What does Chocolate and Splash look like in a chick?

[Redhead Rae]

I just had an unexpected hatch from my Bantam Cochin/Chocolate-Mauve Orp mixed chickens. The original hatch was from Splash/mottled Bantam Cochin Roosters over Chocolate and Mauve (blue/chocolate) Orp hens. So, my Rooster is splash but is split for chocolate (so the single chocolate gene doesn't express. The hens are Blue/Splash (with no chocolate). In theory, 50% of the pullets in the hatch should get the chocolate gene from my rooster and should express the gene (since chocolate is a sex linked trait). But since the hens are blue/splash as well, does anyone know how well the chocolate will express through blue/splash in chicks?

@WVduckchick @The Moonshiner

 

[WVduckchick]

I would think you might see some hint of brown in the down, if they get the chocolate gene? I really don't know.

Where is @The Moonshiner ?? Haven't seen him around lately.

@Pyxis may have thoughts on it, she knows chocolate.

Looking back at old pics, this blue barred cockerel carried chocolate. The other little one is a chocolate-splash pullet. In the group pic, I think the barred boys show a hint of the choc color, maybe? (The 4 lav orps are full lavendar, no chocolate involved, just happened to hatch at the same time)

 

[Redhead Rae]

I would think you might see some hint of brown in the down, if they get the chocolate gene? I really don't know.

Where is @The Moonshiner ?? Haven't seen him around lately.

@Pyxis may have thoughts on it, she knows chocolate.

Looking back at old pics, this blue barred cockerel carried chocolate. The other little one is a chocolate-splash pullet. In the group pic, I think the barred boys show a hint of the choc color, maybe? (The 4 lav orps are full lavendar, no chocolate involved, just happened to hatch at the same time)

View attachment 1684894 View attachment 1684895 View attachment 1684898

Thanks!

I saw him on a thread about Silver Laced Orps I tagged him in a week or two ago.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

The pullet chicks that get a copy of blue and chocolate will be mauve.

edit: maybe it called khaki (rather than mauve) in chickens

So all other factors aside, if the Rooster is:
Splash & Split for Choc

and if the hen is
Blue & no Choc

1/4 of the female offspring could be splash
1/4 of the female offspring could be splash/mauve
1/4 of the female offspring could be mauve
1/4 of the female offspring could be blue

1/2 of the male offspring could be splash
1/2 of the male offspring could be blue


but if the hen is
Splash & no Choc

1/2 of the female offspring could be splash/mauve
1/2 of the female offspring could be splash
all of the male offspring could be splash

 

[Redhead Rae]

The pullet chicks that get a copy of blue and chocolate will be mauve.

So all other factors aside, if the Rooster is:
Splash & Split for Choc

and if the hen is
Blue & no Choc

1/3 of the female offspring will be splash
1/3 of the female offspring will be mauve
1/3 of the female offspring will be blue
1/2 of the male offspring will be splash
1/2 of the male offspring will be blue


but if the hen is
Splash & no Choc

all the offspring are splash

A chick could be both splash and chocolate though. Chocolate and blue coloring are completely different mechanisms.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

A chick could be both splash and chocolate though. Chocolate and blue coloring are completely different mechanisms.

Good point, the splash would be impacted a bit:

My understanding is that the choc gene works on black pigment to turn it brown, but the 2 copies of the blue gene (splash) dilutes the black pigment, so there is little to turn brown....

So I guess they'd actually be mauve splash, meaning the the blue splashes that we normally see in splash, would be very light brown ...

note my edit above about mauve / khaki...

 

[Redhead Rae]

Good point, the splash would be impacted a bit:

My understanding is that the choc gene works on black pigment to turn it brown, but the 2 copies of the blue gene (splash) dilutes the black pigment, so there is little to turn brown....

So I guess they'd actually be mauve splash, meaning the the blue splashes that we normally see in splash, would be very light brown ...

note my edit above about mauve / khaki...

Chocolate is a sex linked coloration, like barring. But, unlike barring, it is recessive and takes two copies to express in males. Females only need one copy to express.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Chocolate is a sex linked coloration, like barring. But, unlike barring, it is recessive and takes two copies to express in males. Females only need one copy to express.

I updated the numbers above....

Did I not account for the sex linking correctly?

 

[Redhead Rae]

I updated the numbers above....

Did I not account for the sex linking correctly?

Looks good now. I have 7 hens, I think 4 are splash and 3 are blue.

 

[OhZark Biddies]

Past post on blue x chocolate crosses:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...-mauve-orpingtons.864186/page-2#post-18400189