What is a "splash" chicken?

[Barry Natchitoches]

I keep reading about "splash" chickens.


What, exactly, is a "splash" chick?


I have 24 three week old baby ameraucana chicks from John Blehm -- how would I know if they were "splash" or not?

 

[ILuvMyPetChickens]

My Splash Silkie

 

[Ridgerunner]

It is a color/pattern, basically a white chicken with some black feathers randomly scattered.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=100969

 

[sevenbabychicks]

Splash coloration usually means a white bird with "splashes" (spots) of black and/or grey. The feathersite marans page has some splash marans: http://www.feathersite.com/Poultry/CGK/Marans/BRKMarans.html - they're about halfway down the page

Hope this helps!

 

[scbatz33]

or like this.....

 

[sevenbabychicks]

Or this one: Knephla, my mystery hen

 

[speckledhen]

Splash means the bird has two copies of the blue gene, it's not just a "look".

 

[farmerChef]

Splash is a double duition of black. It is called sport in some breeds like Games. Black is BB, Blue is Bb, and Splash is bb. Breeding blacks/blues/splashes will give different amounts of black/blue/splash. Using a t-square(I think that's what they're called) can help. But previous breeding and the individual bird will affect the percentages some.

Black to Blue = 50% blue. 50% black
Blue to Blue = 50% blue, 25% black, 25% splash
Splash to Splash = 100% splash

Example:
Black
Blue BB BB
Bb Bb

Lemon Splash Mixed Silked Rooster (old picture, no longer has leg mites)

Lemon Blue Mixed Hen

 

[briesberrypatch]

Is blue with splashes of black considered splash or something else?

 

[speckledhen]

Quote:
If it's blue, then it's blue, not splash. A splash bird looks white, not blue. It has two copies of the blue gene, yes, but it will not appear blue.