The problem with introducing a parent carrying anything other than a single comb, is that single combs are recessive to everything else. So if you do a punnett square, and one of the parents is homozygous for a single comb and the second parent is heterozygous, 50% of the chicks should have single combs and 50% something else. But smedgekles, that crafty chicken breeder, claims all the chicks have single combs....Of course sometimes Ameraucanas of dubious origin (or part of a breeding program to introduce new traits) do have single combs....but. Same problem with Wyandottes. Now Sussex have nice single combs and the Light ones have the right colour range. But Light Sussex are fairly rare in this country compared to the Speckled.
I am starting to lean toward Leghorn.
Green, Cajun, kenboy, porkpal....jump right in....we are only on question eight.
Try to guess what breed the parents to these were......
This is too deep for me, I am having fun reading your post, as I know you are having fun. I have forgot most of what I know about chicken breeds. Now peafowl I could keep up.
Now I'm a crafty chicken breeder huh, lol
I got a good laugh out of that one. We didn't plan these and were quite surprised when the hen that went broody hatched out such a array of chicks. It baffles me how these three look like this given the parents. And, there are two other siblings out there that look completely Buff, go figure.
I am having fun too. don't know enough about any breed to make a guess
Silver Seabrights
Well if all the chicks have single combs Ameraucanas should be out, as would be Dominiques and Wyandottes. EE's are not so uniform, however - another breed previously mentioned. That still leaves us with the question of where the barred markings and dark legs came from. The Cochin could have contributed either, I think, but not both. How would Leghorn, even if black tailed, solve the colour deficit? We need something that is either barred or has dark legs, as I see it.( Could the barring actually be lacing or speckling? ) Australorp would give us black legs, the Cochin could have been barred, but then we are missing the blue (dilute) color - I gather buff can't count as dilute. I printed out an article on chicken colour genetics, but am as befogged as before. They barely mention buff, except to say that there are only two pigments: black, which is discussed in depth, and yellow/red. Buff was called partly a mystery. If the chicks are old enough and are roosters, perhaps no dilution gene is needed to produce the blue barred effect. Ramble, ramble...
Okay!
Now I call you guys (California term for members of either sex) out! I keep putting my good name (ha, ha!) and chicken insights on the line making reckless guesses.
Come on, we have 2 out of 3 right and 13 more guesses....I'll go first!
Guess eight: Papa: Cochin.....Australorp cross?
(I would try Leghorn next...or EE)
Woohoo Catscan you got it! Now what color configuration was the Cochin in the papa roo? Do you want to see picures?
Heh, heh, heh.....I got it!:0)
I think porkpal should guess the colour of the Cochin.
Porkpal, you little ramblin' rose....come guess!
Congrats Catscan! I love this thread, so interesting!
I knew there was cochin! Had to be with those rumps!
Where did the barred color come from then? Hummm LOL Fun thread!
Looking again, I think that is more of a splash than barred color..
Blue/Black?
Okay. After my recent study of the genetics of chicken colour inheritance, I have less and less confidence in my guess but I'll leap in boldly and suggest that the Cochin was blue and the father was barred - assuming that the Cochin is the grandmother and the Australorp is the grandfather.
Nope, not a Blue
Guess 10 anyone?
Splash then.
I'm ready for pics. This is giving me a headache.
Not yet, was she splash?
Smedgekles is being strangely elusive....
{{{Do Cochins come in columbian colouring?}}}
I was just reading up on white sports in black breeds, 'cause I know they do appear in Black Marans....and they do appear in Australorps too...which means there must be something in the background of Australorps that can generate a white bird.
This is one of the chicks when it was a baby.
A little older.....
Let me know when you want to see the parent pictures. I don't want to be responsible for CanjuninKy needing asprin. :)
Does that mean that porkpal's last guess...."Splash", was incorrect?
If so, Guess 10 for possible ancestral Cochin colour is now available....
{{{I am going to fetch a cool damp wash cloth for Cajun's anguished brow.....}}}
Does that mean that the Cochin was not splash?
From what I've read, it is not that hard to get rid of black colouration - partially at least. I thought it might be possible to get barring by crossing black with blue or splash. ("Chocolate/black X Splash = White") Cochins can be barred and barring is dominant, but the splash trait obscures most colour - including barring? So if the grandmother was a splash Cochin bred to a black Australorp I thought it might produce a barred chick.
I think I need to read some more...
Catscan and I asked the same question at the same time. This whole topic is a fun mystery. Don't tell us yet, but do answer the splash question.
This message was edited Aug 12, 2010 8:51 AM
Nope not Splash. The mother was full breed Buff Orpington, the father has full breed Australorp and full breed Cochin in him. Though the Cochin was a bantam the father is the size of a large chicken, size took after the Australorp. But the Cochin was not Blue, not Splash and not Black.
Okay, I need to read some more. Hang in there Cajun, we'll get this right sooner or later.
Barred cochin or silver lace cochin for the father dept along with Australorp..
Good guesses Moodene but neither of those (barred, silver lace) is correct.
Question 12?
It's a good thing Mendel started with peas and not chickens!
:0)
Well so much for genetic research, time for a random guess: how about white?
No white anything. The only white we have are Silkies and one Ameraucana that is sort of white and gold, but she has no part in this and neither do the Silkies as they are only 5 months old.
Question 13.....?
Hmmm...
BB Red Bantams
BB Red?
Does that mean Cajun is close? In that case, since she is a Bantam, I'll guess Columbian.
BB Red is the local name for them. They are red and black.
I think it stands for Black Breasted Red.....