Why Are We Black?

[3KillerBs]

I am sure you can pick up a lavender cockerel easily! Lavender orps are everywhere these days. I have even seen lavender wyandottes, though not as common.

I don't want to bring in an adult from an unknown source. I was hoping for one from this hatch where I'd know what the background was.

I suppose that one day I'll suddenly pop up a lavender chick a few years down the road.

 

[The Moonshiner]

Those appear to be the pea combs of a wyandotte. I am far form an expert, but that is what my wyandottes comb looks like.

Wyandotte have rose combs not pea combs.

 

[The Moonshiner]

@LadiesAndJane has this covered.
Only thing I can add is that the shank color also points to the orpington as the father.
Wyandotte color crosses would have yellow shanks.

 

[3KillerBs]

Not the best photo conditions today and my phone camera doesn't pick up the sheen well anyway, but here they are at 20 weeks.

And my Black Langshan cockerel, with whom they will make gloriously black chicks.

 

[3KillerBs]

And they are now laying -- lovely, though still rather small, pinky-tan eggs the same shade that my SLW lays.

 

[MaryZoe]

Storing sperm for 4 weeks is crazy. I don't really care if my birds in the pen with the new rooster are mixed, but it would be nice to know for sure. I guess I'll need to wait over a month. Sigh.

 

[3KillerBs]

Storing sperm for 4 weeks is crazy. I don't really care if my birds in the pen with the new rooster are mixed, but it would be nice to know for sure. I guess I'll need to wait over a month. Sigh.

The lady who bred them refuses to believe that they're not pure (mixed-color), Wyandottes.

 

[Flockincrazy]

Thank you. I need to learn more about chicken genetics.

I will be quite delighted to have split-to-lavender in my flock.

I guess it's proof of how long hens can store the rooster's sperm because my friend waited 3-4 weeks before collecting eggs but quite a lot of the hatch were these black chicks rather than black and gold ones.

Here's a picture of some of the chicks together:

View attachment 2662525

Well I see at least 3 roo's

 

[3KillerBs]

Well I see at least 3 roo's

Yes, there were some males among the chicks with the gold on them but every single one of the black chicks turned out to be female. Not only my 4, but the ones that went to someone else.

I know for sure because that someone couldn't keep roosters and I would have gotten any that were male.

The cross *shouldn't* have been sex-linked, but probability is weird.