# Black cock with red babies



## NetRider (May 6, 2007)

Hey guys,

I have this black cock with white tail and white flights.. who mated to a red hen (recessive red) gave me one red baby and one blue one. I thought that maybe he had the recessive red gene and when combined with the recessive red gene from the hen it produced a red baby.

Then I split the pair, and mated him to a blue hen, and still he produces one red, and one blue baby. I am pretty sure that this blue hen does not have any recessive red parents or grand parents. 

Also as far as I could understand the ash-red color is dominant to blue, so if this cock had ash-red in him the ash-red would show, and not the blue spread/black color? Or am I wrong here..


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

There can be different combinations that gives you a "red" color. If you are sure that the baby from the second pairing is recessive red itself (because I get confused many times  ), then the hen will also be carrying it.

Red is dominant to blue, but if a cock is split for red and blue (heterogeneous for color) then it shared the genes for blue, coupled with the spread factor gave you the black.


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## Skyeking (Jan 17, 2003)

How about sharing a picture of the parents and babies?

That might give some insight too.
Thank you.


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## NetRider (May 6, 2007)

But if he is split for red and blue, and since red is dominant, shouldnt he be red colored? I dont think a blue cock can carry red, but a red cock can carry blue? 

And no I cannot be sure whether the babies are recessive red, because in that case he should not have produced a red baby with the blue hen.


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

NetRider said:


> But if he is split for red and blue, and since red is dominant, shouldnt he be red colored? I dont think a blue cock can carry red, but a red cock can carry blue?
> 
> And no I cannot be sure whether the babies are recessive red, because in that case he should not have produced a red baby with the blue hen.


Ooopsy  In my mind it was red cock


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## sreeshs (Aug 16, 2009)

So, coming again, your first pairing

Black cock x red hen (RR) = One RR baby - The cock is split for Recessive Red (RR)

Second pairing

Black cock x blue hen = One RR baby - The blue hen is also split for Recessive Red.
The black cock cannot carry red gene and the blue hen has only one color gene which is the visible color (blue) (These genes are separate from the genes for Recessive Red)

If you post the pictures, then someone expert here would be able to confirm whether its RR babies


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## NetRider (May 6, 2007)

Will try to take some pics.. But I am starting to wonder whether this hen really is carrying RR, she has a white beak like the recessive reds usually have, while my other blue hens have a black beak...


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

Mating him to a recessive red bird can give you varied results, since it's hard to know what all is hiding underneath it. If that hen was just an ash-red velvet (which looks very similar to RR sometimes), then getting red babies would also be understandable.
Now putting two blue birds together, you can't get ash-red babies, because ash-red is dominant and therefore impossible for blue birds to carry without showing it. However, you can get recessive red if both parents are carrying it. If you have them breeding in an open loft, it's also very possible that a different cockbird fertilized those eggs.


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## MaryOfExeter (Sep 30, 2007)

NetRider said:


> Will try to take some pics.. But I am starting to wonder whether this hen really is carrying RR, she has a white beak like the recessive reds usually have, while my other blue hens have a black beak...


Light beaks/skin are also caused by the smokey gene


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