When the chicks you hatch don't match the breed

[AusHen]

I just hatched some chicks and for the most part the chicks that hatched were the right breed, but two are not what I was expecting.
When the "Speckled Sussex" hatched I was expecting to have trouble telling it apart from the Cream legbars but to my surprise it hatched orange! I was sure there was a mistake so looked at some of the breeders photos and sure enough came across a very yellow/orange chick that they say is a speckled Sussex. I saw photos of the parents pen and they sure look like speckled Sussex, how is this possible??? photos of my chick and then a photo of the one she hatched and parents



Next up is the Bantam Sussex. The only Bantam Sussex I'm aware she has are Light and Coronation, so how did I get this chick??? Photo of parents included


Was there a mix up, sneaky parent/s or hidden genes?

 

[JedJackson]

As far as the bantam goes, it is a Coronation chick. The rooster must be split for Coronation, and the mother was either Coronation or also split for Coronation.

The speckled chick doesn't look like the right coloring to me, but it sounds like the breeder has a strain of SS that produces light chicks. Only time will tell if it feathers out as a normal SS.

 

[AusHen]

I expected the Bantam Sussex to hatch a very pale yellow like the photos I have seen but I guess being coronation which is lavender the colour does make sense.
Is it possible the SS is wheaten based rather than wild type? I did have something like this happen a while ago when I hatched Barnevelders, most were eb but one was eWh

 

[AusHen]

I just found the answer. Apparently here in Australia Speckle Sussex are on the eWh base rather than e+

 

[LadiesAndJane]

As far as the bantam goes, it is a Coronation chick. The rooster must be split for Coronation, and the mother was either Coronation or also split for Coronation.

The speckled chick doesn't look like the right coloring to me, but it sounds like the breeder has a strain of SS that produces light chicks. Only time will tell if it feathers out as a normal SS.

Agree! I know that some jubilee orps, that have the same coloring, are quite light at hatch and develop their speckling over time. Some even up to 18 months of age.
Maybe it is the same with this strain of speckled sussex?

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Agree! I know that some jubilee orps, that have the same coloring, are quite light at hatch and develop their speckling over time. Some even up to 18 months of age.
Maybe it is the same with this strain of speckled sussex?

That was my thoughts too! Interesting how genetics work!