thebdj Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 If I am right then across most breeds of chicken, black and blue are fairly close in the gene pool ... Which may explain what I have going on with my baby silkies! I was told that the fertilised eggs I had came from a Black Bearded Cockerel and a Black Bearded Hen (or number of hens). It was a poor hatch and only 2 came out. From birth, one looked slightly lighter than the other but I didn't think anything of it. We are now approximately at 3 and a half weeks and it's fairly blatant now. One is black. Jet black. No mistaking that one! The other one is incredibly, well, blue. Like the blue I would expect indeed from a blue silkie or an orpington. That persian blue you would see in cats. It's not even like it has subtle tints or tinges, that is it's entire colour! Is this something I should expect as a carrier gene from two alleged black parents, or have I caugth out the breeder! Not that I especially care, as the chicken looks absolutely beautiful and will make a welcome addition to me ever growing silkie flock Just curious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smanners Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 This happened to me, I hatched 2 french copper black marans eggs but ended up with one blue and one black hen! But stranger than that was a white leghorn egg (which was a white egg taken from the nest) hatched and grew into a buff orphington!!! Not bothered at all though and it makes for a lovely variety of colours and characters Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted September 26, 2009 Share Posted September 26, 2009 Blue is apparently a common outcome from two black silkies, the chap I got my chicks off said that his two black silkies do 'generate' a fair amount of blue chicks so I think they must have the gene somewhere in their make up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
