What color do you think these mixed chicks wil lbe?

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

First time raising my own chicks and first time with mixed breeds. I'm eager to figure out what they'll look like and would love your input and pictures if you have any similiar breeding or similiar colors. Papa for all is a red Orpington.

The first chick (Ash)'s mama I'm very confident is my Lavender Orp. According to the genetic calcualtor from breedbook.org the baby should be black. Ash hatched black but with a faint rust-colored tint around the face. (Shows up very well in the first pic in my hand, 3 days old). Now Ash is nearly 4 weeks old and has a lot more gold or red. The last pic was taken today with a flash, so the color is not quite that pronoucned in real life. What color do you think he will be?


Parents: Pussy Willow & Lucifer



Chick #2 is Smudge. I believe Smudge is out of my Silver Laced Wyandotte. Smudge has a pea comb, so I assume that means mama has to be a wynadotte (all my other breeds have single combs). I do also have a Gold Laced Wyandotte, but she was about to molt at the time and I don't think she was laying. I expected Smudge to be red. I have heard people say that yellow chicks grow up to be white, but Smudge was the spitting image of Lucifer as a chick. Now Smudge is almost a month old and growing some interseting pattern on the wings. What color do you think this chick will be? I'd love to see pics of your flocks if you have other similiar crosses. Genetic calculator said "black patterend red" or "black patterned gold."

Charcoal's mama is unknown. My best guess would be silver laced wyandotte. Other potential candidates would be my blue hens (Blue Rock or Rhode Island Blue). Charcoal hatched black (blacker than Ash) but is also developing feint rust color around the face as well as what appears to be a pattern of some sort on the chest. First pic is from a few days old and other pics are 2-3 weeks. Is this pattern going to be lacing?

 

[Tonyroo]

There certainly cute. But I have no clue.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A Wyandotte has a rose comb. That is not a rose comb, a rose comb should be flat on top. The rose comb is dominant so if even one of the genes at that gene pair was rose it would not look like that.

That hen does not have a pure pea comb either but if all the other hens have single combs she is probably the mother. The pea comb is partially dominant, which means if both genes at that gene pair are pea comb, then the comb will be a pea. If the chicken has both pea and rose it will be a cushion or walnut but you don't have that. If only one of the two genes at that gene pair are pea then you get a partial pea comb. You can see the influence of the pea gene but it can look wonky. I think that's what you have.

What all that means is that I don't think that hen is a purebreed but is some type of cross. I don't know where you got her. If she is really silver then that second chick would be a red sex link male. Should feather out mostly white with black wings, maybe a black tail and some black markings on the neck. The saddle and hackle feathers should come in sort of a yellow white somewhere around 3 months, typical of the silver gene.

I'm not going to try on the others. I've seen too many strange changes between down and final feather color.

 

[tlcmurphy]

They are all cute! Lucifer is quite possibly the best rooster name ever

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

A Wyandotte has a rose comb. That is not a rose comb, a rose comb should be flat on top. The rose comb is dominant so if even one of the genes at that gene pair was rose it would not look like that.

My mistake. I meant to say the chick has a rose comb. The others are all single combs. I've included some better pics of Smudge's (yellow chick) rose comb. It's very similiar to my Wyandottes at that age, so I'm pretty sure that's what it is.

So I think you're saying that Smudge is a male (dang it!), but that he won't have any red on him? Down colors are so incredibly confusing!

Also, if rose combs are dominant that means my chicks with straight combs cannot be out of my wyandotte hens, correct?

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

They are all cute! Lucifer is quite possibly the best rooster name ever

Funny thing is that it makes him sound terrible, but he's actually pretty chill. We only named him that because he had gone by Lucinda for enough time that we struggled with changing the name.

 

[tlcmurphy]

Funny thing is that it makes him sound terrible, but he's actually pretty chill. We only named him that because he had gone by Lucinda for enough time that we struggled with changing the name.

Well now I’m disappointed, I was looking forward to the story behind the name!

 

[Ridgerunner]

So I think you're saying that Smudge is a male

That is not a silver laced wyandotte hen. Do an internet search on "silver laced wyandotte hen" and see what the feathers should look like.

I'n not convinced that that hen is actually silver. Silver does not turn a hen solid white, I think something else could be going on genetically. If she is silver then Smudge is a male. There is a good chance she is silver but I can't tell for sure just by looking.

he won't have any red on him?

He may have some red leakage when he gets his adult feathers. They all might.

Down colors are so incredibly confusing!

Extremely.

Also, if rose combs are dominant that means my chicks with straight combs cannot be out of my wyandotte hens, correct?

If they are purebreed wyandotte, that is correct. A pure wyandotte has both rose genes at that gene pair so she has to give one to her offspring.

One of the hardest things to do with genetics is to determine what you are working with. A lot of the time you cannot tell just by looking. That's why I always have to say "if". That second hen is not a silver laced wyandotte. I don't know what she is.

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

That is not a silver laced wyandotte hen. Do an internet search on "silver laced wyandotte hen" and see what the feathers should look like.

This is the mom of the yellow chick (I'm pretty sure). The other hen prictured is my lavender orpintgon and mom of the first rusty colored black chick (Ash).

 

[Fluster Cluck Acres]

For anyone who is curious what these chicks look like now…

Here’s Ash (Red Orpington x Lavender Orpington, pullet) and Smudge (Red Orp x SLW cockerel)

Here’s Dent (Red Orp x blue hen, cockerel)

Here’s Charcoal (Red Orp x ?? Blue hen ?? Cockerel)

Noel found a new flock at around 8 weeks. He was solid red with blue fluff.