Questionable genetics

[Silverlilly1]

I don’t really know much about Ameracauna genetics or breeding in general so feel free to ignore me if this is no help or wrong or whatever but is it possible that they could be split to another color and the breeder just didn’t know it??? I think I’ve read sometimes chickens can carry a gene for another color and not display it but rather be “split” for it so when bred, they would have a chance of showing that other color? If the other chickens also carried that gene then the chicks would express it I think. Were they in with any other colors or anything?

That’s the weird thing. He had all black chickens. Pens and pens of them. And the colours that I’m seeing are not ones that can cross that way. Blacks can cross with blues and splashes, but I started with all blacks and seem to be getting wheaten and silver and black.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I know that GreenFire does that with orpingtons. They have lavender split ones that appear black but have the genes to make lavender if bred right

 

[ShrekDawg]

I know that GreenFire does that with orpingtons. They have lavender split ones that appear black but have the genes to make lavender if bred right

Yeah, I think I first heard of it with Orpingtons. I have a Lavender boy right now and a Buff girl as well as various other breeds of all colors/patterns and from what I’ve heard, I think his offspring would all be split rather than showing Lavender right away? Cause I know I was hoping to maybe get some Lavender color babies and was told it wouldn’t work that way the first generation. But don’t mean to hijack the thread here. Sorry.

 

[ShrekDawg]

That’s the weird thing. He had all black chickens. Pens and pens of them. And the colours that I’m seeing are not ones that can cross that way. Blacks can cross with blues and splashes, but I started with all blacks and seem to be getting wheaten and silver and black.

Oh wow that is very strange then!!! I wonder why that would be happening??? Throwback genes or something maybe??? It’s very odd.

 

[333113]

The feathers coming in are according to the colours I mentioned, I think. They’re definitely not all black. Unless you’re saying that they can lose those initial feathers and turn black later?

A lot of black chickens have chicks that have some white fluff. My Crevecoeurs are black and white when they hatch, and go to all black by the time they reach adult plumage. My dad used to say about breeding and genetics, you don't know what you are looking at until you are looking at a two year old. That's certainly more true for some color patterns, like mille fleur.

However, most of my Crevecoeurs are fully black by one year old. Sounds like that's a while off, for your flock!