What are these chicks?

[vickircafe]

I just hatched out chicks. One pen has a RIR rooster and 3 Leghorn hens along with a California White hen. The other pen has only 2 White Rock Roosters and 2 White Rock hens. How did I get all these black chicks with the white underneath?

 

[Chickenman76]

Is that the only kind of chickens you have?

 

[my sunwolf]

Are your birds from a hatchery? Hatchery birds may have interesting recessive genetics that sometimes come out when you breed them. Not to mention, sometimes a white bird will carry recessive black genetics that may end up trumping a red bird's genetics... rarely.

The one thing I can think that makes more sense is that a white rock roo carries recessive black and your California white hen carries recessive black (because of the barred California grey in her heritage used to make the cross), and when crossed they produce 25% black chicks with recessive black genetics. But in this instance, you should still have some white chicks.

You also said the White Rock roos and the California White hen were kept separate, so I don't know.

Is EVERY single chick black? This could be coming from your hatchery quality production red roo with odd genetics. Any chicks with other colors?

 

[vickircafe]

No, but they are the only ones penned up so I gather hatching eggs from them. They have been separated for over a month from the others. The only black chickens I have are hens.

 

[vickircafe]

I do have some White Rock chicks that hatched also (all white) along with a few RIReds and some California Whites but most of the chicks are black. Just cannot figure out where the black comes from. And yes, the rooster is probably hatchery stock. I got him a while ago from a lady who did not want any roosters.