Are gray chickens rare?

[FLChickens]

I have too many young roos and an established rooster. One of them was the CUTEST thing hatched out - I so hoped it was a pullet and I was going to keep it. Well, saddle feathers came in and he started to crow - along with several others from the same nest.

Mother I'm guessing is the splash silkie and father was SUPPOSED to be a barred rock - looked like one as a chick but turned out to be black with some reddish feathers around the neck and saddle. He's no longer the roo - I have a BO now that I intend to keep.

This guy was hatched a pretty light grey with kind of a Mohawk. The tail feathers are a pretty silver-gray and he's a soft gray underneath. He's gray all over except the saddle has a brownish tint in some light.

I'm trying to find him a home since I can't keep him and it seems a shame (to me) to eat such an unusual-looking chicken. But is he that unusual? If it's common I wouldn't feel so bad, but I've never seen a gray chicken. And unfortunately we aren't likely to get anymore with a new roo, I think.

(He looks a little more brownish in most of the photos than he does irl)

Thanks!

 

[BlackHackle]

I have too many young roos and an established rooster. One of them was the CUTEST thing hatched out - I so hoped it was a pullet and I was going to keep it. Well, saddle feathers came in and he started to crow - along with several others from the same nest.

Mother I'm guessing is the splash silkie and father was SUPPOSED to be a barred rock - looked like one as a chick but turned out to be black with some reddish feathers around the neck and saddle. He's no longer the roo - I have a BO now that I intend to keep.

This guy was hatched a pretty light grey with kind of a Mohawk. The tail feathers are a pretty silver-gray and he's a soft gray underneath. He's gray all over except the saddle has a brownish tint in some light.

I'm trying to find him a home since I can't keep him and it seems a shame (to me) to eat such an unusual-looking chicken. But is he that unusual? If it's common I wouldn't feel so bad, but I've never seen a gray chicken. And unfortunately we aren't likely to get anymore with a new roo, I think.

(He looks a little more brownish in most of the photos than he does irl)

Thanks!

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He appears to be a pretty faded colored genetically blue chicken

 

[FLChickens]

He appears to be a pretty faded colored genetically blue chicken

I don't know much (actually nothing) about chicken color genetics. Does that mean he's nothing special? I'm kind of worried he may turn more brownish with age since the last roo did.

 

[BlackHackle]

I don't know much (actually nothing) about chicken color genetics. Does that mean he's nothing special? I'm kind of worried he may turn more brownish with age since the last roo did.

Lower quality blue birds tend to develop a brownish color. If you were to cross your grey (genetically blue) chicken with a black one you would get that grey color/black/splash

 

[BlackHackle]

It's a pretty cool gene to play with, but Blue birds (sometimes appearing grey) are not all that rare

 

[FLChickens]

Ah I see ... found a chart with some simple info. I see how we got him. I thought that splash silkie was the mother. (We redistribute eggs for hatching and rarely hatch silkie eggs.)

And there are some REALLY pretty chickens with a nice blue color I see. I was searching "gray" and finding nothing.

I still know not much but I see a little now. Glad I asked. Thanks!!

 

[FLChickens]

And someday, someday ... I might just play with intentionally raising chickens for color. I have some favorite breeds I'd love to try with. But I've always kept most of mine in large communities and just bred for egg production and large bodies.

I do love the colors that can happen though. From our mixed flock before, we would sometimes get a really pretty cross, but most of the mutts are not very pretty.

 

[Mimi13]

Ah I see ... found a chart with some simple info. I see how we got him. I thought that splash silkie was the mother. (We redistribute eggs for hatching and rarely hatch silkie eggs.)

And there are some REALLY pretty chickens with a nice blue color I see. I was searching "gray" and finding nothing.

I still know not much but I see a little now. Glad I asked. Thanks!!

What was the chart you found? I would like to see the info you mentioned. I too know nothing about genetics, but I’m very interested.

 

[BlackHackle]

Ah I see ... found a chart with some simple info. I see how we got him. I thought that splash silkie was the mother. (We redistribute eggs for hatching and rarely hatch silkie eggs.)

And there are some REALLY pretty chickens with a nice blue color I see. I was searching "gray" and finding nothing.

I still know not much but I see a little now. Glad I asked. Thanks!!

You are most welcome!

And someday, someday ... I might just play with intentionally raising chickens for color. I have some favorite breeds I'd love to try with. But I've always kept most of mine in large communities and just bred for egg production and large bodies.

I do love the colors that can happen though. From our mixed flock before, we would sometimes get a really pretty cross, but most of the mutts are not very pretty.

Yea, it's the cream base color in chickens, making too many pattern crosses tends to bring that color out in weird forms

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

He could be blue or lavender. I see you have a black hen. She's probably were the blue came from. Whenever there is a chicken breed with blue or lavender, there is a black. Take Black Orpingtons, there is a lavender. The Blue comes from black. When hatching blue, you'll hatch black, splash, and blue.