The "What Color Is My Chicken?" thread! Calling all color experts!

[nicalandia]

So is there any chance that I^S has popped up independently in flocks outside of the lab here in the U.S. or elsewhere? Has anyone looked? If it arose once in a study flock then I would not discount the chance of it occurring elsewhere given the number of flocks and the number of years that chickens have been domestically bred.
And just out of curiosity are there breeders or researchers who scan domestic flocks for possible as yet undiscovered color mutations?

it could be possible for another I^S can pop up again.. I always keep my eyes open for mutations on broiler chicks(sold by the thousands here in Nicaraguan´s meat markets) because they breed millions of them each month.

 

[Meara]

How new is dun I^D? Where did it originate from?

 

[Henk69]

How new is dun I^D? Where did it originate from?

Not new but still quite rare.
It was a common color in game fowl once.
Maybe that is where the expression "pity" comes from.

 

[nicalandia]

Not new but still quite rare.
It was a common color in game fowl once.
Maybe that is where the expression "pity" comes from.

rare? I see it all the time in Nicaragua, where Lavender and Choc have yet to appear

 

[Meara]

Quote:

Maybe that is where the expression "pity" comes from.

Can you elaborate on that one? I don't get it. Do you mean because they fought in a pit?

 

[Henk69]

Quote:
Can you elaborate on that one? I don't get it. Do you mean because they fought in a pit?

Yes, and that it is a shame that it is so underappreciated.

 

[Mandymooligan]

Can anyone tell me what color this chicken is? This is the only photo I could find.

 

[tadkerson]

Looks similar to a red pyle.

Tim

 

[Lovely Emily]

I agree Red Pyle is most likely. If it's not Red Pyle, it is a variant of Splash.

Emily

 

[tiki244]

What pretty colors,,,,,,,I love the silkie cross that looks light chocolate. The pumpkin colors are pretty...I love this thread!!!!

So . . . the fact that none of Pumpkin's babies look like him . . . that means this can't be a simple dominant gene, right?

Here are two photos of the breeding pen. You can see the hens he was crossed with. Some are pure Sussex, some are this new unknown Aloha bloodline, those hens are related to him.





And Dun is a simple dominant, correct? So if it was Dun, half the chicks would look like him?

Some of his chicks are in this group photo (note there are also other lines/breeds) but so far, none look just like him:



And about the Buff variation thing . . . I suppose that yes, it could be some odd form of Buff.

But, I also have a Buff Barred Mottled roo here, and he clearly is Buff. (Also notice the black tail feathers.) Pumpkin and Butterscotch both look SO different from this guy:



Above: Buff Barred with Mottling (note black tail feathers)
Below: Pumpkin, one of two "mystery color" chickens in question:



Why the deep orange red color on a Buff? Or is it just the Barring that is making the other Buff mottled rooster look so much lighter?

Please note the Buff Barred mottled roo has a touch of black on his tail tip. Meanwhile, I haven't found a speck of true black pigment on Butterscotch, so far?

Should I test breed these "mystery" roos over Buff hens? So far, when bred to Sussex hens, the chicks look like Sussex. No effect on Black, which is what we'd see if this was simple dominant Dun gene at work, right? Because Dun dilutes Black?

If this color is a variation of Buff, what would be the result if I crossed these roosters over Buff hens? All Buff chicks?? And if the chicks were not all Buff when he's crossed with Buff hens, would that tell me that it is something else entirely? (In other words, is Buff recessive? So Buff x Buff would only make more Buff.)

I wish we had color DNA tests for chickens!