What will this chick look like when it grows us?

[5 Points Wingfeather]

This chicks mom is a buff Orpington and its dad is half BLRW and half lavender Orpington. He is blue laced with a little red leakage in his wings.

I assumed this cross would give me a buff chick with a little blue leakage but there seems to be more than leakage going on. Any idea what it will probably look like as an adult? @nicalandia @NatJ

 

[HollowOfWisps]

I think what you are seeing is black patterned buff with incomplete double lacing or half spangle.

 

[NatJ]

I think what you are seeing is black patterned buff with incomplete double lacing or half spangle.

I agree that it is probably something like that.

I'm not sure exactly what pattern it will be, but I'm pretty sure it will have some kind of black patterning on a buff or gold ground color.

 

[5 Points Wingfeather]

I think understand how the BBS gene works when bred to another BBS chicken but how did the blue from the dad become black when mixed with buff? If it’s too complicated don’t worry about explaining. It’s not a huge ddeal. Just seems to be an interesting pattern and color that I wasn’t expecting

 

[NatJ]

I think understand how the BBS gene works when bred to another BBS chicken but how did the blue from the dad become black when mixed with buff? If it’s too complicated don’t worry about explaining. It’s not a huge deal. Just seems to be an interesting pattern and color that I wasn’t expecting

There are a number of genes that affect how much black and how much gold are on a chicken, and how those colors are arranged. They make the difference between a solid black chicken, or a black laced gold chicken, or a buff chicken, or various other options.

Then there are genes that can change the gold to red, buff, cream, or silver. And there are genes that can change black to blue, splash, chocolate, or white.

Regarding the blue gene specifically, it affects the black parts of the chicken, but does not change where those black parts are. So an all-black chicken would become all blue, but a black laced red chicken would become a blue laced red (the black lacing turns blue, but the red stays red.)

The Buff Orpington probably does not have the blue gene, so it is genetically "black" rather than blue or splash, even though there isn't any visible black to see. Breeding a blue rooster to the buff orpington can give chicks that show black or chicks that show blue, and some of the other genes make it so the black or blue is visible in the feathers (so the chick is not solid buff.)