your avatar is not pure RIR. I'm thinking that your birds carry a high % of RIR blood, but there is something else in the mix.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I have several RIRs and I have a question that is puzzling me. We have three hens and one rooster in a pen together since they was young and they have layed eggs and I have hatched them cause I cant get them to sit on the eggs. Well some have hatched out red just like them and some now are hatching BLACK. I am very puzzled about this and just wondering what happened? We have no other rooster and none can get to them so how in the world did we get BLACK RIRs. We have hatched several and we are getting a lot of the blacks now and several reds. If anyone can help and maybe we can figure out why this has happened. And no they are not just DARK red they are BLACK!!! Thanks

Do you have photos of the birds in question? Asking because the bird in your avatar, if one of the birds involved in the breedings of this post, is not a pure RIR rooster. Seeing all of the birds in question will likely easily answer you seeming genetic mystery. Also, where were your birds sourced from?

 

[Michael OShay]

Do you have photos of the birds in question? Asking because the bird in your avatar, if one of the birds involved in the breedings of this post, is not a pure RIR rooster. Seeing all of the birds in question will likely easily answer you seeming genetic mystery. Also, where were your birds sourced from?

X2 on Old Grey Mare.