What does [Could hatch sports] mean????

[bald k9]

Hello I have seen [could hatch sports] what does that mean?, the only thing I have seen so far is something with the color? Thanks

 

[Gypsy07]

Google is your friend! So are online dictionaries...


SPORT:

Noun (biology): An organism that shows a marked change from the normal type or parent stock, typically as a result of mutation.

Intransitive verb (biology): To mutate

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sport_(biology)


So I guess if you're asking the question about eggs or chickens you've seen for sale, it means that there is a higher than average chance that they will produce birds that don't conform to the required standard. If you want correct birds for showing, this probably isn't a good thing, but if you want to create new colours or variations of that particular breed then it's probably a good thing.

 

[pips&peeps]

Sometimes it means the parent birds are carrying recessive genes and you could get some white birds or even "off" colored birds.

 

[bald k9]

Thanks!!

 

[Gypsy07]

pips&peeps :

Sometimes it means the parent birds are carrying recessive genes and you could get some white birds or even "off" colored birds.

It is used that way, yes, but technically that usage is incorrect. Recessive genes are just that - recessive. A true sport is a spontaneous mutation and not a result of parental recessives. The appearance of a true sport also cannot be predicted. So if "may breed sports" is on an advert for supposedly pure breed birds, I'd be suspicious that the seller knows they aren't quite as pure as is being claimed...

ETA: For example, my Marsh Daisy birds produce chicks that are all sorts of colours, but they are not sports, just a result of poor breeding in the past.​